HARRISON, N.J. – A bright start petered out for the New England Revolution on Saturday night, as the New York Red Bulls mounted a second-half comeback to down the Revs, 2-1, at Red Bull Arena.
The visitors were on the front foot from the opening whistle and were rewarded for their endeavor with the game’s first goal after just nine minutes. Diego Fagundez was hacked down inside the box, setting the stage for Lee Nguyen to coolly convert his sixth goal of the season from the spot.
From there, however, the hosts took control. The Revs weathered a storm to maintain their slim advantage at the halftime break, but Bradley Wright-Phillips pounced on an error just 60 seconds into the second half to pull the Red Bulls level, before Daniel Royer grabbed a winner in the late stages.
It was a frustrating end to a night that began with such promise, as the Revs found themselves pinned into their own end for long stretches, unable to relieve the mounting pressure.
“We just didn’t play our game enough,” said Chris Tierney. “We were defending for too much of the game, too deep in our own end. We had a hard time keeping possession. We fought hard – the fight was there – but we just didn’t have it in terms of our technical side and playing our game.”
New England’s determination was matched by their traveling support, who were 1,000 strong at Red Bull Arena and were at their loudest early in the second half when the Revs most needed the boost. It nearly produced the desired result, too, as it brought forth the Revs’ best period of the second half.
“I heard our fans the entire game,” said head coach Jay Heaps. “Just an amazing tribute to our team that fans would come down here Memorial Day weekend, bus down here, and give it their all.
“I think our guys laid it on the line for our supporters. There’s not one guy out there that didn’t leave it all on the line, particularly toward the end of the game. I saw everyone blocking shots, lying on the ground, trying to get that next goal to tie it.
“I hope the crowd, although disappointed with the result, can appreciate the effort the players put out there.”
While the traveling support headed back to Foxborough frustratingly empty-handed on Saturday night, the Revs will remain in the tri-state area for the next few days as they prepare for Wednesday night’s visit to New York City FC.
It’s another chance for the Revs to pick up their first road win of the season before they’ll return to New England to play five of seven at home through the end of July.
“This is a tough pill to swallow,” said Nguyen. “We have to move on and focus on NYC, because it’s another Eastern Conference game and we’re going to need three points.”
