Revolution Vs. Sounders Final: Diego Fagundez Steals The 2-2 Draw At The Death

The New England Revolution decided to leave it late for a second week in a row, earning a 2-2 draw with the Seattle Sounders at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night on the strength of Diego Fagundez's last-second goal. The goal was Fagundez's first of the 2012 season.

Head coach Jay Heaps sprung a bit of a surprise both on the Sounders and on Revs fans, moving away from the usual 4-4-2 and running out a 4-3-3 with a midfield triangle of Shalrie Joseph, Clyde Simms, and Benny Feilhaber. Saer Sene and Lee Nguyen played wide with Blake Brettschneider the lone target man.

"We went with a little tactical shift, and I thought that by putting Saer wide it would open some space for him," said Heaps. "Unfortunately, as the game went on, we made the exact mistakes that we made in Toronto."

New England kicked off the scoring early, pulling ahead through Saer Sene's 12th minute strike, his eighth of the season. The Sounders players argued for offside, and they certainly had a case, but Sene's tap-in from a Brettschneider cross stood nonetheless.

Rave Green forward Eddie Johnson was not content to let it stand, however, and he put the Seattle offense on his back for the rest of the half. In the 23rd minute, Mauro Rosales pounced on a Florian Lechner giveaway and played in a dangerous cross to the far post. Johnson leaped well above his marker and thundered the header into the back of the net to even the scores. Then, in the 35th minute, Marc Burch was afforded far too much space on the left, and he picked out an excellent cross to Eddie at the far post. The former USA striker snapped his header on goal yet again, capitalizing on a miscue from Matt Reis and A.J. Soares.

Though New England continued to create chances, the Revs would have to wait until the final minute of stoppage time before they could finally breathe easy and maintain their fortress record at Gillette. After minutes of pressure on the Seattle goal, Fernando Cardenas launched a cross to Fagundez at the far post, and the teenage phenom, possibly the second-shortest player on the pitch, nodded it across goal and inside the post.

"I don't think it's about the battle," said Fagundez. "I think it's about who gets to the ball first."

Heaps' decision to run a different formation had the double-effect of allowing Sene the chance to get extra space and allowing Feilhaber to stay central, where he usually feels most comfortable. The shift paid some dividends; while the home draw was a little disappointing, 59.9% possession and 79.2% passing accuracy are not. The chances were there, but the finishing wasn't.

"It's tough to incorporate a new system perfectly," said Benny Feilhaber. "It was a good system for us, it allowed me a little more freedom, Lee had a little more freedom to go forward. But there are some things we can tinker with and try to make a little bit better."

Revolution Vs. Sounders Score Update: Johnson Makes It Two As Seattle Takes A 2-1 Lead

For the New England Revolution, a match that seemed to be proceeding in hand has now become a game they have to chase, as the Seattle Sounders have taken a 2-1 lead at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night. Eddie Johnson put away his second of the night to give the Sounders their first lead of the match in the 35th minute.

Marc Burch apparently got free of Florian Lechner down the left flank and lofted in a dangerous cross to the far post. Johnson was the only target in the area, but he was the only one needed as he rose above A.J. Soares to head the ball down into the corner of the net. Matt Reis appeared to have made a poor decision to come out for the cross and was left flapping at the ball as Soares attempted to get the height required to challenge Johnson, while traveling backwards.

For more Revolution coverage, visit our team page and blog, The Bent Musket.

Revolution Vs. Sounders: Eddie Johnson Answers Back For Seattle, Knots Score at 1-1

The New England Revolution took an early lead in their match against the Seattle Sounders, but the Rave Green didn't waste any time giving their reply. Eddie Johnson headed home a dangerous Mauro Rosales cross to tie the scores up at one apiece.

Rosales took advantage of a mistake by Florian Lechner, dispossessing the veteran right back in the Revs own third. The Argentinian then floated in a diagonal cross to Johnson, who leaped into the stratosphere and nodded the ball home past a helpless Matt Reis.

