Revolution v. Orlando: Three Thoughts

The New England Revolution settled for an unsatisfying 3-3 draw against Orlando City SC on Saturday night after allowing a stoppage time goal. Here are three thoughts from the game:

1. Brandon Bye obviously went to the Darrius Barnes School of Throwing. The night’s opening goal was an oddity as goalkeeper Earl Edward Jr. looked to be asleep as Juan Agudelo flicked the ball towards his near post. That said, it was great to see Bye earn an assist off of a long throw-in. For years, Barnes hurled the ball from the sidelines without much success. Bye, however, got the job done in his rookie year. Bye should also be applauded for putting in a good shift at left back, a position he should hold on to for the time being.
2. The referee wasn’t good. As fellow TBM scribe Tony Moninski noted, Orlando should’ve been down a man after Victor “PC” Giro fouled Cristian Penilla in the sixth minute. It’s not an egregious foul, but it’s undoubtedly a foul that was committed on a player was headed towards goal. To me, it’s DGSO, through and through. Moments later, Diego Fagundez went down in the box, which didn’t elicit a response by the man in the middle. The Revs didn’t lose this game because of the referee, but Hilario Grajeda had a bit of a shocker.
3. Teams destined for the playoffs see that game out. It’s inexcusable for the Revs to lose that game considering they had an early two-goal lead. Orlando City are not a good team but the Revs let them back into the game. After the home side found a late equalizer, Teal Bunbury came to the rescue to restore the Revolution’s lead. Of course, Orlando would earn a point after scoring a stoppage time equalizer. All of that wasn’t good enough. First of all, just see the game out by holding possession and minimizing any threats. Even after the foul was called, the Revs should’ve done a better job at defending the cross, which has been a long-standing problem for the team. At the beginning of the season, I predicted that the Revs wouldn’t make the playoffs because Brad Friedel would need a season to become familiar with his new role. After a few games, I changed my mind, largely because Penilla is a genius and the East is weak. This Revs squad has potential to make the postseason (especially if they make another addition), but they aren’t doing themselves any favors.