Brandon Bye's opportunistic run and cross helped create an own goal shortly after halftime, and that's all the New England Revolution needed in a 1-0 defeat of D.C. United in the Revs' home opener on Saturday night.
Bye's cross in the direction of Gustavo Bou was turned over the line by retreating D.C. defender Brendan Hines-Ike, who now has a goal and an own-goal in his first two MLS contests.
D.C. were arguably the better side in the opening 45 minutes, but struggled to seriously threaten Matt Turner's goal once falling behind.
The visitors' only attempt on goal came off the head of Russell Canouse in the 69th minute, though New England defender Andrew Farrell nearly returned Hines-Ike's favor when his clearance attempt rattled Turner's right post.
The Revs did not offer all that much more themselves, with the teams combining to create only 0.5 combined expected goals (xG) on the evening.
Goals
- 48' - NE - Brandon Hines-Ike (OG) | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Gillette Stadium continues to be a house of horrors for D.C., which hasn't won there since 2012. Meanwhile, the Revs' season is only two matches old, and already Bruce Arena's bunch has proven capable of earning results in multiple ways, preserving a 2-2 draw in a much more free-flowing, attack-minded match in Week 1 in Chicago.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: On a night that New England perhaps struggled to understand the new-look, high-pressing D.C. defensive approach under their first-year boss Hernan Losada, Bye made a simple play that made the difference. Hines-Ike will feel unlucky, but if he doesn't intervene Bou may have finished the cross at the back post.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Matt Polster was solid if understated in combating the Black-and-Red's frenetic approach, completing 88% of his passes and winning 78% of his duels.
Up Next
- NE: Saturday, May 1 vs. Atlanta United (7 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US and DAZN in Canada)
- DC: Saturday, May 1 at San Jose Earthquakes (11 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US and DAZN in Canada)
