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New England Revolution

Revolution Draw with FC Dallas, 2-2, in First Match of Mobile Mini Sun Cup

February 14, 2018 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


TUCSON, Ariz. - The New England Revolution opened the first of four Mobile Mini Sun Cup contests in Tucson, Ariz. with a 2-2 draw against FC Dallas. A pair of second-half goals from Cristian Penilla and Diego Fagundez saw the Revs come from behind twice to earn the result. Five different Revolution players-Scott Caldwell, Claude Dielna, Cristian Penilla, Kelyn Rowe, and Matt Turner-played a full 90 minutes.

Midfielder Wilfried Zahibo made his preseason debut, but his outing was cut short as he was sent off for a foul in the 9th minute of today's match. In order to keep both teams at full strength, midfielder Diego Fagundez entered the match to fill the position vacated by Zahibo. After goalkeeper Matt Turner stopped an initial attempt from Michael Barrios in the 15th minute, Mauro Diaz capitalized on a rebound opportunity to open the scoring for FC Dallas. Just minutes after the goal, Turner provided a huge stop on a Dallas corner, denying defender Reto Ziegler from adding to the lead in the 18th minute. Near the 30-minute mark of the first half, Teal Bunbury received service from Diego Fagundez, but FC Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer was able to stop the shot on goal.

The Revs quickly leveled the match in the second half, scoring in 55th minute as Brian Wright found Cristian Penilla for the Ecuadorian's second goal of preseason. Minutes later, defender Andrew Farrell cleared a dangerous ball inside the six-yard box to maintain a level scoreline. FC Dallas regained the lead in the 77th minute, as Santiago Mosquera dribbled nearly three quarters of the pitch before finding Maxi Urruti in the six-yard box. The Revs showed resiliency by leveling the match for the second time in the 85th minute. After Kelyn Rowe gathered possession in the 18-yard box, he found Diego Fagundez, who buried the pass with a first-time effort to equalize.

The Revolution will play three more preseason games in the Mobile Mini Sun Cup before kicking off the regular season at the Philadelphia Union on March 3. The club will return to action in Tucson on Saturday, Feb. 17 against San Antonio FC and will then play Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday, Feb. 21, before closing out the tournament against an opponent to be determined on Saturday, Feb. 24.

Scoring Summary:

DAL - Mauro Diaz (Unassisted) 15'

NE - Cristian Penilla (Brian Wright) 55'

DAL - Maxi Urruti (Santiago Mosquera) 77'

NE - Diego Fagundez (Kelyn Rowe) 85'

New England Revolution: Matt Turner; Gabriel Somi (Chris Tierney 60'), Claude Dielna , Antonio Delamea (Jalil Anibaba 45' - HT), Andrew Farrell (Mark Segbers 80'); Wilfried Zahibo (Diego Fagundez 10'); Scott Caldwell, Kelyn Rowe, Cristian Penilla, Femi Hollinger-Janzen (Brandon Bye 45' - HT); Teal Bunbury (Brian Wright 45' - HT)

Substitutes Not Used: Cody Cropper, Brad Knighton, Nicolas Samayoa

FC Dallas: Jimmy Maurer; Anton Nedyalkov, Reto Ziegler, Kris Reaves; Ryan Hollingshead (Tesho Akindele 57'), Carlos Gruezo, Jacori Hayes, Reggie Cannon; Mauro Diaz; Maxi Urruti, Michael Barrios (Santiago Mosquera 45' - HT)

Substitutes Not Used: Kyle Zobeck, Victor Ulloa, Maynor Figueroa, Jordan Cano, Cristian Colmán, Brandon Servania, Amer Sasivarevic

POSTGAME TRANSCRIPTS

New England Revolution Head Coach Brad Friedel

On his takeaways from today's match versus FC Dallas:

Coach Friedel: "FC Dallas is ahead again in fitness, which is really good for us because we've played a lot of teams that have been a little bit ahead. They've got a [CONCACAF] Champions League game just around the corner, so that was good that we got to play them. I thought other than the first 10 minutes, which were a little slow for us, I was really happy with a lot of the chances we created. Really happy with the way that we were building out of the back. There was a lot more bravery, if you like, on the ball, and the players are starting to be used to the system."

On Wilfried Zahibo's red card:

Coach Friedel: "I know Wilfried would not go in to openly try to injure another player. Referees make decisions, and we'll get on with it."

On the importance of Antonio Delamea getting his first preseason minutes:

Coach Friedel: "Very important. That is the first 45 minutes [of the preseason] for him. He actually wanted to play a little bit longer, but we want to make sure that we don't risk injury also. Most of the players in the first game will generally only get 45 minutes and we'll see how things go in the next game as far as minutes are concerned."

New England Revolution Defender Antonio Delamea

On returning to the club after a trip to Slovenia to acquire his green card:

Delamea: "I'm really happy to be back in a game. It's been a long time since I last played. It's really important for me to get back in shape, so we'll do it game by game. Today, I only got like 45 minutes, but I'm expecting to get more time in the next games. Like I said, the most important [thing] for me now is to get back in shape and I'm working on that every day."

On if he feels he could have played longer than 45 minutes today:

Delamea: "Yeah, I asked Coach [Friedel] if I could play a little more, but he said no, it's enough for the first time. That's okay, we still have [three] games left, so I'm thinking I'll get 90 minutes in the next games."

On the importance of preseason minutes as he builds chemistry with Claude Dielna:

Delamea: "It's important not just for us, but for the whole team to get more connected, to get to know each other. We have a few new guys who need to adjust [to playing] with us. Yeah, it's very important. We need to take as much as possible form these games to build a good chemistry inside the team."

New England Revolution Midfielder Diego Fagundez

On if it is good to record his first goal of the preseason:

Fagundez: "It is, and I think it was a tough one. We go down a man and I got to go into the game to help the team. It was a tough game, but overall I think we did well and we got the [equalizer] at the end."

On playing 80 minutes as an early substitute after Wilfried Zahibo was sent off:

Fagundez: "It's one of those, it's a tough one. You don't get to warm up that well, but you just have to be ready to put on your shoes and when you step on the field, make sure you're doing your job. But with this group of guys, it's kind of easy. Everyone works around each other, we help each other out. At the end of the day, we got the job done."

On the team's mentality coming from behind twice to earn the draw:

Fagundez: "I don't think we all want to concede first, but sometimes it happens that way. I think you saw form the team, we all stepped it up. We got a goal back and the game changed a little bit, and we kept attacking on them and we knew the game was going our way. But then the game is just one way and [then] another, but at the end, we got it done."

On his chemistry and partnership with Cristian Penilla:

Fagundez: "I think since the first day Cristian Penilla's been here, [we've] connected well, not just on the field, but off the field. Our Spanish kind of helps out, so we try to work with each other, get the balls to each other, and when we have our chances to play one-twos with each other, it's an easier game. He's so fast that when I get the ball, the first thing I do, I try to look for him so he can go one-on-one at players."

On playing in a central role:

Fagundez: "I've always played No. 10 my whole life, so it's a quick adaption. But it's one of those things, now I need to start trying to get better at it. I think every game, every practice that I've been doing it, I've been getting better. So now, I just have to take it to the next step and hopefully do better."

For up-to-the-minute information on the Revolution, visit the team's official web site at RevolutionSoccer.net, or join the conversation and interact with fans on any of the team's social platforms.

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