By IVES GALARCEP
The New England Revolution looked like they had the Vancouver Whitecaps on the ropes. Leading 2-0 and dominating play, the Revs had the swagger of a team ready to run away with an impressive road victory.
That all changed in the 22nd minute when Kenny Miller went down in the penalty area, leading to a controversial call that turned the entire tide of the match.
Referee Juan Guzman issued a red card to Andrew Farrell for taking down Miller, though replays appeared to show little or no contact between Farrell and Miller, who appeared to trip over his own feet on the sequence.
Camilo Sanvezzo converted the ensuing penalty, sparking a Whitecaps surge as Vancouver scored three more unanswered goals on their way to a 4-3 victory at BC Place.
Goals from Miller and Jordan Harvey before halftime pushed the Whitecaps ahead before halftime. Miller pushed the lead to 4-2 with an incredible strike in the 68th minute after running onto a long pass from Sanvezzo and blasting a long-range shot past Bobby Shuttleworth.
The Revs fought gamely despite being a man down, and made things interesting in the 84th minute when Dimitry Imbongo raced onto a great pass from Darrius Barnes and slotted home New England’s third goal of the night.
The Revs threatened in stoppage time when Lee Nguyen sent a free kick at goal, but Brad Knighton made a crucial save on the kick to preserve the lead and victory.
Here are the match highlights:
What did you think of the match? Feel the red card was a bad call, or think the ref got it right? Impressed with Vancouver’s showing, or more impressed with how New England battled down a man?
Share your thoughts below.