FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (1-2-0; 3 pts.) defeated Minnesota United FC (0-3-1; 1 pt.), 5-2, at Gillette Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Four different players scored for New England, as the club extended its unbeaten run in home openers to 11 matches.
Forward Juan Agudelo opened the scoring shortly after kickoff by heading in a cross from defender Chris Tierney, who became the fourth player in club history to record 200 starts (Shalrie Joseph, Matt Reis, and Jay Heaps) in today’s match. The assist was the 36th of Tierney’s career, which puts him in sole possession of second place on the club’s all-time assists chart. Midfielder Lee Nguyen also reached a major milestone when he converted a penalty in the 32nd minute. He tied Steve Ralston for second place on New England’s all-time goal scoring list with 42 tallies.
Juan Agudelo added his second goal of the first half in the 41st minute and secured the third brace of his MLS career. Kei Kamara also found the back of the net, while Diego Fagundez registered a pair of assists. Both Nguyen and Scott Caldwell also recorded helpers.
Full match statistics can be found HERE.
New England returns to action next Sunday, April 2, when the club visits the Portland Timbers at Providence Park for a nationally televised match on ESPN2. The match kicks off at 9:00 p.m. ET with Adrian Healey and Taylor Twellman on the call. Fans can also listen on the radio in English on 98.5 The Sports Hub and on 1570 WMVX Nossa Radio in Portuguese.
New England Revolution 5, Minnesota United FC 2
March 25, 2017 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)
Revolution Defeat Minnesota United FC in 2017 Home Opener
- The Revolution defeated Minnesota United FC, 5-2, bringing the club’s record to 1-2-0 (3 pts.) through three matches of the 2017 regular season.
- New England has now recorded at least a point in 11 consecutive home openers, improving to 7-0-4 during that stretch.
- The Revolution have extended the club’s winning streak at Gillette Stadium to five games, which began last season with a win over the Colorado Rapids on Sept. 3, 2016.
Revs Score Four First-Half Goals, Finish with Five
- New England found the back of the net early and often in today’s contest. A pair of goals from Juan Agudelo, as well as tallies from Kei Kamara and Lee Nguyen gave the Revolution four goals in the first half for the fourth time in club history.
- The last time the Revolution posted four first-half goals was also the last time the team scored five goals in a home match, a 5-0 win vs. Seattle on May 11, 2014.
- New England tallied at least five times for the ninth time in club history. Most recently, the Revs registered five goals on May 17, 2014 at Philadelphia.
- The club record for goals in a match is six, which was recorded in the Revolution’s 6-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids on Sept. 18, 2004.
Tierney Makes 200th Start, Scores Penalty, and Tallies 36th Assist
- Revolution Defender Chris Tierney became the fourth player in Revolution history to record 200 starts with today’s starting XI nod. He joins Shalrie Joseph (254), Matt Reis (253), and Jay Heaps (238) on the exclusive list.
- The assist is Tierney’s first of the 2017 season and the 36th of his career, giving him sole possession of second place on the club’s all-time assists chart as he passes Joe-Max Moore. He trails only Steve Ralston’s 73 assists.
- Tierney added a goal from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute, The game marks the first time Tierney recorded a goal and an assist in the same match since May 17, 2014 at Philadelphia.
Agudelo Registers Brace for First Goals of 2017
- Forward Juan Agudelo recorded a pair of goals, including the first home goal of 2017 for the New England Revolution. He now has 34 career goals, 23 of which have come as a Revolution player. With his next goal, Agudelo will tie Wolde Harris for 10th place on the club’s all-time goal scoring list.
- The brace is the third of Agudelo’s career and first since he recorded two goals in a 5-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union on Aug. 25, 2013. Agudelo also notched two goals as a member of the New York Red Bulls in a 5-0 victory over Toronto FC on July 6, 2011.
- Midfielder Diego Fagundez added a helper on Agudelo’s second goal. The assist is Fagundez’s first of the season and the 25th of his career. With his second assist in the 41st minute, Fagundez tied Jay Heaps for 10th place on the club’s all-time assist list with 26.
Nguyen’s Moves to Second Place in Revolution Goals
- Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen scored from the penalty spot for a second consecutive match. With the goal, Nguyen now has two goals on the season and 42 for his career, all of which have come as a Revolution player.
- With the goal, Nguyen is now tied for second place with Steve Ralston for most goals in club history. He remains the club’s all-time leader in penalty kick goals with 15.
