FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The difference was clear to Diego Fagundez.

“Friday afternoon, when we were here as a team, you could tell something about the locker room was different,” Fagundez said. “And of course Saturday came and it felt different again.

“Maybe it was a new start for us. Maybe everyone was fired up. I think it showed in the game how much we wanted to win and what it took. We went out there and we got three points.”

Perhaps it was the arrival of Kei Kamara on Friday, or maybe it was the start of a three-game homestand that players and coaches have labeled “do or die.” Whatever the reason, it was clear to the naked eye that the New England Revolution were a motivated bunch against the Chicago Fire.

A buzz permeated the club’s camp on Friday and into the weekend, and that energy transferred to the field on Saturday night as the Revs snapped out of their recent funk with a 2-0 win over Chicago.

“It’s a good step forward for us, for our group,” said goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, who needed to make just one save against the Fire to keep his third clean sheet. “We need to continue to move forward and continue to win games at home. That’s really important in this league.”

The Revs will be home once again this Saturday night as they continue their three-game homestand against FC Dallas (BUY TICKETS), currently one point back of the league-leading Colorado Rapids.

Last weekend’s victory was much needed but the goal now is to ensure that energy ticks over into this week, and that performance was the start of something bigger as 2016 presses forward.

“A win relieves some pressure, for sure,” said Chris Tierney, who’s hoping to make his return on Saturday night after missing the past four games. “But you’ve got to have a short memory, win or lose.

“We’re going into this next game with the same intensity and urgency that we did last week, feeling as though it’s a must-win. I think you’ll see us approach the game that way and hopefully get another good result.”