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It’s safe to say that the Revolution will dwell on Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the Whitecaps a little longer than usual -- and not just because of the upcoming bye week.

In a rare display of early firepower, the club scored twice inside of 20 minutes and appeared well on their way toward a rare road win with the score 2-0 and with time to score more.

Then, in the 23rd minute it all came to a crash after referee Juan Guzman issued a straight red card to Andrew Farrell for taking down Kenny Miller inside the area, and awarded a penalty to Vancouver.

Twenty minutes later, it was 3-2 Vancouver.

“That red card clearly changed the game,” Revolution defender Chris Tierney said after the game. “We liked our chances [at] 11 men, 2-0 up in 20 minutes and moving the ball well, creating chances.”

The Revolution’s performance in the opening 20 minutes was, indeed, something to behold. Although Heaps made only one change to his lineup (Kelyn Rowe replaced Juan Toja in the central midfield) from the 0-0 draw to D.C. a week previous, the attacking chances flowed and the offense was firing on all cylinders.

And it wasn’t just the fact they tallied twice in the first 20 minutes that proved the Revolution meant business when they stepped onto the pitch at BC Place. It was the manner in which New England put the Whitecaps' defense to the test that truly showed it had learned its lesson from the scoreless draw on June 8.

On Juan Agudelo’s 10th-minute goal, the Revolution went direct, with Chris Tierney launching one from the back before it fell to the Revolution forward, who slotted it through. Ten minutes later, they reverted back to a possession-oriented approach, and a sneaky, three-pass sequence that culminated in a goal from Rowe. It was a dynamic brand of attacking soccer that could’ve yielded even more goals before the half.

“It was some of the best stuff we’ve done this season,” Heaps told the media after game. “The first 20 minutes, I thought we were prepared, we were ready, (and) we were all over them.”

But once Guzman’s decisions on the red card and penalty were issued, the tides turned on the Revolution almost immediately.

Though there was little they could on Camilo Sanvezzo’s subsequent penalty strike, the Revolution defense, which had been especially stout all season, coughed up a pair of easy goals to Jordan Harvey and Kenny Miller in the 39th and 43rd minutes, respectively. Miller’s second goal of the game in the 68th minute put the game out of reach.

“To be fair to them, they scored some decent goals after,” Tierney said. “But we could have been a little better defensively and dealing with going a man down, weathering the storm, and keeping ourselves in the lead.”

Although the red card clearly changed the complexion of the game, Heaps couldn’t help but wonder what could’ve been had his club’s collective concentration been better in between Sanvezzo’s penalty and the halftime whistle.

“We really wish we had solidified things and played a little better in that time, a little more alert, a little more veteran-like in those few minutes,” Heaps said. “Unfortunately, we’re a younger team and we got rattled a bit.”

Camilo Sanvezzo's 25th-minute strike from the spot snapped the Revolution's club-record shutout streak at 419 minutes, and the Vancouver Whitecaps secured a 4-3 win at BC Place on Saturday.

Sanvezzo's goal came after Andrew Farrell brought down Kenny Miller inside the box. Referee Juan Guzman issued red card to Farrell, and awarded the penalty to the Whitecaps.

The Revolution's loss snapped their MLS unbeaten streak at five and dropped their record to 5-5-5 (20 points). The Whitecaps upped their mark to 5-5-4 (19 points).

The Revolution opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Chris Tierney played a long ball ahead to Juan Agudelo, who coasted into the box and beat Brad Knighton.

Ten minutes later, Saer Sene played a ball inside to Diego Fagundez, who then slid it to his left for Kelyn Rowe, who punched through to give the Revolution the early two-goal lead on the road.

But it all came crashing down three minutes later. Miller used his speed to beat Farrell to a long ball from Russell Teibert. As Miller slowed to contemplate his shot, the Farrell's momentum brought him and Miller on a collision course, giving the Whitecaps a chance from the spot and reducing the Revolution to 10 men for the remainder of the game.

Miller converted his next chance to score in the 39th minute when he grabbed a pass from Carlyle Mitchell and beat Bobby Shuttleworth to level it at 2-2.

The Whitecaps went ahead when Teibert crossed it to the far post for Jordan Harvey, who slipped through the defense and slotted it into an open net in the 43rd minute.

