Revolution 0, Toronto FC 1: Three thoughts

The New England Revolution faced off against Toronto FC in a match that would test where exactly New England stands in the Eastern Conference. Toronto entered Wednesday tied for first in the Eastern Conference.

Sadly for Revs fans they were unable to secure the victory losing 1-0, but they had a valiant effort. If they want to compete at the top of the Eastern Conference they will need to be better.

1. Gustavo Bou a no go

When Revs fans looked at the starting XI, they were likely shocked when they noticed no Gustavo Bou.

It was later reported by Jeff Lemieux that he wasn’t available due to a “small injury.” He was replaced by Adam Buksa who had a dreadful performance on the night.

Bou is one of the most important players on New England’s roster. He is the heart and soul of the Revs attacking efforts. Headed into Wednesday’s game he led the team in scoring with five goals.

Hopefully Bou will be able to return soon because New England has a rather congested schedule to end the season.

2. Revs can’t contain Ayo Akinola

Ayo Akinola opened up the scoring, putting Toronto FC ahead of the Revolution in the 29th minute. Even if you haven’t watched a lot of Toronto soccer you can sense how talented of a player he is.

The goal was Akinola’s 8th of the season and made him the leading goal scorer for his club.

It was a true display of Akinola’s speed and strength. He blew by Andrew Farrell early in the game, and once again found himself up against Farrell near the midway point of the first half.

Akinola and Farrell were in a race for the ball and Akinola ended up beating Farrell once again and ended up putting it past Matt Turner.

The goal wasn’t without controversy seeing that the main reason he was able to beat Farrell to the ball was because he shoved him to the ground. The fact he was able to throw Farrell like a rag doll is impressive but it was rather stunning to not see a foul called. Bruce Arena himself at halftime said himself there should have been one.

3. Refs continue to hate the Revs

It seems to be a common theme for the New England Revolution. Whenever they play there are bound to be some interesting calls. As mentioned before Akinola’s goal was questionable to say the least, but there were plenty of other interesting calls.

There were numerous times where Revs players were taken to the ground and there were no calls. It seemed more like a matchup between the Bruins and Maple Leafs than an MLS game.

When a call finally went the Revs way they were unable to convert. Lee Nguyen won a penalty, but Buksa ended up taking the pk and sent the ball over the crossbar.

The Akinola no-call sticks out but there are numerous calls that could have changed the course of the game.