Revolution 0, Cincinnati 2: New England still winless in 2019

The New England Revolution are still winless in 2019, as they lost 2-0 to FC Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon.

Cristian Penilla rejoined the starting XI after a one-game hiatus. The Revs got the Ecuadorian involved often in the first half, as they frequently operated on the right flank. Nothing came of it, however, which led to Penilla switching sides with Diego Fagundez.

FC Cincinnati settled into the game and had several good opportunities to end the first half. Emmanuel Ledesma had a left-footed curler that caused problems in the 32nd minute. Victor Ulloa threatened in the 41st minute with a shot from just outside the box. The visitors looked unabashed by the fact that they were missing several starters.

Their persistence paid off in the 44th minute when Kenny Saief found space behind Brandon Bye. The midfielder played a centering ball to Kekuta Manneh, who beat Brad Knighton for his first goal of the year.

The Revs didn’t make a halftime substitution, instead waiting until the 53rd minute to introduce Scott Caldwell for Wilfried Zahibo. Caldwell was on the bench for Sunday’s game after starting the first three games of the season.

The Revs looked dangerous in the 62nd minute when Penilla took his space in the middle of the field. The midfielder then found Carles Gil, who had his shot batted away. Fagundez jumped on the rebound, but couldn’t find the back the net.

The visitors got their second of the night in the 65th minute. Saief was the goalscorer this time around, as he tapped in a cross from Manneh.

The Revs went to their bench, inserting Juan Fernando Caicedo for Teal Bunbury in the 66th minute and DeJuan Jones for Edgar Castillo in the 78th minute. The team did have some shots, but nothing really bothered goalkeeper Spencer Richey.

The Revs return to action next Saturday when they host Minnesota United. Kickoff is set for 2 pm.