Revolution, 0, Union 3: Road woes continue for the Revs

The New England Revolution’s road woes continue, as they lost 3-0 to the Philadelphia Union on Sunday. Goals from C.J. Sapong, Ilsinho, and Roland Alberg prevented the Revs from getting their first away win of 2017.

The Revs found themselves in trouble early as referee Chris Penso ruled that Benjamin Angoua had committed a handball in the box. Sapong stepped up to take the ensuing penalty, beating Cody Cropper with a centrally-located shot.

The away side soon witnessed the speed of Fabrice-Jean Picault, who pushed down the left side on a quick break. Andrew Farrell worked hard to keep up with the Philadelphia midfielder before the threat was neutralized by Cropper.

The Revolution’s first good look came in the 12th minute when Teal Bunbury rushed towards the net after forcing a turnover. The speedy winger put Kei Kamara behind the Union defense but an onrushing Andre Blake was there to make the save.

A scary moment occurred in the 31st minute when Oguchi Onyewu went down with a head injury. While it initially looked like Kamara had struck the defender while executing a scissor kick, replays seemed to show that it was actually the ball that made contact with Onyewu.

Je-Vaughn Watson earned a yellow card during the dying moments of the first half. The Jamaican mistimed his tackle on Derrick Jones in a play that could’ve warranted a red since Watson’s studs were exposed.

The Union’s start to second half mirrored that of the first, as they scored just three minutes in. Picault played a nice ball that found Ilsinho in a dangerous position just outside the six yard box. The Brazilian hit a picturesque shot to put his team up 2-0.

The Revs nearly halved the deficit in the 50th minute but Watson’s shot hit the post.

The Union had multiple opportunities to grab another goal but couldn’t break through. In the 69th minute, Haris Medunjanin took a free kick that narrowly missed the target. Soon after Ilsinho missed an open opportunity in the box.

The Union’s persistence eventually paid off, as their third goal came in the 78th minute. Alberg, who had just replaced Ilsinho, hit a long-range shot that that will surely be on his highlight reel.

The Revolution will now host the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday in their final game before the Gold Cup break.