NEW YORK, N.Y. – The New England Revolution (4-5-5; 17 pts.) played New York City FC (6-5-3; 21 pts.) to a 2-2 draw at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday evening. New England trailed late into the second half before midfielder Xavier Kouassi equalized in the 86th minute with the first goal of his MLS career.
Forward Kei Kamara also tallied for the Revolution in the 24th minute with an impressive headed finish, while New York City FC received goals from midfielders Jack Harrison and Miguel Camargo in the 16th and 64th minutes, respectively. Kamara's acrobatic headed goal in the first half was the 90th of his MLS career, which moves him past Carlos Ruiz and into sole possession of 10th place on Major League Soccer's all-time goal scoring list.
Midfielder Lee Nguyen, who assisted Kamara's goal, also made history in tonight's match, joining Steve Ralston as the only two players in Revolution history with 40 goals and 40 assists. Kelyn Rowe, who started the game at left back, moved into a tie with Joe-Max Moore for fourth most assists in club history after tallying his 35th on Kouassi's equalizer.
New England returns to MLS action against Toronto FC on Saturday, June 3 when the club hosts the first official Pride Night with the Midnight Riders and Boston Pride. A portion of ticket sales will be donated by the Revolution to Boston Pride. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised locally on CSN New England, with Brad Feldman, Paul Mariner, and Naoko Funayama calling the action. The game may also be heard on the radio on 98.5 The Sports Hub and in Portuguese on 1570 WMVX Nossa Radio.
New England Revolution 2, New York City FC 2
May 31, 2017 – Yankee Stadium (New York, N.Y.)
Revolution Pick up Point vs. NYCFC
- The Revolution played New York City FC to a 2-2 draw on Wednesday night to improve to 4-5-5 (17 pts.) through 14 games this season.
Nguyen Extends Torrid Run of Form, Joins Revolution's 40/40 Club
- Midfielder Lee Nguyen tallied the 40th assist of his Revolution career on Kei Kamara's 24th-minute goal. Nguyen, who also has 46 goals for his Revs career, joins Steve Ralston as the only players in club history with both 40 goals and 40 assists.
- Nguyen is one of just five active players with 40 goals and 40 assists, joining D.C. United's Sebastien Le Toux (59G/57A), FC Dallas' Javier Morales (50G/81A), Columbus Crew SC's Federico Higuain (44G/40A), and the Portland Timbers' Diego Valeri (43G/46A).
- Nguyen now has six assists on the season, which is tied for second most among all MLS players and trails only Toronto FC's Victor Vazquez (8).
- With his assist in tonight's match, Nguyen also extended his incredible run of form, as he has now registered either a goal or an assist in six of New England's last seven matches.
Kamara Scores 90th Career Goal, Claims 10th Place on MLS All-Time Scoring List
- Forward Kei Kamara tallied the 90th goal of his MLS career in the 24th minute of tonight's match. With the tally, Kamara surpasses Carlos Ruiz and claims sole possession of 10th place on Major League Soccer's all-time goal scoring list.
- Kamara's goal was his fourth of the season, which is good for third most among Revolution players. He trails only Lee Nguyen and Juan Agudelo, who each have six goals on the season.
Rowe Moves Into Tie For Fourth Most Assists in Club History
- Midfielder Kelyn Rowe distributed the 35th assist of his career on Xavier Kouassi's equalizer. With the impressive cross in the 86th minute, Rowe surpassed Shalrie Joseph and moved into a tie with Joe Max-Moore for the fourth most assists in Revolution history.
Knighton Makes First Start of 2017
- Goalkeeper Brad Knighton made his 2017 debut between the pipes for the Revolution in tonight's match and submitted three saves in the draw.
- Knighton recorded a 6-5-1 record in 13 League appearances last season. He added four more appearances in the 2016 U.S. Open Cup, including the Final against FC Dallas.
Revolution Make Five Changes to Starting XI
- Revolution Head Coach Jay Heaps made five changes to the club’s starting lineup from its most recent match on May 27 at New York Red Bulls, with defenders Benjamin Angoua and Andrew Farrell replacing defenders London Woodberry and Je-Vaughn Watson along the backline, Brad Knighton replacing Cody Cropper at goalkeeper, and Scott Caldwell and Daigo Kobayashi replacing Xavier Kouassi and Chris Tierney.
- Angoua and Farrell each missed the previous match due to one-game red card suspensions picked up during the May 21 win vs. Columbus Crew SC. Forward Teal Bunbury was unavailable for selection in tonight's match after being issue a two-match suspension by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for a foul on May 27 at New York.
- Defender Donnie Smith and midfielder Zachary Herivaux were both unavailable for selection in tonight's match as they are currently on loan with the Charlotte Independence and San Antonio FC, respectively.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
- 16th minute (GOAL) – New York City FC midfielder Jack Harrison puts the home side ahead, tapping in a feed from forward David Villa (WATCH).
- 23rd minute (CHANCE) – Forward Kei Kamara nearly equalizes for the Revolution seven minutes later as he is played into a scoring chance by Lee Nguyen, but Kamara's chipped shot is deflected by NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson (WATCH).
- 24th minute (GOAL) – Kamara gets redemption and equalizes on the ensuing corner kick with an incredible, acrobatic header that bounces inside of the far post (WATCH).
- 29th minute (SAVE) – Goalkeeper Brad Knighton denies Rodney Wallace's bid for a go-ahead goal, diving to his left to corral the low, driven shot (WATCH).
- 38th minute (SAVE) – Knighton delivers another clutch save for New England shortly before halftime, tipping a volley from David Villa above the crossbar and out to safety (WATCH).
- 63rd minute (GOAL) – NYCFC's Miguel Camargo puts the home side back in front with a header that beats Brad Knighton (WATCH).
- 86th minute (GOAL) – Midfielder Xavier Kouassi equalizes for New England with the first goal of his MLS career, heading in an impeccably played cross from Kelyn Rowe (WATCH).
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Christopher Penso
Assistant Referees: Nick Uranga (AR1), Andrew Bigelow (AR2)
Fourth Official: Robert Sibiga
Weather: 67 Degrees and Clear
Attendance: 20,193
Scoring Summary:
NYC – Jack Harrison 6 (David Villa 5) 17'
NE – Kei Kamara 4 (Lee Nguyen 6) 24'
NYC – Miguel Camargo 1 (Maximiliano Moralez 6, David Villa 6) 64'
NE – Xavier Kouassi 1 (Kelyn Rowe 4) 86'
Misconduct Summary:
NE – Gershon Koffie (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 29'
NYC – David Villa (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 81'
NE – Kelyn Rowe (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 87'
NYC – Mikey Lopez (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 90'
New England Revolution: Brad Knighton; Kelyn Rowe, Antonio Delamea, Benjamin Angoua, Andrew Farrell (Chris Tierney 75'); Gershon Koffie (Xavier Kouassi 67'); Daigo Kobayashi, Scott Caldwell; Diego Fagundez (Juan Agudelo 65'); Lee Nguyen, Kei Kamara
Substitutes Not Used: Cody Cropper, Je-Vaughn Watson, London Woodberry, Femi Hollinger-Janzen
New York City FC: Sean Johnson; Ben Sweat, Alexander Callens, Maxime Chanot, Ethan White; Thomas McNamara (Miguel Camargo 61'), Mikey Lopez, Maximiliano Moralez; Rodney Wallace (John Stertzer 88'), David Villa, Jack Harrison (Frederic Brillant 69')
Substitutes Not Used: Eirik Johansen, Sean Okoli, Jonathan Lewis, Kwame Awuah
