Revolution 2, Chicago 0 - Second Half Flurry Secures Three Points

The New England Revolution and Chicago Fire both entered Saturday night on the tail end of disappointing losses, and it was the Revs who emerged victorious, 2-0.

As the match got underway, the Revs heaped on considerable pressure, as Charlie Davies and Diego Fagundez both got through Chicago's defensive lines with ease. However, those opportunities, which were coupled with three corner kicks before six minutes ticked away, struggled to seriously threaten Jon Busch's goal.

After the initial heavy pressure, the match settled down considerably and both teams balanced defensive posture with attacking verve. With that mentality undertaken, the best chances of the half fell in the Fire's direction.

In the 13th minute Greg Cochrane whipped in a delectable cross that Harry Shipp couldn't keep on frame, general chaos ensued in the 24th minute when Bobby Shuttleworth twice denied a goalmouth scramble, and Guly do Prado was comfortably denied in the 45th minute.

Nonetheless, both teams were forced to head into the halftime interval with the score notched up at one and in search of ways to break the deadlock.

While Chicago came out with ardent pursuits of their own, it was the Revolution who reaped the rewards of the locker room talk in a major way.

After Davies fought hard to win a corner kick, a Chris Tierney in-swinging service deflected off a Fire defender's back and right into the danger area. Not allowing the ball to hit the ground, Diego Fagundez volleyed the ball out of mid-air and past Busch's outstretched arms in 48th minute.

Unwilling to settle with a 1-0 lead, the Revolution continued to pressure Chicago's defense and they got their reward in the 50th minute. Fagundez chested a ball in the path of Teal Bunbury, who wound up a volley of his own. It went slightly wayward, but Davies' intuitively headed it in the direction of goal and past a helpless Jon Busch.

With a comfortable 2-0 lead in the books, the Revs sat slightly deeper for the rest of the match and dared Chicago to find a way through their disciplined defense. Half chances fell by the way of Eric Gehrig, Jason Johnson, and Shipp, but nothing of considerable danger could be mustered.

Looking to secure their first shutout since the 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake on April 25, the Revs were content to rely on counter attacks to possibly extend their lead. That was not needed in the end, though, as the Revs saw out the result and got all three points for the first time in nearly a month and a half.

The Revs next play in MLS play against D.C. United on June 21 when they travel down to RFK Stadium. They also play the Charlotte Independence on Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup.