Late goals from Designated Players Adam Buksa and Gustavo Bou gave the New England Revolution a 2-0 win over D.C. United on Sunday night at Audi Field.
Bou gave New England a 1-0 lead in the 86th minute after drifting off D.C.’s backline and collecting a squared pass from Cristian Penilla. The Argentine forward caught D.C. goalkeeper Bill Hamid flat-footed, smashing across goal for his second tally in as many games.
Buksa then chipped home in the 90th minute, giving the Polish No. 9 his first goal since mid-July. He gathered a Penilla pass on a counterattack, and delicately finished past Hamid to seal all three points.
Revolution midfielder Matt Polster exited just before halftime with a head injury, going down in a fluke sequence with D.C. forward Yordy Reyna while sliding to stop a counterattack. Polster caught Reyna’s trailing leg on the side of the head, and ultimately left the pitch with some assistance.
New England nearly found the breakthrough in the 63rd minute, though Teal Bunbury couldn’t steer home his effort from 12 yards out. Bunbury slalomed past several D.C. defenders after a Bou dummy, and the move begged for a finishing touch.
Reyna made his debut after being acquired via trade from the Vancouver Whitecaps, and the Peruvian forward looked lively during his 68 minutes of game action. D.C. also started two teenaged homegrown midfielders in Griffin Yow and Moses Nyeman.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: D.C. are now winless in their last five matches. Stretch it back even further, and Ben Olsen’s group has just one win since play returned at the MLS is Back Tournament in mid-July. But make no mistake: This was a massive three points for New England. They have two straight wins to keep pace in the Eastern Conference and depart D.C. with a positive result for the second time this season.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: You could almost sense the weight coming off Adam Buksa’s shoulders on his 90th-minute chip. It sealed the win, plus ended a nine-game scoreless stretch for the Polish striker.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: New England need Gustavo Bou (game-high five shots) to apply the finishing touch, and he did exactly that in the 86th minute. The Argentine forward also pulled the strings alongside Lee Nguyen, reinforcing his overall importance.
Next Up
- DC: Saturday, Oct. 3 vs. Atlanta United (7:00 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada)
- NE: Saturday, Oct. 3 vs. Nashville SC (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, DAZN in Canada)
