Finale Win a Reminder of What Could've Been
October 23, 2016 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Sunday afternoon's regular-season finale - a comprehensive 3-0 win over the Montreal Impact in front of 39,587 raucous fans at Gillette Stadium - was a stark reminder of what could've been for the New England Revolution in 2016.Diego Fagundez, Juan Agudelo and Kei Kamara scored to help the rampant Revs to their fifth win in their last seven games, but ultimately it proved to be too little, too late, as the Philadelphia Union edged New England out for the final playoff spot on goal difference.
"It's disappointing that we waited too long to really find ourselves and express ourselves throughout the last part of the season," said head coach Jay Heaps, who saw the Revs struggle through a 2-8-2 stretch in the middle of the campaign. "Five (wins) out of seven is really good, but we just didn't do enough."
New England certainly did enough on Sunday, outshooting the playoff-bound Impact by a margin of 25-7 and hitting the woodwork four times in a match that could've been over by halftime.
The victory was the Revolution's fourth straight at home - all by multiple goals - and Agudelo couldn't help but wonder what kind of damage the in-form Revs could've done had they managed to reach the postseason.
"That's what I was thinking the whole game," said Agudelo, who finished the season as the Revolution's leading scorer with seven goals, edging out Kamara on the assists tiebreaker. "We're such a good team. We could've gone so far. It's very disappointing that it's all come to an end."
There were plenty of positives to take from Sunday's finale as the Revs look forward to 2017, not the least of which was another stellar showing from 23-year-old Agudelo. Young goalkeeper Cody Cropper also made his MLS debut, making two saves in a shutout effort.
But there will be a time and a place to look forward to 2017, and on Sunday the Revs were simply left to rue the missed opportunities that saw their 2016 campaign end far too soon.
"Our season was relying on the Chicago game (last weekend) and we didn't do well that game," Agudelo said. "Our season ended today on a positive note, but at the end of the day, it wasn't the game that we needed to win."
• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...
Major League Soccer Stories from October 23, 2016
- Sounders FC Advances to 2016 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs - Seattle Sounders FC
- United Secure 4th Seed in East; Drop Points in Orlando - D.C. United
- Timbers Fall 4-1 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Season Finale - Portland Timbers
- Philadelphia Union to Face Toronto FC in Knockout Round of Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs on Wednesday - Philadelphia Union
- Real Salt Lake Earns Eighth Playoff Berth in Last Nine Seasons - Real Salt Lake
- QUOTE SHEET | Toronto FC 3:2 Chicago Fire - Chicago Fire FC
- Paunovic, Fire Look Ahead to Offseason as 2016 Slate - Chicago Fire FC
- LA Galaxy Begin Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs this Wednesday, October 26 - LA Galaxy
- Finale Win a Reminder of What Could've Been - New England Revolution
- RECAP: Sporting KC 2, Quakes 0 - San Jose Earthquakes
- Sounders FC to Host Sporting Kansas City on Thursday, October 27 In Western Conference Knockout Roun - Seattle Sounders FC
- Match Recap: Philadelphia Union 0, New York Red Bulls 2 - Philadelphia Union
- Sporting KC Tops San Jose to Clinch Playoff Spot - Sporting Kansas City
- LA Galaxy Postgame Quote Sheet: LA Galaxy 0, FC Dallas 0 - LA Galaxy
- Sporting KC Is PLAYOFF BOUND - Sporting Kansas City
- Post-Game Quotes: Red Bulls 2, Philadelphia 0 - New York Red Bulls
- MLS Announces Schedule for the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs Knockout Round - MLS
- Dynamo End Season with 1-1 Draw at Colorado - Houston Dynamo FC
- Post-Game Notes: Red Bulls Earn 2-0 Victory at Philadelphia - New York Red Bulls
- Toronto FC Set to Host Philadelphia Union in the 2016 Audi MLS Cup - Toronto FC
- Impact Finishes Regular Season with 3-0 Loss at New England - Club de Foot Montreal
- LA Galaxy Postgame Notes: LA Galaxy 0, FC Dallas 0 - Sunday, October - LA Galaxy
- Toronto FC (3) - Chicago Fire (2) Post-Match Summary - Toronto FC
- MATCH RECAP: Columbus Crew SC 1, New York City FC 4 - Columbus Crew SC
- New York Red Bulls Forward Bradley Wright-Phillips Wins 2016 MLS Golden Boot - New York Red Bulls
- Chicago Fire Fall to Toronto FC 3-2 in 2016 Season - Chicago Fire FC
- LA Galaxy Announce 2016 Team Awards - LA Galaxy
- FC Dallas Clinches Top Seed in Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs as Historic Treble Hunt Continues - FC Dallas
- Kings of Cascadia: Whitecaps FC Win Sixth Cascadia Cup - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Best for Last: 'Caps Defeat Timbers 4-1 to Win - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- New York Red Bulls Forward Bradley Wright-Phillips Wins 2016 MLS Golden Boot - MLS
- Lineup vs. Portland Timbers - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- GAME NOTES: Sounders FC vs. Real Salt Lake - October 23, 2016 - Seattle Sounders FC
- Midfielder Brad Davis to Retire at End of 2016 MLS Season - Sporting Kansas City
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent New England Revolution Stories
- New England Revolution Sign Goalkeeper Aljaž Ivačič
- New England Revolution Acquire Defender Xavier Arreaga in Trade with Seattle Sounders
- Revolution Play to 1-0 Defeat at Toronto FC
- Revolution on the Road at Toronto FC on Saturday
- New England Revolution Academy Highlights: April 19, 2024