The New England Revolution defeat the number one seed Philadelphia Union 2-0 in the first round of the MLS Playoffs.
The Philadelphia Union and the New England Revolution faced off this evening in the first round of the MLS playoffs. The two sides are incredibly comfortable with each other, as they have faced off five times prior to tonight. In those five games, the Union won four of them, and the other finished in a draw. The most recent matchup of the two squads was in the last match of the season-ending 2-0 in the Union's favor. That game earned the Philadelphia Union their first team trophy, winning the Community Shield for have the best regular-season record in the league.
New England were coming into this game hoping to have a game plan to crack the Union's high press and capitalize on the break. They did just that, granting the Union their first loss at home this season and sending the number one seed home in the first round.
The Revolution were in control of the game from the start, despite losing the possession battle, 58% to their 42%, and losing the total shot count with Union accounting for 15 shots to the Revolution's 11. The flow of the game was all New England. Their first goal came in the 26th minute from Adam Buksa, scoring a header coming off a Carless Gil set piece. The second goals followed soon after, Tajon Buchanan dribbled by a Union defender and scored a right-footed goal from a difficult angle to beat the MLS goalkeeper of the year, Andre Blake.
The New England Revolution had a steady backline all night, causing problems for the 19-year-old American star headed to RB Salzburg next season, Brenden Aaronson. The Revolution's gameplay to shut down the playmaker for the Union worked to perfection as his production got him subbed out in the 62 minute. The New England Revolution are a team to keep an eye on heading to the second round. They will face off against Orlando City this Sunday.
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