Revolution 1, Nashville SC 1: New England misses out on three points

The New England Revolution paid their first visit to Nissan Stadium as they prepared to take on Nashville SC. It didn't end up exactly how they imagined.

Bruce Arena and squad looked to turn the page after suffering a 2-1 defeat at home against the Philadelphia Union on Monday night.

On the other hand, Nashville came into Friday’s game feeling confident after picking up a 3-0 win over F.C. Dallas on Tuesday night.

There was only one change to the Revolution lineup for Friday’s matchup. Diego Fagundez came into the starting XI as Adam Buksa was moved to the bench.

Friday’s eighteen saw the return of Carles Gil on the bench. This was the first time Gil has suited up for the Revolution since June 17th

Mother nature put a damper on the match as heavy rain and thunderstorms pushed back kickoff, which was originally scheduled for 8:30 PM to 9:50 PM.

Once the thunder rolled through, both sides were able to take the pitch and the game began. Nashville got off to a hot start by earning themselves a corner kick in the third minute. Rookie defender Henry Kessler was able to block the cross as DeJuan Jones was able to clear the ball out of the Revolution’s box.

Tajon Buchanan looked to liven up the Revolution’s offense in the 11th minute by sending a cross into Nashville, but the ball flew too close to goalkeeper Joe Willis, who easily took hold of the ball.

Kessler continued to prove his defensive abilities as he came up big in the 12th minute as he was able to shut down Nashville’s attack and prevented a shot on goal.

Alexander Büttner came close to putting the Revolution ahead in the 16th minute, but it was a tad right of the post. The Revolution came close to scoring in the 36^th minute as well when Buchanan raced downfield to get on the end of a long pass, but Willis was able to put a stop to the Revolution’s run.

The halftime whistle sounded as both clubs walked off the field scoreless. Bruce Arena showed the mood perfectly by tossing a headset away after ending an on-field interview with Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies.

Diego Fagundez came close to scoring the game’s first goal in the 54th minute, but his shot was blocked by a Nashville defender and cleared out of the box.

Then in a surprising turn of events, Gil made his triumphant return to action in the 63rd minute as he came on for Tommy McNamara. Buksa would come on for Fagundez as well.

Nashville defender Walker Zimmerman would score the game’s first goal in the 74^th minute giving Nashville the lead.

The Revolution’s third and fourth substitutions came in the 76th minute as Kekuta Manneh would replace Buchanan, and Brandon Bye would replace Büttner.

Buksa would score his fifth goal of the season as he gave the Revs the equalizer in the 77th minute. After breaking away from a cluster of defenders, Buksa laid the ball past Willis and into the back of the net.

The Revs final substitution came in the 82^nd minute as Matt Polster would come on for Scott Caldwell.

Matt Turner came up big in the final fifteen minutes by making a handful of incredible saves to keep the game even.

Although not the three point the Revs were expecting, Bruce Arena and crew were able to keep Nashville at bay and secure one point on the road.

Revs fans should eagerly keep an eye on Saturday’s matchup between Atlanta United and D.C. United along with Inter Miami and Orlando. With the Revolution’s draw, an Atlanta loss along with a Miami loss or draw would clinch the Revolution a spot in the 2020 playoffs.

Congratulations go out to midfielder Lee Nguyen and forward Teal Bunbury as the pair earned their 200^th career appearance for the Revolution. Also Fagundez is now one step closer to surpassing Shalrie Joseph for all-time club appearances. Fagundez will tie the record with his next appearance.

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