FOXBOROUGH — The result, after 85 minutes of play Saturday night, looked rather bleak. Admit it: you thought this had draw written all over it.
The Revolution were level with visiting Chicago, 1-1, after Gustavo Bou had sent a free kick from 24 yards away sailing over the crossbar. That result, coupled with Toronto FC knocking off Montreal, 2-1, in a concurrent fixture, would have moved the Revs down a slot to seventh in the Eastern Conference. Still in the playoff race, sure, but now in a spot of bother given that the Reds were set to come here seven days later.
It was an unfortunate narrative that has, to be fair, been a downside of — read: plagued — this 2019 season. Points have dropped faster than ripe fruit at your favorite neighborhood apple orchard in mid-October. All told, New England had dropped 43 points entering the weekend, and if that 1-1 scoreline had continued to full time, it would have been 45 points dropped. It also would have been the club’s third successive draw. “Same old, same old Revs” would have been the cry from the Doom and Gloom Society on the #NERevs hashtag.
Yet in the next minute, Bou changed that entire narrative around with a blistering left-footed strike that Chicago goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm would have needed a jet pack strapped to his back in order to stop. That goal, his fifth in seven games since the Revs acquired him from Xolos in Liga MX, gave New England a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Fire, and three oh-so-important points in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
“That’s his bad foot,” Bruce Arena quipped in his post-match presser. “You should see his good one.”
Revolution fans have seen it, and that foot is part in parcel of their hopes that playoff soccer will return to Route 1 in six weeks’ time. And given that Saturday was such a must-win, given that Chicago was without German footballing legend Bastian Schweinsteiger and Aleksandar Katai and seeing as that six of New England’s last eight entering this weekend were against Eastern Conference opposition including three against teams higher than them in the table, Bou’s goal was just what the doctor ordered at just the right time.
“It was definitely an exciting moment with a few minutes left,” Bou said through team translator Lucas Santos Saturday night. “We knew we had to keep pushing to get the three points. It was a quick play, the ball rebounded; I was able to get it back and put it to my left foot.
“I didn’t think twice.”
As soon as the ball hit the back of the net, Gillette erupted in much-needed cheers. A handful of seconds later, the Musketmen delivered their signature volley of shots from just outside the Lighthouse Tunnel.
Okay, @gustavobouok. Okay. ? #NEvCHI pic.twitter.com/SFF0YcHw6a
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 25, 2019
Zahibo opens the scoring for New England! #NEvCHI pic.twitter.com/JoKOne1W6F
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 24, 2019