| Revolution | 2 |
|---|---|
| Earthquakes | 1 |
FOXBOROUGH — A tactical adjustment might have been all the Revolution needed in order to break a three-game winless streak. But it was simply a willingness to fire away that helped spark the Revolution to a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes before 10,668 on a snowy Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
Kelyn Rowe scored the Revolution goals, converting in the 21st and 37th minutes, both off turnovers caused by high-pressure defending. The first goal snapped a 291-minute scoreless streak as the Revolution (1-2-1, 4 points) won for the first time since last season’s Eastern Conference final.
“We were pressing really high and winning balls in their half,” Rowe said, “and that put us on the counter, where we’re really good.
“I think we created so many chances that at least one would go in and I think if we keep doing that you’ll see four or five go in. It’s still early in the season, but if we keep creating those chances we’re going to [score] more and more.”
Coach Jay Heaps said the team followed a similar game plan in the opening three matches, but it did not click because the Revolution did not aggressively go toward the goal after creating turnovers.
This time, Heaps went with two strikers — Juan Agudelo and Charlie Davies —
By the second half, though, the Earthquakes adjusted, rallying on a 62d-minute penalty kick by Chris Wondolowski, and nearly tying the score as Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi volleyed over the bar from close range just before the final whistle.
“In the first three games we just weren’t finishing,” Heaps said. “We created turnovers but we didn’t do anything with the turnovers. It was either a backwards ball or somewhere that wasn’t dangerous. But tonight you saw, when we won it and looked forward, there were opportunities, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Pressing tactics led to several early Earthquakes turnovers.
On the opening goal, San Jose left back Shaun Francis lost possession, Kobayashi finding Nguyen on the right flank. Rowe took Nguyen’s layoff, his 20-yarder then deflecting off Francis’s head past David Bingham.
The second goal was set up as Earthquakes right back Marvell Wynne struggled to clear, sending the ball to Sanna Nyassi, who was called for handling. Chris Tierney’s free kick was headed by Darrius Barnes in the goal area, Rowe’s left-foot finish making the score 2-0 in the 37th minute.
San Jose cut the deficit as Wondolowski scored his third goal of the season. Wondolowski took the penalty after defender Clarence Goodson went down on a Caldwell challenge off a throw-in.
The Revolution’s disruptive tactics, plus the cold and snow, contributed to a game that became chaotic at times.
“It happens with turf, then cold weather and the snow, these conditions are a little bit rare,” San Jose coach Dominic Kinnear said. “They came out ready, we came out a little bit sleepy, and that’s why we were down, 2-0, at halftime. We fought hard to get back in the game and, obviously a chance at the end would have been great for us, but unfortunately we couldn’t capitalize on it.
“Their pressure wasn’t fantastic, we were just making bad decisions and giving the ball away in bad spots. The first goal was a testament to that. We just couldn’t get going.”
The Revolution are getting closer to full strength, captain Jose Goncalves returning from suspension and Davies recovering from leg injuries. Jermaine Jones (hernia surgery) attended the match but was not in uniform, and could return when the Revolution visit Colorado next Saturday.
“We’re excited the way we went out in the first half, and the second half, but after that it became a real game,” Heaps said. “It probably shouldn’t have been as close as it was, but it was.”