- Nguyen’s assist on Kei Kamara’s goal gives him 35 for his career, moving him into a tie with Joe-Max Moore for third place in club history Steve Ralston (73) and Chris Tierney (36).
Kamara Opens 2017 Account in First Half
- Revolution forward Kei Kamara registered his first goal of the 2017 season in the 21st minute of today’s contest. The Sierra Leone native has now registered eight goals as a Revolution player.
- Kamara continues to climb the all-time MLS goal list. The forward now has 87 career MLS goals and will tie Carlos Ruiz and Roy Lassiter for 10th place on the all-time MLS scoring list with his next goal.
Revolution Make One Change to Starting XI
- Revolution Head Coach Jay Heaps made one change to the starting lineup from New England’s most recent match on March 4 against the Colorado Rapids. Midfielder Kelyn Rowe replaced midfielder Xavier Kouassi.
- In addition, two changes were made to the 18-man matchday roster. Goalkeeper Brad Knighton and defender Je-Vaughn Watson replaced goalkeeper Matt Turner and defender Josh Smith, respectively.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- 4th minute (GOAL) – Forward Juan Agudelo puts the Revolution ahead just minutes after the opening whistle, heading in a patented, left-footed cross from defender Chris Tierney(WATCH).
- 16th minute (GOAL) – Minnesota United FC midfielder Collen Warner equalizes with a right-footed shot from distance (WATCH).
- 22nd minute (GOAL) – Forward Kei Kamara puts New England back in front, tapping home a well-serviced ball from Lee Nguyen, who bided his time along the six-yard box with some crafty footwork (WATCH).
- 32nd minute (GOAL) – The Revolution are awarded a penalty kick after Juan Agudelo draws a foul inside of Minnesota’s 18-yard box (WATCH). Lee Nguyen converts on the PK and extends New England’s lead to two goals (WATCH).
- 41st minute (GOAL) – Diego Fagundez switches the field with a curling pass that connects with Juan Agudelo, who beats Bobby Shuttleworth to the near post – extending New England’s lead to three goals and securing a brace in the process (WATCH).
- 49th minute (GOAL) – Brent Kallman pulls one back for the visitors and cuts the deficit to two (WATCH).
- 52nd minute (GOAL) – New England is awarded a second penalty kick, this time due to a foul on Diego Fagundez at the edge of the 18-yard box (WATCH). Chris Tierney converts on the attempt and puts the Revolution back ahead by three goals in his 200th career start (WATCH).
- 64th minute (SAVE) – Goalkeeper Cody Cropper enters a submission for the highlight reel, stretching to his left to parry away a close-range effort from a Minnesota United attack (WATCH).
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Ricardo Salazar
Assistant Referees: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho (AR1), Cladiu Badea (AR2)
Fourth Official: Robert Sibiga
Weather: 40 Degrees and Cloudy
Attendance: 11,571
Scoring Summary:
NE – Juan Agudelo 1 (Chris Tierney 1, Scott Caldwell 1) 4’
MIN – Collen Warner 1 (Christian Ramirez 1) 15’
NE – Kei Kamara 1 (Lee Nguyen 1, Diego Fagundez 1) 21’
NE – Lee Nguyen 2 (Penalty Kick) 32’
NE – Juan Agudelo 2 (Diego Fagundez 2) 41’
MIN – Brent Kallman 1 (Unassisted) 49’
NE – Chris Tierney 1 (Penalty Kick) 53’
Misconduct Summary:
None
New England Revolution: Cody Cropper; Chris Tierney, Benjamin Angoua, Antonio Delamea, Andrew Farrell; Scott Caldwell; Diego Fagundez, Kelyn Rowe; Juan Agudelo (Teal Bunbury 82’), Lee Nguyen © (Daigo Kobayashi 70’); Kei Kamara (Femi Hollinger-Janzen 70’)
Substitutes Not Used: Brad Knighton, Je-Vaughn Watson, London Woodberry, Xavier Kouassi
Minnesota United FC: Bobby Shuttleworth; Vadim Demidov ©, Kevin Venegas, Brent Kallman, Jerome Thiesson; Mohammed Saeid (Collin Martin 63’), Collen Warner; Miguel Ibarra (Abu Danladi 45’ – HT), Bashkim Kadrii (Jermaine Taylor 45’ – HT), Ibson; Christian Ramirez
Substitutes Not Used: Billy Heavner, Joshua Gatt, Ismaila Jome,
