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Fagundez, Nguyen lead Revolution to victory over Union

RevolutionCelebration2012 (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

On a night where soccer took a back seat to the New England Revolution honoring the city of Boston, it was one of Boston’s own who scored his first goal of the season and helped seal the team’s first home victory too.

Homegrown player Diego Fagundez scored the game-winning goal in the 61st minute as the Revolution defeated the Philadelphia Union 2-0 on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Midfielder Lee Nguyen added a goal in the 72nd minute to round off an impressive day as the central cog in the Revolution attack.

Before the match, the Revolution honored those who had died and been injured in the Boston Marathon attacks on April 15, as well as the first responders who helped the runners and other victims. Many of the first responders were in attendance on Saturday night.

A stale first half turned into a wide open match, and it was the former Boston-area youth star Fagundez who put the Revolution in front in the 61st minute. Nguyen and teammate Kellen Rowe combined great through the right side of midfield, with Nguyen putting Rowe through down the wing. Rowe crossed on the ground into the middle, where Fagundez arrived and slotted past a helpless Zac MacMath and into the net.

Nguyen scored the second of the game and his first of the year came in the 71st minute, when he collected a rebound inside the box and calmly finishing into an open net. The Indiana University product dribbled uninhibited for 20 yards before playing substitute Saer Sene into the box. Sene’s shot was stopped by MacMath but the deflection fortuitously bounced straight into the path of Nguyen who gave the home fans more to cheer about.

Union forward Jack McInerney was a thorn in the side of Revolution defenders Jose Goncalves and Stephen McCarthy all night long, but could only manage one shot on target, which was expertly saved by backup Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, who made four saves on the night to earn a clean sheet.

Designated player Kleberson was brought on by Union manager John Hackworth after the second goal in the 72nd minute to provide an outlet from deep, but he failed to send quality passes forward and was eventually awarded the only yellow card of the match from referee Baldomero Toledo.

Here are the match highlights:

Comments

  1. This is a cool website that helped me learn about what was happening. The video was good and the information that i read kept me up with what is happening in soccer. I love watching men’s soccer but I can’t watch all the game, this made it so i knew what happened. Thank you for this helpful website!

    Reply
  2. Those 18,000 fans would have looked much better on TV packed into a loud urban Boston stadium and not the cavernous Gillette…..Too bad so sad

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  3. Ives, or whoever is in charge if the ads on this site. If you keep sending me to the App Store for some stupid in app purchase trap. I will stop visiting your site on my phone. I totally understand your need for ads and ad revenue, but an add that takes me away from your site and opens another app on my phone without me clicking on anything is not acceptable to me.

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  4. Yeah we had 2 goals before this, Bengtson’s game winner in the season opener and the own goal by New York. Yes 2 goals in 6 games is pathetic, but better than 0.

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  5. Farfan’s hackdown on Farrell should be punished by the MLS disciplinary committee. All body and no ball. Hope Farrell isn’t injured too bad.

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    • Agreed. This favored lineup either betrays a serious dip in form from players on the bench or a serious failure on Hackworth’s part to utilize and motivate the talent at his disposal.

      Still unimpressed with Marfan and Daniels in playmaking roles. Are Kleberson and Seba really that big a drop off in quality? If so why waste the cash on having them in your lineup?

      At least McMath didn’t allow anything soft. I guess that’s progress.

      I just don’t get it. Not that I expect this team to be undefeated, but they are better than this style and this lineup and this form.

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    • Eventually fans will realise that Freddy Adu was one of the Unions best players last season, and did not deserve the the dirty Hackworth put over on him.

      To even suggest the M. Farfan was better than Adu last season is ridiculous.

      Pretty sure Adu is happy to be out of that club and city.

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      • Let’s not make this about solely about about Adu vs. Marfan so much as Hackworth’s strategy of Daniels and Marfan as the offensive engine vs. finding ways to get players like Seba, Kleberson, Adu or Torres on the field more often. Is it an issue of form, style, obedience, attitude, injury? something else? Then SAY SO. I just don’t buy the notion that this is your most potent attack based on the roster at your disposal week in and week out. Maybe I’m missing something?

      • You people act like you watched Adu every game last year!! He was terrible, giveaway machine, and no work ethic. I’m not saying our current midfield doesn’t stink, but don’t just watch that one YouTube video and think you know Adu.

    • PD and Bob are dead right.

      It’s frustrating to see how both Farfans have regressed as players, and it’s more frustrating to see what Hackworth throws out there each weekend.

      Reply

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