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After 45 minutes of Wednesday’s match against the Red Bulls, the Revolution looked poised to run away with a midweek win. That outlook changed shortly into the second half, when Daniel Royer buried an equalizer from the spot. Gonzalo Veron completed the comeback with a 90th-minute game-winner.
Despite the loss, here’s who stood out for the Revolution:
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Diego Fagundez
When Fagundez drives toward goal, good things happen. That's what the Uruguayan midfielder taught fans on Wednesday, when he pestered the Red Bulls’ back line with dangerous dribble runs and clever attacking passes. He used this creativity to assist the first Revolution goal and set up the second.
That's the kind of night Diego put forth. He showed up everywhere on the field and seemed to work his way into every attacking opportunity, helping fans quickly forget about his recent one-match suspension. Jay Heaps couldn't have asked for more from his crafty midfielder.
Lee Nguyen
Stats don’t always tell the story of a player’s performance. But on Wednesday, Nguyen impressed in the box score as much as he impressed on the field. He finished the match with a first-half goal, two shots on target and a match-high six chances created (no other player created more than two). Nguyen also added three tackles.
Coming off a lackluster performance against the Union, when he struggled to get behind the ball and drive the attack forward, Nguyen looked dangerous from the opening whistle onward. He’s now scored seven goals and contributed seven assists, an encouraging stat line for a player looking to recover his 2014, MVP-finalist form.
Teal Bunbury
Like Nguyen, Bunbury belongs on the list of Revolution players who bounced back vs. New York. On Sunday, he struggled to stretch the Union defense. On Wednesday, he rode the creative play of Nguyen and Fagundez to his best outing of the season, scoring his first goal (assisted by Fagundez) while putting three shots on frame.
When at his best, Bunbury brings good energy and pace and shows confidence in front of goal. That’s that skillset he offered on Wednesday. And that’s what Heaps needs from his veteran winger moving forward.
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Revolution Depth
No individual player—or individual unit—carries the blame for Wednesday’s loss. Yet the match served as another reminder that Heaps lacks the depth he needs to succeed. At home, in a 2-2 deadlock, with the Red Bulls on its back foot, Heaps swapped Chris Tierney for Femi Hollinger-Janzen. And while Femi showed flashes of attacking promise, he didn’t bring the killer instinct the Revs needed to grab a game-winner. With Kelyn Rowe and Juan Agudelo away on international duty, Heaps had no proven options to insert into the match.
That’s a depth issue that should be resolved when the summer transfer window opens (the Revolution have been vocal about adding talent, from the mouth of Heaps, GM Mike Burns and President Brian Bilello). But unfortunately, that issue hurt the Revs on Wednesday.