Yes that is not a typo. In a wet night in LA, Kelyn Rowe scored the first goal of his MLS career while Chris Tierney and Saer Sène followed up with additional strikes as the New England Revolution rolled to a 3-1 win over the LA Galaxy at The Home Depot Center.
Rowe scored the game’s opening goal in the 10th minute and Tierney added a quick-fire second just three minutes later to stake New England (2-2-0, 6 pts.) to an early 2-0 lead. Sène tacked on a third with his second goal of the season in the 65th minute before Robbie Keane grabbed a late consolation goal for the Galaxy (1-2-0, 3 pts.).
It was the Revolution’s second straight win and the club’s first on the West Coast since 2009, snapping a streak of 11 winless games in the Pacific Time Zone. This marks New England’s first back-to-back wins since 2010 after the club failed to win consecutive games last season.
There was just one change to the Revolution lineup which claimed a 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers last weekend as Stephen McCarthy returned from suspension to take the place of Blake Brettschneider. McCarthy partnered A.J. Soares in central defense, pushing Shalrie Joseph back into central midfield, Rowe wide right and Ryan Guy into the vacant forward position.
Limited to just one goal in their first three matches, the Revs exploded for two in the span of three minutes early in the first half as Rowe (10th minute) and Tierney (13th minute) handed the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Both goals began with Joseph, back in his usual central midfield position after serving as a makeshift center back last weekend against Portland. New England’s captain teed up Rowe for the opening goal in the 10th minute when his left-wing cross found the UCLA product unmarked inside the box. Rowe’s initial full-volley effort was saved by Galaxy goalkeeper Josh Saunders, but the rebound fell kindly and the rookie finished on the second attempt.
Joseph was again the provider three minutes later as his cutting through ball sprang Kevin Alston into the right side of the box. Alston drove to the byline and cut a pass back across the face of goal, finding Tierney arriving late at the back post for a well-placed finish to Saunders’ right.
Tierney continued to press forward from his left back position and tested Saunders with a pair of left-footed drives in the 25th and 35th minutes. First Tierney barreled into acres of space down the left wing before blasting a tight-angle drive at Saunders, while 10 minutes later he forced a quality save with a blistering free kick from 30 yards.
The Galaxy had a set-piece chance of its own in the 39th minute when McCarthy fouled Edson Buddle 35 yards from goal, but Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis tipped David Beckham’s curling free kick off the crossbar as it appeared labeled for the upper right corner. Buddle then had a breakaway opportunity in first-half stoppage time when McCarthy slipped on the wet surface, but pushed his effort wide of the left post.
There was more action before the halftime whistle as the hosts once again hit the woodwork from a Beckham free kick, this time the left post as Reis pushed a skipping effort off the frame of the goal before Soares cleared to safety.
After entering the break with a two-goal lead, the Revs extended their advantage to 3-0 in the 65th minute. Second-half substitute Florian Lechner – making his MLS debut – played Guy down the right wing and the 26-year-old wriggled free of his defender before whipping a cross into the box. Sène rose above his marker to direct a powerful header on frame from six yards out, and although Saunders got a hand on the effort, he couldn’t keep the ball out of the back of the net.
The Galaxy pulled one back in the 78th minute when Keane calmly put the finishing touch on Buddle’s through ball. Breaking alone into the box, Keane feigned a shot and waited out Reis before rounding the goalkeeper and tucking the ball into the empty net. The goal proved to be mere consolation, however, as the Revs held out for a comprehensive 3-1 win at the final whistle.
The Revs now head directly to Texas as they’ll continue their two-game road trip on Thursday, April 5, against FC Dallas. Kickoff from FC Dallas Stadium is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
