Revolution 1, Fire 1: Rivals share points in physical match

The New England Revolution and Chicago Fire each collected a point on Saturday night due to a couple of second half goals.

The Fire were forced to make a change in the 20th minute after Nemanja Nikolic and Antonio Delamea collided heads. Nikolic was replaced by Alan Gordon while Delamea returned after receiving treatment.

In the 25th minute, Bastian Schweinsteiger beat the Revs back line with a through ball meant for Luis Solignac. The attacker went down after some contact from Andrew Farrell, but referee Kevin Stott didn’t believe it warranted a whistle.

Cristian Penilla put on a show one minute later, using his footwork to beat Dax McCarty. The ensuing shot wasn’t enough to trouble Richard Sanchez.

Matt Turner made the half’s best save in the 35th minute when he denied Aleksandar Katai. Katai’s shot came from just outside the box.

The Revs applied a lot of pressure after the break, resulting in eight set pieces in the first ten minutes. Some of these chances produced shots, though no goals were scored.

The home side broke through in the 64th minute in a play orchestrated by Schweinsteiger. The German fought past Luis Caicedo to combine with Katai and score his second of the season.

The Revs looked dangerous in the 76th minute when Teal Bunbury was put in on goal. The striker’s attempt was pushed aside. Penilla had an opportunity soon after but his take bounced off the left post.

The Revs brought things back to level terms in 82nd minute when Diego Fagundez capitalized on a mistake by Sanchez. The goalkeeper was unable to hold onto the ball, allowing Fagundez to gain possession. The attacker found Bunbury, who made easy work of the rest. Bunbury now has nine goals, which matches the career-high he set in 2011.

Caicedo had a good look in the 88th minute, but the game would ultimately end 1-1. The Revs will turn their focus to the San Jose Earthquakes, who they visit on Wednesday.