First-half goals from Matt Polster and Gustavo Bou paced the New England Revolution to a 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night.
Making his first MLS start, Paxten Aaronson scored his first league goal to draw the Union level following Polster's early opener. But Bou's spot-kick minutes before halftime stood as the difference and delivered the Eastern Conference leaders all three points.
The Union had a couple of good early looks shortly after kickoff, first via a breakaway opportunity from Sergio Santos that was denied by a kick-save from Revs' goalkeeper Matt Turner. Jack Elliott then put the ensuing corner kick on target, but had it cleared off the line.
New England made Philadelphia pay for those missed opportunities shortly thereafter. Polster did the honors right on 10 minutes, capping off some nifty 1-2 combination play with Tommy McNamara with an unstoppable finish to the far post.
But Aaronson pulled the Union level with a highlight-reel strike for his first MLS goal. The 17-year-old homegrown got the equalizer with a scorching finish into the top corner that evaded Turner after collecting a feed from Jakob Glesnes near the top of the area.
The 1-1 scoreline would be short-lived, however, as the Revs retook the lead just nine minutes later after Tajon Buchanan drew a foul in the box on Leon Flach, prompting a penalty-kick call from referee Armando Villarreal. Bou had his initial shot from the spot saved by Andre Blake, though pounced on the rebound and slotted it home.
The Union had a golden look at another leveler in the 56th minute, when Glesnes made a stellar individual run from his own end and laid the ball off to Quinn Sullivan for a one-on-one against Turner. But Sullivan was thwarted by another diving save from Turner and Kai Wagner saw his rebound attempt sail over the crossbar. Wagner had one more last-gasp attempt at salvaging a point for Philadelphia, but the left back smashed a first-time shot from Alejandro Bedoya's cross off the post in second-half stoppage time.
The hosts held on thanks to a defense led by Andrew Farrell, who started a club-record 255th game for New England.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: It wasn't the sharpest we've seen the Revs this year, but they took care of business with a professional performance despite the absence of injured MVP candidate Carles Gil. Bruce Arena's group just keeps stacking points, as the Revs are now six points clear of second-place Sporting Kansas City in the race for the Supporters' Shield. Fielding a youthful, rotated lineup with an eye on their upcoming Concacaf Champions League obligations on Thursday, the Union had their chances to leave Gillette with a point, but were done in by some wayward finishing.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: He'll wish that it came during a winning effort, but Paxten Aaronson's first MLS goal was a sight to behold. The younger brother of USMNT midfielder Brenden Aaronson is considered a high-level prospect in his own right.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: As he has countless times this season, Matt Turner made multiple huge saves that proved crucial in allowing New England to take three points.
Next Up
- NE: Saturday, August 14 at Toronto FC | 8 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
- PHI: Thursday, August 12 vs. Club América | 10 pm ET (FS1, Univision, TUDN) | Concacaf Champions League Semifinals Leg 1
