FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Playing for the second time in just four days and in the midst of a hectic stretch of summer matches, Bruce Arena made six changes to the New England Revolution’s starting lineup for Saturday night’s meeting with the Houston Dynamo.
Two of the players moved to the substitute’s bench after starting midweek were Teal Bunbury and Cristian Penilla, and it wasn’t just because the duo needed a rest. No, it was partly strategic.
Playing against a banged up Dynamo side – which traveled just 17 players to New England after playing in San Jose midweek and traveling cross-country on Thursday – Arena wanted that duo available off the bench to take advantage of Houston’s tired legs in the late stages.
“We knew that if you can bring Penilla and Bunbury into the game, and you’re in position to win a game, that’s going to be a real positive for us,” Arena said. “It worked out.”
It did, indeed, as Penilla set up Bunbury’s game winner in second-half stoppage time to complete the Revolution’s comeback in a dramatic 2-1 win in front of 17,372 fans at Gillette Stadium. It’s a result that extends the Revs’ unbeaten run in league play to six games (3-0-3) and pulls them to within three points of the playoff places in the Eastern Conference.
Both players came on with about a half-hour remaining – Bunbury in the 57th minute, Penilla in the 61st – and the message from Arena was clear: “Go make a difference.”
“Any time you come in, you want to make an impact – whether it’s defensively, offensively, you want to lift the spirits of the guys a little bit,” said Bunbury, who now has four goals in his last five appearances in all competitions. “That was my job – to go in there and try to work my tail off, and to try to win the game.”
That’s exactly what he did, finishing off an electric sequence just as the clock ticked over the 90 minutes. Penilla burst to the endline and cut a pass back across the box from left to right, beating three defenders in the process. Bunbury was on hand at the back post to smash home from seven yards and seal the Revs three precious points.
“That, for me, is all Penilla’s work,” said Bunbury. “He took on two, three guys, dragged the ‘keeper out with him, was able to chop it back, and I had all the time in the world to just make sure I was getting it on target.”
Arena was full of praise for both substitutes, calling Bunbury “such a smart player” who “just helps our team,” while praising Penilla for an “outstanding job” terrorizing the Dynamo backline.
It’s likely both will find themselves back in the starting lineup when the Revs return to action on Thursday night for an Independence Day showdown with the Colorado Rapids, as New England will aim to stretch their league unbeaten run to seven games against one of the league’s hottest teams.
“We’ll enjoy this win, but we’ve got to move forward,” said Bunbury. “Our next match is Colorado, so we’ll prepare for them.”
