FOXBOROUGH — Any solid W in any sport has excellent performances in many different facets of the game. Offense, of course, is a prime part of any win, and the way the Revolution utilized two incredible counterattacks Sunday was like a knife plunged into the heart of New York City FC — and to the MLS Cup Playoff aspirations of Chicago, Montreal, and Orlando City at the same time, too.
But defense, too, has its place. Only with defense do you get a clean sheet in soccer, and for the fifth time this season, the Revolution helped Matt Turner keep the opposition off the scoreboard.
On Sunday, the defending — and the goalkeeping work of Turner — thwarted the Pigeons of NYCFC at every turn, and used team defending to its maximum to help the Revolution solidify their place in the postseason.
In the 11th minute of the match, Turner had made a save on Alexandru Mitrita, but the rebound went out to Jesus Medina and Héber. Turner motored out and paused some nine yards from the goal. It left the net open, but Andrew Farrell — named the 2019 Defender of the Year by the Boston soccer press corps — organized the troops. He popped over to the post and helped to partially clear the ball.
But NYCFC kept coming. Jalil Anibaba — playing left back for the second consecutive fixture; he had been a left back when he played under the late, great Sigi Schmid in Seattle — then made a sliding stop, with the ball going back to Mitrita. And with Wilfried Zahibo closing down hard, Mitrita put the shot into the Lighthouse Tunnel.
Crisis averted.
Yet the Bronx Blues are a good attacking club, and the Revs needed the defense to stay resolute.
After Cristian Penilla missed just wide in the 38th minute, NYC came back. Héber switched the point of the attack with a diagonal ball to Justin Mackay-Steven on the right-hand side, only to have Anibaba close him down.
Then Jalil went into his patented slide, denying him the goal.
“You got to do whatever you can to keep the ball out of the net at this point in time of the year,” Anibaba said. “All these games are essentially do or die, so we're willing and ready to throw our bodies in front of the ball -- everybody on the pitch.
“On the back post anything off of (Antonio Delamea's) shoulders, it's my job to clean up anything inside of me. He tries to give me cover, as well, and then anything behind us, you know Turner will do a good job to pick it up. So it's just a matter of when you need to to throw your body in front of the ball.”
In the 54th, both Farrell and Brandon Bye came up with consecutive stops on either side of the penalty area. Seven minutes later, Bye was cautioned for a “trip,” and NYC set up a free kick. The resulting freebie curled … and Turner swatted it away from the goal line like a Kevin Garnett rejection.
Matt Turner doing w?rk.#NERevs // #NEvNYC pic.twitter.com/DkMrRiSzfz
— X- New England Revolution (@NERevolution) September 29, 2019
54. ALMOST GAZ! #NYCFC
City Boys getting closer to breaking the deadlock now...
? 0-0 ? | #NEvNYC pic.twitter.com/Zd2Ekh5Q5t
— New York City FC (@NYCFC) September 29, 2019
Matt Turner coming up big again!#NERevs // #NEvNYC pic.twitter.com/22fbKP0sJR
— X- New England Revolution (@NERevolution) September 29, 2019