Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Przybylko goal earns draw with the Revs
CHESTER >> The stakes for New England’s trip to Subaru Park Wednesday night were considerably lower than its last two visits. No trophies were on the line, no win-or-go-home imperatives.
The first meeting of 2021 wasn’t all that wellplayed, but it wasn’t boring, either, with two goals in the final 10 minutes allowing the teams to share the spoils in a 1-1 draw.
Substitute Teal Bunbury scored for New England in the 85th minute, but Kacper Przybylko got it back three minutes later as the Union (1-2-2, 5 points) narrowly avoided a third consecutive home loss.
The clubs played six times in 27 games last year. The Union beat New England on Decision Day to clinch the Supporters Shield, but the Revolution exacted revenge by eliminating the Union in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs. The cores of both teams remain intact, and the Revs entered Wednesday tied for first place in the Eastern Conference.
It took until the final 10 minutes for either team to break through in a chaotic affair that produced 29 attempts.
“Overall, not our best night, we know that,” manager Jim Curtin said. “Have to say, though, that New England team is the best team we’ve played this season. So sometimes you do have to give credit to your opponent for making you uncomfortable, disrupting the things you do well and overall a hardfought, mid-week game where we do show some grit and some heart to get a goal to tie it.”
Bunbury, fittingly, scored on a broken play, with left back DeJuan Jones dodging a pair of tackles. Jones played on and squared a ball to the veteran forward, who found space in the box and beat a flat-footed Andre Blake to the near post.
Przybylko cashed his in the 88th. Jamiro Monteiro put in a ball from the left wing. Przybylko contested one aerial dual with goalie Matt Turner, then another with center back Jon Bell, getting just enough of a goal-ward nick on the ball one yard out to cajole it over the line.
The result required a pair of sterling stops by Blake, both times bailing out Jakob Glesnes. The first, in the 76th minute, came when Glesnes made the wrong read on a 1-2, Blake called on to dive and keep out a shot by Arnor Traustason. In stoppage time, Blake stood tall at the near post to deny a header by Gustavo Bou after Glesnes misjudged a ball.
Przybylko’s payoff culminated a frustrating night in which he and referee Tori Penso didn’t see eye to eye. Przybylko had a penalty shout waved away in the sixth minute after a 1-2 with Sergio Santos. That tackle, Curtin said, looked like a penalty to him.
Przybylko also hit the deck in the 30th minute, but Penso was having none of it. Przybylko got the hat trick with a high tackle in on Carles Gil in the 71st for one of the Union’s three yellow cards.
“Kacper showed a lot of grit and that heart that I talked about to stick with things, even when it’s maybe not our best soccer night and find a way to get a goal,” Curtin said. “I’m proud of him. He’s a guy that gets goals for us. We need that to continue.”
The second penalty shout led to a Revs chance on the counter. Blake had to leap to palm away a shot by Adam Buksa there, one of four saves on the night. Blake, who was playing in his 150th MLS match, has allowed just seven goals in 12 career starts against New England.
Turner got his chance to make a stop two minutes later, when Santos ran onto an Olivier Mbaizo delivery. But the Revs goalie was positioned at the near post and stood his ground on the reflex denial. Cory Burke couldn’t nod similar Mbaizo service on frame in the 63rd. Leon Flach had a look in the 45th, flashing in from his deeplying midfield spot, but his left-footed drive whistled wide.
Tajon Buchanan, who has all three of his career goals against the Union, found space behind the defense but fired well high of Blake’s goal in the 49th. Gil, who set up both goals in the playoff win in a man-of-the-match performance, was mostly muted
by another outstanding day by Flach at the No. 6 role. But Gil almost beat the defense with a sumptuous ball in the 81st that Bunbury headed wide.
“I think over 90 minutes, a really good player but we did really good with him, especially in the red zone so he had to go out to the sidelines to get the ball,” Flach said of Gil. “… I think we did a good job as a team because it’s not just me covering him the whole time.”
Wednesday was the next-to-last of nine games in 31 days and one of 12 mid-week games on the schedule. Curtin is realistic about the expectations for a hectic May, making a point against the Revs better than nothing.
“Overall a draw, a point at home, we’re disappointed,” Curtin said. “We want to win our home games obviously, but overall not good enough from