Revolution continue hot start with rout
FOXBOROUGH — The Revolution regained their edge with a 4-0 win over CF Montreal Saturday night, a week after falling out of first place in the Eastern Conference.
Dylan Borrero, Carles Gil, and Bobby Wood converted their second goals of the season and Giacomo Vrioni added a late score as the Revolution (51-1, 16 points) remained a point behind FC Cincinnati in second place.
The Revolution set the tone early at Gillette Stadium, defenders asserting themselves physically, midfielders combining to hold possession, outside backs Brandon Bye and DeJuan Jones going forward. This was the Revolution’s fourth shutout of the season, and CF Montreal (1-5-0, 3 points) was held scoreless for the fifth time this year.
Borrero’s goal got the Revolution off to a fast start, finishing off a short corner kick from the left, Gustavo Bou and Gil playing a give-and-go. Borrero lined up 25 yards out, dipping the shot into the upper right corner of the net in the 21st minute, only the second time the team has converted in the opening half of a game.
Gil increased the lead with a penalty kick four minutes into first-half stoppage time, chipping past goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois after a handling call on Gabriele Corbo. Referee Tori Penso whistled for a penalty after Corbo appeared to punch a low, point-blank shot by Wood, but did not allow the attempt until after an on-field video review. Wood made it 3-0 after defender Joel Waterman misplayed a long ball, going in on Kamal Miller to score past Sirois. Vrioni earned the final goal with a solo run, taking down a long ball from Djordje Petrovic near the center circle, then finishing from the top of the penalty area in the 86th minute.
This was the second of four home games this month for the Revolution, who visit the Columbus Crew next Saturday.
Observations from Saturday’s game:
■ Defining moment: Borrero’s conversion gave the Revolution an early advantage — 21 minutes sooner than their earliest goal of the season (also by Borrero) — taking pressure off the back line and forcing Montreal to open up.
■ Difference-maker: The Revolution’s three-man midfield, with Latif Blessing and Matt Polster playing behind Gil, outdueled CF Montreal from the start. Gil’s skill allows him to excel on artificial turf. If Gil gets support, he can control the pace of the game, open the field, and find teammates with soft-touch passes. Blessing (leg injury) and Polster (illness) missed last week’s 1-1 tie with New York City FC.
■ Tactical: The Revolution went with a 4-3-2-1 setup, the midfield playing a dominating game, creating space for the front line. Bou drew defenders, threatening on the left wing, both with playmaking and shooting ability.
■ Statistical analysis: The Revolution are off to their second-best start of the season. The 2005 team compiled a 60-1 record on the way to an 11game (7-0-4) unbeaten start.
■ Road ahead: The Revolution’s only road match of the month is next week at Columbus, which has a three-game winning streak under former CF Montreal coach Wilfried Nancy. The Revolution play four of five MLS games at home in April, plus a US Open Cup match against Hartford Athletic on Tuesday, April 25.
■ What they said: “We have good momentum,” Revolution coach Bruce Arena said. “Columbus is a good team. It’s a very difficult venue to play at, it’s a wonderful stadium, they’ll have a capacity crowd. It’ll really be challenging and it’ll be a real good test for us.” Arena added that he canceled plans to attend the Masters Sunday: “I did have a ticket but I decided not to [go] because after watching the conditions there I still don’t think they’re going to get everything done tomorrow.”