Miller struck again in the 68th minute when he collected a long pass from Sanvezzo and volleyed a rocket under the bar.

Dimitry Imbongo brought one back late when he took hold of a ball from Darrius Barnes, fought off Mitchell inside the box and buried it in the 84th minute.

Rowe gets the start: After his two-goal effort against the Red Bulls in Wednesday's 4-2 Open Cup win, Rowe got his first start since the Revolution's 1-1 draw to the Red Bulls on May 11. Juan Toja was not among the game-day 18 and was listed as "questionable" with lower back tightness ahead of the game.

Short night for Sene: Saer Sene came off in the 29th minute when he was subbed off for Darrius Barnes as the short-handed Revolution tried to protect their narrow one-goal lead.

Next up: The Revolution will head into a bye week before heading to Maryland SoccerPlex to face D.C. United for a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal showdown on June 26 at 7:30 p.m. ET. From there, the Revolution will return to league action on June 29 for a road game at Chivas USA at 10:30 p.m. ET.

By now, it’s clear that success starts in the back for the New England Revolution (5-4-5, 20 points).

Entering Saturday’s contest against the Whitecaps (4-5-4, 16 points) in Vancouver, the Revolution is riding a five-game unbeaten steak (3-0-2), thanks in large part to a tireless defensive effort that’s kept opponents off the board for 395 minutes.

Not surprisingly, the mindset for this weekend’s trip to the Pacific Northwest is simple.

“We want to carry in our shutouts, obviously,” Revolution midfielder Kelyn Rowe said after Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup match. “The defensive work has been amazing throughout the whole back line, plus Bobby (Shuttleworth), through the midfield and even up top.”

Last week, their defensive efforts saved them from a potential embarrassment at the hands of the basement-dwelling D.C. United. While the 0-0 draw wasn’t what the Revolution envisioned from last Saturday’s match, the back four and Shuttleworth certainly held up their end of the bargain and helped extend the club’s unbeaten run.

As for the attack, Revolution head coach Jay Heaps hinted that he’s not concerned about last week’s scoring outage, which came at the hands of the worst defense in the league.

“I think our tempo was good at times against D.C., but it’s been better,” Heaps told the media after practice on Thursday. “I think we were a little narrow. I think we have to use the field a little more to our advantage, use some of our width a little bit better.”

They’ll need to use the space afforded to them by the BC Place pitch if they intend to steer the attack in the right direction and hand the Whitecaps their first home loss of the season.

Although the Whitecaps defense isn’t nearly as sound as the Revolution’s, Martin Rennie’s club makes up for it by getting on the board -- and often.

In their last four games, the Whitecaps have scored a total of nine goals, with the likes of Camilo Sanvezzo and Russell Teibert leading the way during that span.

“They take advantage of mistakes and they’re good in possession,” Heaps said. “They have experience and they’re a team that has a lot of the pieces (to succeed).”

Vancouver currently sits in the seventh spot on the Western Conference table. Much like the Revolution, though, they’re a team that’s on the rise, collecting a pair of impressive wins against the New York Red Bulls (2-1) and Los Angeles Galaxy (3-1) in recent weeks.

The fact that the Whitecaps haven’t been blanked since May 4 means that the Revolution will probably have to channel the same form up front that brought them four goals during Wednesday’s 4-2 U.S. Open Cup victory.

“We’re hoping some of these goals (from Wednesday) would have come on Saturday (vs. D.C.), but they didn’t,” Rowe said. “So we want to be able to keep (that) going and right now, we’re on a streak where we haven’t lost.”

There’s no question that the back four has shouldered the burden to keep that streak intact last week. This week, the offense may have to do some of the heavy lifting in order to prolong it.

BOSTON -- For Jay Heaps, there’s nothing like a U.S. Open Cup game to bring out the competitive fire amongst his players.

In Wednesday’s 4-2 win over the Red Bulls, players such as Kelyn Rowe, Dimitry Imbongo and Chad Barrett all made their cases for more minutes in league action.

“We had a lot of guys that were ready to go,” Heaps said after the game. “You could tell that we started really well. We created a lot of chances and scored some goals.”

