Turgeman Twice, Gazdag Late, Gil Hits 100: The Revs Just Locked Up a Home Playoff Game
New England blew a two-goal lead, then won it in the 83rd minute. A top-three finish in the East is guaranteed, and Sunday against Miami is for second place.
The Revolution made it harder than it needed to be Wednesday night at Gillette, and then they made it count. A 3-2 win over Red Bull New York was the Revs' fourth straight, and it guaranteed them a top-three finish in the Eastern Conference, which means a home game in the first round of the MLS playoffs, according to the club's match report.
Dor Turgeman did the early work. Nine minutes in, Ilay Feingold slipped a short pass to Carles Gil, Gil found Turgeman at the top of the box, and Turgeman rifled a right-footed finish past Red Bull keeper Ethan Horvath. Less than a minute into the second half he did it again: Feingold fed Luca Langoni on the right side, Langoni whipped it across the face of goal, tap-in. That's Turgeman's second brace of the season, 12 goals overall, five in his last four games and 10 since the World Cup break, per the club.
Then the Revs let New York back in. Cade Cowell scored in the 51st minute and U.S. international Julian Hall leveled it in the 64th. Langoni smacked the right post a few minutes later off a Peyton Miller cross. You could feel the stadium getting nervous.
The answer came off the bench. Miller, who came on in the 62nd, tested Horvath with a left-footed shot in the 83rd, the rebound spilled, and Dániel Gazdag was there for the easy finish. It's Gazdag's second goal for New England and the club's eighth game-winner scored after the 75th minute this season.
The bigger milestone belonged to Gil. His assist on the opener made him just the eighth player in MLS history with 100 regular-season assists, and the fourth-fastest to get there, in his 225th appearance. The last player to hit the mark was Brad Davis in 2013. Gil now has 13 goals and 13 assists and a league-best 91 key passes, the club said.
Matt Turner kept it from going sideways late. He made eight saves, one shy of his career high, including a close-range stop in the final minutes. That was his 18th win, a career high and a Revolution single-season record for a goalkeeper.
Where they stand: 18-10-4, 58 points, second in the East, two points ahead of Inter Miami. The 18 wins are the second-most in club history and second-most in the league this year. The 11 home wins are one short of the club record, which they can tie Sunday.
Dez's take: This team keeps winning games late, and eight post-75th-minute winners isn't luck anymore, that's a bench doing its job. But giving up a two-goal lead at home to a team 19 points behind you is the kind of thing that ends seasons in a one-off playoff game. Sunday's regular-season home finale against Miami at 7 p.m. is for second place. Win that and you'd like your path a lot more.
What we still don't know: the exact first-round opponent and date, which depend on Sunday's results around the league.
