Revs Get A Well Earned 1-0 Victory Against D.C. United

The Revs have struggled lately, and really needed to find a way to get a victory on the road. Well, Stephen McCarthy's goal in the latter part of the second half was the difference in the match. New England battled hard in this game, and were rewarded with 3 points. The Revs got a well earned 1-0 victory against D.C. United at RFK Stadium.

New England (4-9-7, 19 points) came out determined in this match from the very beginning. Coach Nicol deployed a 4-3-3 formation that seemed to be affective at times. They certainly controlled the early stages of the first half.

However, D.C. United (5-6-8, 23 points) would start to take control back from the Revs, and see them have a few good opportunities to score. In the 17th minute, Charlie Davies had a nice shot on goal that was saved by Revs goalkeeper Matt Reis.

The pressure would continue in the next minute as United midfielder Dwayne De Rosario got off a great shot that Reis just got a hand on. The Revs certainly dodged a bullet, and weathered the storm in this part of the match.

The Revs would have a wonderful chance to score in the 32nd minute. Zak Boggs, from 25 yards away blasted a shot that United goalkeeper Bill Hamid made a nice save on.

D.C. United's best chance in the first half came in the 43rd minute. Pat Phelan was called for a hand ball inside of the box, and the referee pointed to the spot for a penalty kick. Just before Charlie Davies took the shot, Reis seemed to be trying to get in his head by taking his time, and staring at the striker. Well, his strategy worked as Davies took the penalty kick, and his shot went over the net. The Revs were very fortunate after that penalty kick for the half to end 0-0.

The second half again saw the Revs play very strong at times with energy. They had a great chance to take the lead in the 64th minute. McCarthy sent in a great cross, and Zack Schilawski's header just goes over the net.

After some more positive play, the Revs would finally be rewarded for their effort. In the 73rd minute, Chris Tierney took a corner kick, and McCarthy's header off of it, ended up in the bottom right corner in the net, just getting by the goalkeeper. The Revs had taken the lead at 1-0.

D.C. United would have 2 great chances to get level late in this match. In the 82nd minute, De Rosario had a shot inside of the box that is deflected away by Reis. In stoppage time Reis made another save on a shot by Joseph Ngwenya. The Revs goalkeeper came up huge to secure the 1-0 road victory for the Revs.

The Revs deserve serious credit for coming away with this road victory, after being embarrassed on Sunday at home in a 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union. Hopefully they can build on this win with some positive results in their upcoming matches.

The Revs will next be in action on Saturday, July 23rd against the Colorado Rapids on the road. The game takes place at Dick's Sporting Goods Park at 9PM EST.

New England Revolution: Matt Reis, Chris Tierney, A.J. Soares, Ryan Cochrane (Darrius Barnes 22), Kevin Alston, Stephen McCarthy, Shalrie Joseph, Pat Phelan, Zack Schilawski (Kenny Mansally 68), Rajko Lekic, Zak Boggs (Sainey Nyassi 58)