New England fall 2-1 to Houston Dynamo FC

FOXBOROUGH, MA– The New England Revolution (9-4-18, 31 pts.) were defeated 2-1 versus Houston Dynamo FC (14-9-9, 51 pts.) on Wednesday afternoon.

The match kicked off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Shell Energy Stadium to a crowd of 10,000.

The team started their lineup in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Aljaž Ivačič starting in net with a backline of (left back) Peyton Miller, (center backs) Dave Romney, and Xavier Arreaga, along with (right back) Brandon Bye. The midfield spots were manned by Matt Polster (left defensive midfield) and Alhassan Yusuf (right defensive midfield), with Carles Gil appeared ahead of them (central attacking midfield). The forward roles were manned Esmir Bajraktarevic (left wing), Luca Langoni (right wing), and Bobby Wood as the lone striker.

The match began with New England starting from the center circle and swiftly advancing the ball into Houston’s defensive third.

In the 7th minute, Houston defender #5 Daniel Steres was issued a yellow card.

Forward Bobby Wood had the first moment of the match when his volley from 5-yards out was magnificently saved by goalkeeper #1 Steve Clark just 9 minutes into the match.

Just 2 minutes later, Alhassan Yusuf had two chances that were blocked and then sent his shot high and wide out of play.

Houston’s first chance came in the 17th minute when midfielder #20 Coco Carrasquilla’s shot struck the crossbar and went out for a goal kick.

Just five minutes later, Houston had another opportunity when forward #27 Sebastian Kowalczyk’s volley attempt was saved by Aljaž Ivačič.

After the initial 45+1 minutes, the match entered halftime with the scoreline level at 0-0.

Prior to the start of the second half, Houston head coach Ben Olsen made his first change of the match by replacing midfielder #8 Amine Bassi with forward #10 Ezequiel Ponce.

The match began with New England starting from the center circle and elected to build out of the back to begin the match.

Houston had the first moment of the second half when goalkeeper #31 Aljaž Ivačič denied forward #10 Ezequiel Ponce from close range.

Entering the 50th minute, Houston gained the lead.

Following an interception in midfield, the ball found #10 Ezequiel Ponce who unleashed a long shot into the top right corner to make it 1-0 to Houston.

Just two minutes later, drama ensued when Luca Langoni was taken down in the penalty area and New England was given a penalty kick.

Entering the 53rd minute, New England leveled the scoreline.

Midfielder Carles Gil stepped up and buried the penalty kick into the top left corner to make it 1-1.

Houston’s next chance came in the 56th minute when goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič made a stellar save on a shot by defender #5 Daniel Steres.

In the 67th minute, Revolution defender Peyton Miller was issued a yellow card.

Entering the 68th minute, Houston regained the lead

Following a delivery into the area by midfielder #20 Coco Carrasquilla, the ball was chest trapped by defender #28 Erik Sviatchenko, who launched a shot into the top corner to make it 2-1.

In the 73rd minute, Revolution head coach Caleb Porter made his first two changes of the match by replacing midfielder Luca Langoni and forward Bobby Wood with forward Giacomo Vrioni and midfielder Emmanuel Boateng.

Less than one minute later, New England had a major chance when Alhassan Yusuf’s effort from close range was saved by goalkeeper #1 Steve Clark.

In the 77th minute, both teams made changes. Revolution head coach made his third change of the match by replacing midfielder Matt Polster with midfielder Ian Harkes. Houston head coach Ben Olsen made his second and third change of the match by replacing midfielders #15 Latif Blessing and #18 Ibrahim Aliyu with midfielder #24 Junior Moreno and forward #14 McKinze Gaines.

In the 83rd minute, Revolution head coach Caleb Porter made his final two changes by replacing defenders Xavier Arreaga and Peyton Miller with defender Tim Parker and midfielder Nacho Gil.

In the 88th minute, Houston head coach Ben Olsen made his fourth change of the match by replacing defender #5 Daniel Steres with defender #22 Tate Schmitt.

Less than one minute later, forward #27 Sebastian Kowalczyk’s effort was sent over the bar.

In the 90+4 minute, Houston head coach Ben Olsen made his final change of the match by replacing defender #2 Franco Escobar with defender #4 Ethan Bartlow.

In the 90+5 minute, Houston forward #10 Ezequiel Ponce was issued a yellow card.

After the 90+6 minutes, the match concluded with Houston holding on for the 2-1 victory.

With the result, New England moves to 14th in the MLS Eastern Conference. They currently sit 5 points below the playoff line with one game in hand.

The New England Revolution (9-4-18, 31 pts.) return home where they are set to face MLS Eastern Conference side D.C. United (9-10-13, 37 pts.) on Saturday, October 5th. The match kicks off in Gillette Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.

(Editor’s Note: For more of Burt Granofsky’s photos, click on the link)