Where do you start with that one?

Cagily, for fear of getting into trouble, that's where.

Penalty? Yes. Red card? No.

But that's soccer and controversial decisions made by the man in the middle are not the sole property of MLS.

Now that's out of the way I thought the Revs responded superbly against a talented team who illustrated why they are top of the shop.

Playing Montreal with 11 was always going to be tough but with 10 that nigh on became mission impossible.

It seems like a strange thing to say having conceded four but I thought the defense was superb - especially after we switched to three at the back.

At 4-1 it would have been easy to capitulate but thanks to Kelyn Rowe's crafty chip it suddenly felt like it was game on again.

Unfortunately it was not to be and while, understandably, a lot of the post-match analysis has been about certain decisions, it would be wrong not to acknowledge that the Revs showed over 90 minutes that they have nothing to fear from the conference leaders.

As for the sideline, it was great to meet Shaffie Pillay, who has been a season ticket holder since day one and had the pleasure of dropping in on Brad and Jeff in the commentary box as a winner of one of the 30 Days of Prizes.

I joked that it may have been a booby prize but I am sure he enjoyed his evening apart from the result.

It was also great to hear his passion for the Revs and knowledge of the game. In some quarters in England there's a certain outdated, sneering and stereotypical view of American audiences. You know how it goes - they don't know their stuff, cheer anything and don't really care if their team wins or loses. 

I am happy to say that after six months covering the Revs I can dispel this myth. While Gillette is a big stadium to fill, the atmosphere seems to get better every week. On Sunday night it was feisty and at times hostile and there is nothing wrong with that. It was the first game attended by my other half's parents, dyed-in-the-wool NFL people from Ohio, and they were amazed. The raucous reaction to Jose Goncalves' perfectly timed first-half tackle was my own highlight and I'm sure there'll be more to come.

See you against D.C.