It was certainly evident early on that Rowe, in particular, was ready to make a positive impression with his head coach. Only four minutes into the match, he collected a short pass from Gabe Latigue -- another player auditioning for minutes with the Revolution -- and fired it inside the near post for the opening goal.

“[Gabe Latigue] gave me the ball, and I saw an opening and thought ‘Might as well,’ it’s the first couple of minutes of the game,’” Rowe said after the game. “I wanted to test the goalie.”

He tested Red Bulls keeper Ryan Meara again in the 37th minute. With the game deadlocked at 1-1 thanks to a 30th-minute Fabian Espindola effort, Rowe cracked another long-range shot that Meara simply couldn’t get a piece of before it settled into the net.

“(On) the second one, I think Gabe made a run inside and pulled the defender out,” Rowe said. “And I thought, again, ‘I mean, I made the run, may as well shoot it’ and it ended up going far post.”

Rowe’s first-half strikes made it two straight Open Cup contests in which he’s tallied twice. Against Rochester on May 28, the sophomore midfielder struck in each half of a 5-1 third-round victory.

“When he shoots in on goal, it's usually going in,” Heaps said. “He's got one of the best shots I've seen, right or left foot. He was fired up for tonight. Right from the open, his touch was on. His movement was good. His pressure was good. He had a nice night.”

Meanwhile, another Revolution reserve player was making a case for more minutes, and his strongest argument came in the 51st minute.

With the Revolution holding onto a tenuous one-goal lead, Imbongo chased down a long ball from Darrius Barnes, his defender, then acrobatically placed his shot past Meara at the near post to score what proved to be the game-winner.

Then there was Barrett, the consummate pro whose tireless work ethic kept the Red Bulls back line on guard for much of his 83 minutes on the field.

All in all, the performances put in by Rowe, Imbongo and Barrett all served to highlight the heightened competition for spots on the Revolution roster. And with Saturday’s league game against the Whitecaps coming quickly, Heaps couldn’t help but see how hungry some of his players are for minutes.

“What I take from tonight is that guys want to be on the field in Vancouver,” Heaps said. “There’s going to be competition for every spot. It’s a healthy competition, but when they get on the field like this and they perform, it makes the coaches have to make decisions.”

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Kelyn Rowe continued his torrid run in U.S. Open Cup action by scoring twice and leading the New England Revolution to a 4-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls in Wednesday’s fourth-round match at Harvard Stadium.

Rowe scored in the fourth and 37th minutes on Wednesday to give him four goals in his last two Open Cup performances. Fabian Espindola brought one back for the Red Bulls in the 30th minute to make it a one-goal game at the half, but Dimitry Imbongo countered in the 51st minute. Jonny Steele put the Red Bulls within striking distance in the 61st minute, but Chris Tierney’s 87th-minute goal sealed it.

With the win, the Revolution advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Open Cup and will face D.C. United on June 26.

Third time’s a charm vs. Red Bulls in Open Cup: Wednesday’s match marked the first time the Revolution got the better of the Red Bulls in Open Cup play. The Red Bulls previously bounced the Revolution from the tournament in 2003 and 2010.

Imbongo a go: After missing the last three league games with a groin strain, Revolution striker Dimitry Imbongo got the start alongside forward Chad Barrett. His 51st-minute strike marked his first goal in Open Cup action.

Rhinos make appearances: Revolution loan players Gabe Latigue and Tyler Polak were called up from Rochester and started against the Red Bulls. Both went the full 90, and Latigue chipped in an assist on Rowe’s first goal.

Goals aplenty in Open Cup: With the four-goal effort, the Revolution have collected nine total goals in this year’s tournament. In last month’s third-round match, they staked a 5-1 win over the Rochester Rhinos (USL-PRO).

Next up: The Revolution return to league action this weekend when they head west to face Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The way Juan Agudelo looks at it, every Revolution game brings two distinct challenges, and both occur concurrently.

The first, of course, is the one their opponent presents every week. The other is the one the Revolution’s fledgling offense takes upon itself to play to the same standard as the Revolution’s stellar defense.

But after the Revolution offense struggled to create chances in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against D.C. United, Agudelo couldn’t help but feel that he and his attacking teammates didn’t match the efforts of the back four.

