Tuesday night at Gillette Stadium, the Revolution made five of six penalty kicks to earn the shootout win over Nashville FC and win their group in the Leagues Cup. That earned Caleb Porter’s team another home match on Friday at the start of the knockout stage.
Back at a soggy, windy Gillette, it was an eerily similar match, this time against Eastern Conference rival New York City FC in the Round of 32. Once again, it was a 1-1 draw after regulation, thanks to another goal from striker Bobby Wood. And this time, the hosts made their first six penalties.
The problem was NYCFC also made all six of their tries from the spot. And when Mark-Anthony Kaye blasted his bid off the crossbar, it was the opening the visitors needed to close things out. Thanks to Justin Haak’s perfectly taken spot kick, New York converted all seven of their bids to win the shootout, 7-6, and advance to the Leagues Cup Round of 16.
While New York City advances to face Mexican Liga MX powerhouse Tigres in the next round, the Revolution now have a couple of weeks off, returning to MLS play on Aug. 24 in Montreal.
Revolution keeper Aljaz Ivacic had another great match, making five saves in regulation. In the shootout, Ivacic guessed correctly on six of the seven bids by New York. But to show how good each shot was, Ivacic couldn’t get a hand on any of them.
NYCFC counterpart Matt Freese (2 saves) was completely befuddled, guessing wrong on every Revolution bid save for the last. And Kaye’s blast clearly beat Freese high, but it clanked flush off the woodwork.
It looked like the Revolution took the match’s first lead in the 29th minute when Wood lashed home powerfully from atop the box, but he was correctly ruled offside on the pass behind the NYC defense.
Three minutes later, New York City got the ball into the right edge of New England’s area, and Santiago Rodriguez tangled legs with Revolution midfielder Matt Polster and went down. After a VAR review of the play, referee Julio Luna awarded New York City a penalty.
Santiago stepped up and cheekily chipped his shot right down the middle, as Ivacic dove to his left in vain, to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute.
It only took the Revolution five minutes to equalize, through the suddenly smoking Wood. After going nearly 14 months without a goal, the veteran American now has scored in back-to-back matches. It was set up expertly by right back Brandon Bye, who was sprung down the right wing and curled a perfect cross behind the NYCFC defense and in front of keeper Matt Freese. Wood, unmarked on the doorstep, headed it home to tie it.
Wood should’ve given the hosts the lead just before halftime, when Peyton Miller down the left side crossed to the striker wide open with the whole goal beckoning — but the veteran American got it all wrong, blasting his bid from the penalty spot well over the bar.
Ivacic took over in the second half, denying NYCFC on bid after bid. In the 52nd minute, striker Jovan Mijatovic spun free for a look in-tight, but Ivacic came out strong to block the bid with his face.
In the 67th, substitute Alonso Martinez, who came on for Mijatovic a minute earlier, sped on a 40-yard run right on goal, but Ivacic got his right hand down to smother the shot.
And in the 75th minute, Rodriguez made a spectacular bid for his second, but his rising 25-yard blast was tipped by Ivacic off the crossbar for a corner.
In the 79th minute, William Sands came on for the Revolution, and took the field to play against his twin brother James, starting defensive midfielder for NYCFC. James Sands was one of his team’s scorers in the shootout, to tie it up, 4-4.