Revolution vs DC United: Three Takeaways

For the third straight game, the New England Revolution let a lead slip away. This time, however, the final result, a 1-1 draw against D.C. United, didn't seem so bad. Here are a few thoughts from the game:

1. It’s about composure. Though it was unfortunate considering his history as an upstanding player, Chris Tierney was correctly shown a red card in the 52nd minute to reduce the Revolution to 10 men. Up a goal but down a man, the Revs needed to show poise if they were going to escape with a good result. Six minutes later, however, Lee Nguyen failed to show that poise as he was justly sent to the locker room early. From there, it seemed inevitable that the score line would switch in favor of D.C. United. The Revs were inspired though, getting big performances from Jermaine Jones, Andrew Farrell and others. In the end, the Revolution conceded a goal, but held on to keep a point. Not bad for a team that was steamrolled 4-2 midweek in an 11-on-11 game.

2. The goal was unfair to Farrell. After Saturday’s game, Farrell explained to media that he felt he needed to give a 180-minute performance in 90 minutes after missing the midweek game. Farrell certainly looked motivated against DC.. as he repeatedly made big-time plays. His one blemish unfortunately led to a goal as the Louisville product failed to deal with a Taylor Kemp cross. The ball zoomed through the Revolution box before being tapped home by Jairo Arrieta. Likely unaware of the Cost Rican’s presence, Farrell chose not to push Kemp’s offering out of bounds. In retrospect, he should have. Farrell needs to take some responsibility for the goal, but his otherwise flawless performance shouldn’t be forgotten.

3. The Revs were the better team. Speaking to media after the game, Jones said, "I’m 100% sure if we play 11-11 then we would win that game." It’s a standard message from a player that believes in his team. Still, he’s not wrong. The Revs controlled the game before the 52nd minute, preventing D.C. United from finding any type of rhythm. Even after going down to 9 men, the Revs performed well and nearly got goals from Teal Bunbury and Kelyn Rowe. At the end of the night, D.C. scored on their only shot on target, which allowed them to grab a point. D.C. are now atop the Eastern Conference, but the Revs played well enough to prove that they are among the league elite.