New England Revolution and New York City FC Share Points in Scoreless Standoff at Gillette Stadium

Carles Gil had New England Revolution's second goal on his foot, penalty kick included, and he squandered it. That miss ended up mattering: New York City FC equalized in the final minute of the first half, and the 1-1 scoreline held up the rest of the way at Gillette Stadium in MLS action.

The match was tight when Peyton Miller was fouled inside the box in the 24th minute, brought down by James Sands. A clear penalty. But Gil, who had been involved in several dangerous sequences, struck it weakly and the shot was saved next to the right post. Gil himself pounced on the rebound but couldn't finish it off either. The miss didn't take him out of the game: in the 35th minute, Dor Turgeman put the Revolution ahead with a left-footed finish from close range, set up by a pass from Miller, the assist that made up for some of his earlier miscue.

The lead lasted barely ten minutes. In first-half stoppage time, right around the 45th minute, New York City FC pushed forward with a series of corner kicks that finally paid off: James Sands, who had committed the penalty, popped up on the other side of the box to poke it in with his right foot near the left post, off a Talles Magno assist from a corner kick. Just before that, Talles Magno had already come close with a header that clanged off the post. The second half brought no more goals, though there were chances: Luighi, who came on at halftime, tried his luck a couple of times without finding the target, and Peyton Miller tested the goalkeepers in both halves without getting the Revolution's second goal.

What the numbers say

Control of the match was even, with a slight possession edge for the home side, though New York City FC was sharper in front of goal.

According to our estimate based on the match's shot data, New England Revolution generated 2.452 expected goals against 1.727 for New York City FC, a gap that reflects the missed penalty and the chances Miller and company couldn't convert in the second half.

Beforehand, we had projected a very even match: 37% win probability for the Revolution, 27% for a draw and 36% for New York City FC, with total expected goals of 2.94 (1.48 for the home side, 1.46 for the visitors). The result ended up matching that outlook fairly well: the draw, which was the least likely of the three outcomes, was exactly what happened, and the two-goal total came in just under the projection.

What the result means

In the Eastern Conference, New England Revolution stays in fourth place with 34 points from 21 matches played (10 wins, 4 draws, 7 losses), while New York City FC sits seventh with 27 points from the same number of games (7 wins, 6 draws, 8 losses). The gap between the two clubs in the standings is 7 points, and this draw doesn't change that picture much: the Revolution add another point but miss a chance to close the gap on the top of the table, while New York City FC salvage something from a match in which they trailed on the scoreboard.

Carles Gil's missed penalty will stand as the image that sums up the match for the Revolution: it could have been the two-goal cushion that sealed the result, and instead it turned into the opening that let New York City FC, with a goal in the final minute of the first half, walk away from Gillette Stadium with a point.