Los Angeles FC halts Revolution’s 11-game unbeaten streak
The Revolution finally met their match.
FOXBOROUGH — The Revolution finally met their match. After compiling a team-record 11-game unbeaten streak, the Revolution dropped a 2-0 decision to first-place Los Angeles FC Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.
LAFC (16-3-4, 52 points) took an eighth-minute lead on a Diego Rossi goal, then continued to stay on the offensive with an effective possession game and high-pressing defending.
The Revolution (9-9-6, 33 points) lost for the first time since May 8, their first MLS defeat since Bruce Arena was named sporting director/head coach.
“The better team won the game, no question about that,’’ Arena said. “For us to have a chance to get a result, we needed to be better with some of the potential goal-scoring opportunities we created. We just wasted a number of opportunities — a breakaway, a couple runs at goal where we had a man-advantage and didn’t make the right play.
“But, overall, I think it’s a good experience for us. It supports some of the things we talk to our team about all the time. To get better, to compete with a team like this, we’ve got to be a little better. We’ll learn from that and, hopefully, grow as a team.’’
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The Revolution, tied with the Montreal Impact for sixth place in the Eastern Conference, finished the match short-handed, as center back Antonio Delamea departed in the late going with a hamstring injury and is doubtful for the team’s visit to the Seattle Sounders next Saturday, according to Arena.
LAFC opened the scoring as Rossi left-footed a half volley off a long clearance from left back Jordan Harvey, the shot looping over Matt Turner into the far corner of the net.
Arena called Rossi’s shot “kind of an accident.’’
“He was trying to cross the ball and it’s a classic artificial field goal,’’ Arena said. “I’ve seen that throughout the years. And, then, in the second half, they had a number of good goal-scoring opportunities.’’
Los Angeles goalkeeper Tyler Miller turns away a shot attempt by Revolution forward Gustavo Bou.
The Revolution retaliated as Cristian Penilla found Gustavo Bou, who went in alone but was stopped by Tyler Miller (14th), then Penilla fired high and wide (22nd).
LAFC controlled the midfield, and nearly stretched the lead as Carlos Vela had a point-blank shot slowed by Turner, the deflection cleared off the line by Andrew Farrell (41st) and Adama Diomande went high from close range in the fifth minute of first-half added time.
The season-high home crowd of 25,515 responded to a wide-open game, both teams in attack mode from the start. The crowd also booed a non-call as Penilla went down in the penalty area (10th) minute and the appearance of former Revolution captain Lee Nguyen, a 79th-minute substitution for LAFC, though after the game Nguyen received a post-game ovation from The Fort section behind the West goal.
“It was great to see after the game, they still wanted me to come over there and say what’s up,’’ Nguyen said. “Like I say, there’s a lot of history that happened here with my time, a lot of great times, actually. To see that they embraced me after the game meant a lot and goes to show I’ve got love back here and I love that.’’
The Revolution squandered their best chance to equalize as Teal Bunbury and Bou countered, but Bunbury went wide with Bou open running into the penalty area in the 50th minute.
Bunbury said he saw Bou, “But 10 times out of 10, I’d go and continue to shoot that one.’’
Said Arena,“I think Bunbury has to lay that ball off. And Bou had the breakaway and wasn’t able to finish off [in the 14th minute].
“On the night, there were maybe four or five plays like that, and if you convert one of those, you’re really giving them a game, you’re testing them. And we weren’t able to do that.’’
Latif Blessing upped the advantage off a Harvey cross in the 72nd minute. Vela and Eduard Atuesta combined to start the sequence, Harvey advancing into the penalty area to find Blessing on the edge of the goal area.
Saturday night’s game marked the first meeting between Revolution coach Bruce Arena (left) and Los Angeles coach Bob Bradley since the 1998 MLS Cup.
“Vela’s scoring streak ended but he’s to blame for that,’’ Arena said. “He had a bunch of chances at the end. I think in the middle part of the field they dominated the game. We needed to win more second balls, win a few more tackles.
“They were a little quicker, physically, mentally. The pressure their three central midfielders put on was impressive.’’
Arena and LAFC coach Bob Bradley (whose staff includes Arena’s son, Kenny), his former assistant, were meeting for the first time since the 1998 MLS Cup.
“It was just congratulations and well done,’’ Arena said. “We might have a beer after the game and talk about it. Just good to see a quality team on the field like that to play against and give our team a measuring stick where they need to go to get better.
“Certainly disappointed losing, but hopefully we can learn something.’’