Sounders fans will perhaps feel the goal has re-established equilibrium in the match after the Revs were awarded the first goal despite strong indications of offside. Regardless, the match has been fairly open, with chances for both sides. New England does seem to have the upper hand in possession and chances created, with several dangerous Chris Tierney deliveries and Blake Brettschneider opportunities throughout the first half.

For more Revolution coverage, visit our team page and blog, The Bent Musket.

Revolution Vs. Sounders Score Update: Saer Sene's Controversial Strike Fires New England Ahead 1-0

The New England Revolution wasted no time getting a goal in Saturday night's home match against the Seattle Sounders, taking a 1-0 lead thanks to a Saer Sene strike in the 12th minute. The goal was Sene's eighth of the season, tying him for the highest goal tally by a Revolution player since 2007.

Sene received the ball in midfield and played in Blake Brettschneider with a deft touch. Brettschneider dribbled through two defenders and tried a shot, but had it blocked. He collected his own rebound, made his way to the byline and crossed low for Sene, who had a simple tap in on the goal line.

The goal was a controversial one because replays appeared to show that Sene was clearly offside when Brettschneider played the cros. Regardless, the linesman saw nothing wrong with it and the goal stood.

New England has had the better of the play so far, creating a couple of half chances and generally looking crisp in their passing. Interestingly, Jay Heaps decided not to go with a stock 4-4-2 formation. In an attempt to get all of his top talent on the field simultaneously, Heaps ran out a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation. Shalrie Joseph and Clyde Simms are the two holding midfielders with Benny Feilhaber playing an advanced role as a central playmaker. Blake Brettschneider is the lone striker, playing a target role, while Saer Sene (right) and Lee Nguyen (left) play the wings.

For more Revolution coverage, visit our team page and blog, The Bent Musket.

Revolution Vs. Sounders Lineups: Joseph Back In, Feilhaber Shifts Out Wide

New England Revolution head coach Jay Heaps had a bit of a selection dilemma in central midfield ahead of Saturday night's match against the Seattle Sounders. With Clyde Simms and Shalrie Joseph both healthy, he had to decide whether how to shuffle his midfield around to accommodate the two of them, and simultaneously keep Benny Feilhaber, who prefers to play centrally, in the lineup.

In the end, Heaps elected to move Feilhaber back out wide and play Shalrie and Simms as the middle pairing in a 4-4-2. The move has forced Kelyn Rowe out of the starting lineup and back to the bench, while Lee Nguyen remains the starter on the opposite wing.

Florian Lechner will make his second start of the season at right-back in place of the injured Kevin Alston. Lechner's last start was in Dallas, where he was lucky not to be punished by the pace of Fabian Castillo and Brek Shea. Despite that poor outing, Lechner was instrumental in the Revs' comeback against Toronto last week, notching his first MLS assist on Chris Tierney's equalizer.

Also notable: Blake Brettschneider starts over Diego Fagundez up top, and Sainey Nyassi is making his first appearance in the 18 this season, taking a spot on the bench.

On the Seattle side, head coach Sigi Schmid has dealt with the absence of Fredy Montero by going to a single-striker formation. However, it looks like Eddie Johnson will be supported by Mauro Rosales, who will probably drop into the hole behind Johnson and look to dictate the attack from an advanced position. Interestingly, designated player Alvaro Fernandez will begin the match on the bench.

Lineups

Revolution: Matt Reis; Lechner, Stephen McCarthy, A.J. Soares, Tierney; Nguyen, Joseph, Simms, Feilhaber; Blake Brettschneider, Saer Sene

Bench: Shuttleworth, Barnes, Fagundez, Nyassi, Guy, Rowe, Cardenas

Sounders: Andrew Weber; Zach Scott, Adam Johansson, Patrick Ianni, Marc Burch; Mauro Rosales, Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans, Andy Rose, Alex Caskey; Eddie Johnson

Bench: Meredith, Cato, Fernandez, Gonzalez, Hurtado, Levesque, Ochoa

For more Revolution coverage, visit our team page and blog, The Bent Musket.

Revolution Vs. Sounders: Shalrie Joseph Returns As New England Host Seattle

Shalrie Joseph is ready to make his return from injury as the New England Revolution host the Seattle Sounders on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. (TV/Radio: CSN/98.5)