Revolution 1, Red Bulls 2: Revs lose on the road despite early goal

The New England Revolution couldn’t hold onto their early lead as they fell 2-1 to the New Red Bulls on Saturday night.

The Revs opened the scoring in the 9th minute when Lee Nguyen converted a penalty. Referee Ismail Elfath pointed to the spot when Damien Perrinelle fouled Diego Fagundez in the box. Fagundez was played into space by Kei Kamara.

The away side had an opportunity to extend their lead in the 17th minute on a fast break. Xavier Kouassi and Nguyen heralded the attack but Kamara couldn’t find the back of the net.

Cody Cropper was forced to make a big save in the 23rd minute when he denied Kemar Lawrence. The Jamaican hit a world-class shot that required Cropper to make a diving stop.

Je-Vaughn Watson, who stepped in for the suspended Andrew Farrell, made a save of his own in the 29th minute. The defender jumped up to tip over a long-range blast.

The Revs held their 1-0 lead into halftime, though the Red Bulls would find an equalizer soon after the break. Bradley Wright-Phillips did the damage, as he cleaned up a loose ball that was poorly handled by Cropper. Watson deserves some blame for the goal because he failed to clear an earlier threat.

The Red Bulls were on the attack again in the 56th minute. Mike Grella was looking to beat Cropper at the near post but the netminder pushed away the attempt.

After some back-and-forth action, New York grabbed the lead in the 75th minute. Some creative play on the left flank allowed Lawrence to send in a cross that found an unmarked Daniel Royer at the far post.

The Revs pushed to get back in to the game with their best chance coming in the 87th minute when Fagundez hit a stinging shot from outside the box. Nothing came of it, however, as the Red Bulls ultimately collected full points.

The Revs return to action this Wednesday when they travel to face New York City FC.