Revolution 0, Los Angeles FC 2: New England Revolution shutout by LAFC in Saturday night showdown

The New England Revolution saw their 11-game unbeaten streaked snapped on Saturday when they were bested 2-0 by Los Angeles FC.

Despite an aggressive attack that involved the home team going for a number of deep passes beyond the LAFC defense, the Revolution found themselves trailing 1-0 at the half in a game that saw a handful of missed opportunities for the visitors, and a Revs side that were lucky to not trail by more at the midway mark.

The New England Revolution got a taste of their own medicine giving up an early goal as Diego Rossi dropped a perfectly placed chip shot behind Matt Turner to give the visitors the lead in the 8th minute.

LAFC showed why they’re the top team in the league with their quick striking attack, getting past the Revs defenders repeatedly throughout the first half. If not for a few key saves, including Andrew Farrell saving a potential own goal, the boys in blue could have easily been down by an additional two or three at the break.

The Revs were unable to match LAFCs fire power as they repeatedly tried to play the ball in deep beyond the defenders but were ultimately unable to land any shots on target.

New England looked much more dangerous in the second half, as their first real opportunity came in the 50th minute when Teal Bunbury was able to shake past the LA defense, but failed to put a shot on goal as he looked indecisive and opted for a shot that went wide of goal rather than finding a charging Gustavo Bou on the right wing. The Revs continued to work the ball into the penalty area, but the LA defense was quick to swarm the ball as they stifled opportunities by both Cristian Penilla and Bou.

Although the Revs appeared to be on the verge of pulling even with strong attacking play that saw missed opportunities by the home team, including a screamer by Penilla that missed just to the left of goal, it was LA who struck again. Latif Blessing received a pass from Jordan Harvey and toyed with the New England defense in the 72nd minute before burying his third goal of the season.

Although the match didn’t go as the 25,515 in attendance had hoped, the Revs showed fight throughout and held the visitors to two goals, despite playing the final minutes a man down after Antonio Delamea left with a hamstring injury. Ultimately LAFC proved to be too much for the Revs as New England suffered their first loss in league play since the firing of Brad Friedel in early May.

How do you feel about the Revs performance in what was without a doubt their biggest test in the Bruce Arena era? Let us know in the comments!