Goals from Ezequiel Barco were the difference tonight as Atlanta United handed New England Revolution a 2-0 loss Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. Barco came on in the 15′ minute to replace an injured Eric Remedi and scored his first goal in just 13 minutes. After tonight’s win, he became the second player in club history to register a brace after coming on as a substitute, joining Kevin Kratz. The 2-0 victory also marked the club’s first clean sheet.
The five stripes weren’t short on chances in the first half. The first came from striker Josef Martinez in the 6′ minute. On a 1 v 1 with the goalkeeper, he lost his balance and sent a low attempt with little power just wide of the net. The second, from Julian Gressel, was in the 15′ minute. Martinez sent through ball to Gressel who couldn’t finish the job. Three minutes later, Gressel returned the favor with a low cross to Martinez but the try beat the defender and Josef himself who missed the toe-poke effort.
In the 28′ minute, Tito Villalba dribbled past a defender on the left wing and sent a pass to the center of the box to Barco for the one-timed shot for goal. In the 49′ minute, Barco would pick up his second goal of the match, launching a finesse shot from the 18 into the far corner netting.
It was a better effort from Atlanta tonight. Given the number of chances that came their way, a victory was fitting to end the night. Manager Frank de Boer notched his long-awaited first league win and Atlanta United can ride this momentum into next week when they host FC Dallas.
STATS
Shots: 19-7 Atlanta
Shots on Target: 8-1 Atlanta
Corner kicks: 5-3 Atlanta
Fouls committed: 17-14 New England
Clearances: 21-8 Atlanta
Offside: 4-1 New England
Possession: 53-47 New England
Passing Accuracy: 74-71 New England
-Jon J.
Photo: Courtesy of ATL UTD