Revolution 1, Dallas 1: Carles Gil scores in his debut

The New England Revolution kicked off their 2019 campaign with a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas. Dallas scored in the first half and the visitors equalized in the second.

The first talking point of the night came during warm ups when Michael Mancienne went down with an injury. The center back was replaced by Jalil Anibaba, who came in to pair with Antonio Delamea.

Dallas grabbed the first goal of the night in the 13th minute when Michael Barrios found himself in a 1v1 situation against Delamea. Delamea did little to impede the attacker, who marched towards goal before beating Brad Knighton.

Both sides had chances during the first half, but nothing resulted in the desired result. Dallas found a lot of opportunities by challenging the Revolution’s left side. Barrios in particular was dangerous, as he used his speed to create opportunities.

The Revs best opportunities came through Carles Gil. The Designated Player had a left-footed curler in the 18th minute but the opposing keeper easily made the save.

Gil had a nice set piece during first half stoppage. The header created a solid opportunity in front of the goal mouth but no one was able to put it home.

Gil got his goal in the 57th minute when hit a shot from inside the box. The opportunity began when Scott Caldwell put Anibaba behind the defense. The center back then played a cross that was headed down by Delamea. Gil jumped on the ball to get his first goal in Revs’ colors.

The Revolution played discipline soccer for the remainder of the second half. They knew when and how to press, which caused Dallas problems. Defensively they were committed to keeping the score as it was.

Still, Dallas almost grabbed a goal in the game’s dying minutes. Barrios was able to get to the end line and cut the ball back. The ensuing shot wasn’t enough, however, and the Revs’ averted disaster.

The Revolution will now return to Gillette Stadium to prepare for next Saturday’s game against the Columbus Crew.