New England Revolution take three huge points over LA Galaxy

The New England Revolution defeat the LA Galaxy in Gillette Stadium, snapping a four-game MLS losing streak.

FINALLY! A result New England Revolution fans can be happy about. After the nearly season-long motto of “they need to get results fast” the Revs pull through.

I was surprised by the amount of scoring and the lack of shots from the Revs. Usually the Revs lead the total shots stat by a wide margin. Saturday night found the Galaxy on top 15-13.

This came from a distinct lack of defense from the Revs, which isn’t necessarily uncharacteristic. What is strange is that even with three of their biggest play-makers back, the Revs had to wait until Teal Bunbury came in off the bench to really heat up on offense.

Recap

Lee Nguyen got the game started on the right foot (pun intended). In only the 16th minute, the Revs scored first as Kelyn Rowe was taken down hard from behind, leaving Nguyen open and the ball rolling to him. Nguyen then simply slotted it in between two Galaxy players and into the right corner.

At least, Nguyen made it look easy.

Both teams enjoyed headers in this match. The Galaxy started the craze when Daniel Steres deftly redirected a cross into the back of the net in the 22nd minute.

COMMERCE CITY, CO – APRIL 04: Lee Nguyen /

As I wrote earlier, defense was a struggle for both teams. The Galaxy’s backline woes couldn’t be more well encapsulated than Kei Kamara‘s goal in the 34th minute.

With Diego Fagundez on ball, three Galaxy defenders slowly pressure him. This gives Kamara a huge open space for Fagundez to pass to. Kamara was basically guaranteed the goal at that point.

Daniel Steres scored again in the 53rd minute. After a header directly into the ground in front of goal, Steres almost floated sideways to tap it across the line. Not much to say other than more poor communication on defense.

The Legend of Teal Bunbury

In the 65th minute, the Revs’ savior of the match took the pitch. Teal Bunbury, took to the field, tied 2-2. His fresh legs and aggressive attacking mindset led the squad for a beautiful next eight minutes.

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Five minutes after arriving on the scene, Bunbury broke the tie. Kelyn Rowe showed off what I had boasted about him in the preview and placed a perfect cross firmly on the head of Bunbury who drilled it into the net.

Bunbury’s second came just three minutes after that. After a nice move by Kamara, the Revs attacked with Bunbury in the middle. Andrew Farrell came up from his defensive position to chop the ball into the box. In one touch, Bunbury flicked it between multiple defenders and past the keeper.

New England’s number 10 has proven himself for some more play time.

The game could have been much more one-sided if the Revs had shown any ability to clear. That was the case in all three of the Galaxy’s goals, but the third one even more so. Again, very little to say, just watch the goal by Ariel Lassiter. You can’t let the ball sit that close to goal for that long.

Up Next

I don’t want to have to go on about how much this team needs to work on defense. Seeing as how close this game against a weakened Galaxy went, it needs to be top priority going forward.

Next: Boston Red Sox: The sensational importance of a home run

Up next, the Philadelphia Union come to down for a rematch. The first game between the two this season didn’t go well for the Revs. Picking up on defense, plus home field advantage might change the outcome.

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