FOXBOROUGH – The New England Revolution’s nine-game unbeaten streak flamed out on an unseasonably cool Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium.
FC Cincinnati striker Kevin Denkey’s tally in the 26th minute was enough to secure a 1-0 victory in the opener of a three-game homestand before an impressive crowd of 27,189 fans.
The Revolution fell to 6-5-5 with their second 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati this season. The Revolution will resume the homestand against Nashville SC on June 25.
“It is too bad because we were playing the No. 2 team in the East, and they are always a contender for the top in the East,” said Revolution head coach Caleb Porter.
“I thought we had the better of the game, and what I mean by that is we were in more positions to score than they were. But we have to find a goal, we have to do better, and we are a little thin. We had a lot of chances but didn’t turn them into goals.”
The Revolution went into their bye week at the conclusion of a grueling three-game road trip that ended with a 3-0 victory at CF Montreal on May 31.
Porter had employed a 3-5-2 formation during the road swing but switched to a 4-2-3-1 set against Cincy. The schematic alteration required changes to his starting XI at center back (Tanner Beason), right back (Brayan Ceballos), and right midfield (Luis Diaz).
Tomas Chancalay was the lone striker, a designation that came into play when forward Ignatius Ganago suffered a quad strain while doing international duty for Cameroon. Ganago was placed on short-term injury and is expected to miss a minimum of six matches.
Chancalay, who was making his fourth start, was the most active player on the pitch in the opening half, attacking the FC Cincinnati zone from all angles.
The Revolution caught a huge break in the 11th minute when Luca Orellano’s uncontested bid from the left flank of the penalty area bounced off the far post. Cincy keeper Roman Celentano did his part with a huge stop on Chancalay, who unloaded off his right foot from the middle of the box in the 12th minute.
“I thought he played well and he had a few shots,” said Porter. “Hopefully, after the break, we get a few guys back, but I can’t fault the effort today. The guys worked very hard, and they threw everything into the game.
“It led to a lot of very good moments that could have and should have been a goal. But you have to give credit to them as well, they are a very good defensive team.”
FC Cincinnati opened the scoring on a brilliantly executed give-and-go between Orellano and Denkey in the 26th minute. Denkey crashed the penalty area in transition and fed the ball to Orellano on the left flank.
Orellano paused and directed the ball back to Denkey, who split the Revs’ defenders, Mamadou Fofana and Ceballos, and power kicked it past keeper Aljaz Ivacic for his 11th of the season. The first half ended with a scrum involving several players in the Cincinnati end.
“Obviously, Orellano hit the post and then they pulled off the cross to Denkey, and he found a half chance, and really, those were the only two chances they had,” said Porter.
“But that is why Denkey was such a big transfer in. That’s what he does, throughout, but we were in way more positions than they were to score.”
The Revolution pressed the issue in the FC Cincinnati end throughout most of the second half but failed to net the equalizer. Porter made liberal substitutions over the final 15 minutes but could not find a combination that would extend the Revolution’s unbeaten streak.
“I honestly don’t know how we didn’t score, I don’t know what more we can do,” said Porter. “We subbed on every attacking player that we had available, and we kept throwing the kitchen sink at them, we were huffing and puffing, and we just couldn’t blow the house down.”
