FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Brad Friedel knew exactly how he wanted his New England Revolution side to attack New York City FC on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium: press high, force turnovers in the attacking third, and immediately convert those turnovers into scoring chances.
It was a game-plan that worked to near perfection for 45 minutes. The visitors continuously tried to play out of the back through New England’s press only to be met with relentless pressure, and it led to the game’s opening goal in the 11th minute. Scott Caldwell and Cristian Penilla combined to force a turnover, which allowed Wilfried Zahibo to find Diego Fagundez for his second goal of the season.