FOXBORO – Through the first 75 minutes of Saturday’s match, the New England Revolution were locked in a scoreless tie with the Philadelphia Union.
Caleb Porter’s squad survived an incredibly physical Union squad which held the best goal differential in the MLS entering the contest at +5.
The Revolution though, could not hold onto the tie forever and in the 75th, a header from Tai Baribo broke their backs and made the contest 1-0.
“We’re right there to win the game until the 75th minute and that’s what’s frustrating because we’re right there,” Porter said. “It’s a difficult team to play. They score eight goals against two very good teams in Orlando and Cincinnati and we’re 0-0 with them until the 75th minute.”
Following the loss Saturday night, the Revolution move to 0-2-1 on the year, with both losses coming at home.
Though it’s still just three games into the season, there is plenty to learn from Saturday night’s contest against the Union.
Here are three takeaways for the Revolution from the loss.
A haunting final third
Until the Revolution scores their first goal of the season, the opposing net is going to continue to appear smaller and smaller.
Following Saturday, the Revolution are the only Eastern Conference team to have no goals through three games. The only other scoreless team in the MLS is St. Louis who plays their third game on Sunday.
“I thought we got in a lot better spots in this game to score and create but I don’t think we did well enough in those spots,” Porter said. “We have to continue to do a better job of obviously getting these guys to score goals, there’s no doubt.
The Revolution’s offense was not helped when starting striker Leo Campana went down in the third minute. Campana felt to the ground after appearing to mishit his first attempt on goal and has to be subbed off for Maxi Urruti a few minutes later.
While Urruti provided a spark here and there, the Revolution mustered just one shot on goal in the contest and never truly threatened.
Whenever they did find themselves in the opposing box with the ball, the decisions just came too slowly. Windows for shots closed and passing lanes were quickly sealed.
When New England players did get looks on net, their sharpness just wasn’t there.
“Carles (Gil) had a great chance, a golden chance ion the first half,” Porter said. “He usually scores that, it’s a bread-and-butter shot for him.”
Ignatius Ganago has best performance so far
Despite the final scoresheet, Ignatius Ganago still impressed Saturday night as a part of the Revolution attack.
With Campana out, the left winger became a focal point of the offense, flashing his skill in possession and off the ball. When he wasn’t slicing through the defense with dribbles, he was creating plenty of room for balls to be played into him.
Still, like the rest of the Revolution, his offensive performance was not complete. Ganago’s crossing was just off at times and though he did have New England’s only shot on goal, it was not very threatening to Union goalkeeper Andre Blake.
While Campana’s immediate future is up in the air, Ganago has a chance to step into an even larger role, potentially filling in at striker if Campana is still recovering from his injury in the weeks ahead.
During the preseason, Porter made sure to note Gang’s ability to play both on the wing and as a central forward, providing versatility that will be crucial for the Revolution in the next few weeks.
Revamped defense continues to impress
Although the Revolution offense continues to sputter, their defense has been one of the best units in the league to start the season.
Coming into the match Philadelphia had scored the most goals in the MLS through the first two games with eight. Against the Revolution though, the Union scored just twice, neither of which came in the first 74 minutes.
“I still think we’re defending really well, that gives me great hope,” Porter said.
The newest additions of Brayan Ceballos, Mamadou Fofana, and Ilay Feingold are proving quite shrewd.
Ceballos and Fofana bring much-needed athleticism to the center of New England’s defense which has made them into quite a formidable pairing.
With Ceballos and Fofana controlling the center, Feingold has been free to wreak havoc on the wings. The 20-year-old has quickly made a name for himself in his first three games with the club, flying into challenges and going after every ball he has just the slightest chance of reaching.
In the Revolution’s first two games, Feingold played left back but on Saturday he moved over to his natural position on the right.
“We wanted to see how he’d do, we really like him,” Porter said. “He’s really good on the ball, he’s very skillful, he really drives, he’s athletic and he’s a very natural soccer player. I thought he had a good game.”