“I think it’s pressure (on the offense) because we let (the defense) down today,” Agudelo said after Saturday’s game. “They did their job -- they didn’t give up any goals.”

The Revolution defense certainly has done its job over the last four weeks. Since giving up a 55th-minute goal to Loyd Sam in a May 11 contest against the Red Bulls, the back four has allowed zero goals, good enough for a 395-minute shutout streak, the longest active run in the league.

On Saturday, the defense was its stingy self again with the basement-dwelling D.C. United in town. Although their downtrodden opponent, who has cobbled together a league-low six goals this season, saw a few opportunities near the New England net, the defensive effort remained stout.

“I thought we were very organized again,” Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth said after Saturday’s game. “The guys played really well in front of me, didn’t give away any chances -- (maybe) a couple half chances -- but communication was good across the back line with Scotty (Caldwell) and everyone put in their shift and we stayed pretty organized.”

While the back four, which has remained intact for each of the club’s four consecutive clean sheets, and Shuttleworth were keeping D.C. at bay, the front four, with Agudelo often leading the charge, couldn’t solve their opponent’s high-pressure game plan.

“Our final pass was a little bit off,” Revolution coach Jay Heaps said after the game. “Our spacing was a little too tight and once we got in their final third, they were bending, not breaking.”

With the attack stuck in a rut, the defense knew the burden would fall on them to salvage a point and keep D.C. from pulling off the upset. And once again, they rose to the occasion to keep the opposition off the board.

“Every time we step on the field we want to get the shutout, we want to keep the zero,” Shuttleworth said. “The guys have been really, really good. The back line has been super organized. The shape has been good throughout the entire season.”

Even though D.C. was able to pressure the defense into conceding nine corner kicks, the two stats that the Revolution backline will surely hang its hat on are these: one shot on goal, zero goals allowed.

Yes, the game may have ended with the proverbial handshake. But Agudelo, who failed to muster a single shot on frame, didn’t hesitate to declare the winner of the intrasquad competition between the front four and back four.

“The defense was better than us,” Agudelo said. “We have to be better, and I feel like we have to apologize to our defense for working so hard.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Coming off their 5-0 thrashing of the defending champion Galaxy last Sunday, the Revolution had to like their chances going into Saturday's contest against cellar-dwelling D.C. United.

But any momentum they were hoping to carry into it was stopped cold by a determined D.C. club that neutralized the New England attack and created its own fair share of chances in the 0-0 draw.

"We were well aware of how good their team can be," Chris Tierney said. "You look at their players, and that's the same squad that almost made it to MLS Cup last year."

True, a number of the players from last year's second-place D.C. side were on hand for Saturday's affair. But many of those same players were also responsible for the current team's poor production (six goals), not to mention porous defense (24 goals allowed) this season.

After stumbling out of the gate against the Galaxy last week, the Revolution showed improved form in the middle of the park on Saturday, and looked keen to continue their recent scoring success.

Despite an early scare from the United's Nick DeLeon in the seventh minute, the Revolution found early chances from Lee Nguyen and Saer Sene, both of whom came within striking distance of the opening goal in the early minutes.

While the attack was trying to put together chances, the Revolution back four resumed their recent stinginess, with DeLeon's shot the only one D.C. put on frame all evening.

"I thought that was a good start for us not giving anything away," Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said. "I thought we could have scored, we didn't, but I give them credit."

But as the game progressed, the Revolution found fewer and fewer opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net. Clearly, the D.C. defense wasn't the same one advertised ahead of the contest.

"I think when we had our chances and had that final ball, it just wasn't there, and that's our fault," Heaps said. "I don't think we made enough runs off the ball. From where I'm sitting, I didn't see enough off the ball."

New England's inability to find options inside the attacking third was due in large part to D.C.'s relentless pressure when the likes of Nguyen, Sene and Diego Fagundez had the ball. By canceling out their best attackers, United forced the Revolution to find another way to counter their plucky opponents' game plan.

"I was expecting them to push us," Heaps said. "I thought they did a better job of pressing us on the second ball. When they would lose it, we would make a good two or three passes and they would get to that one. We have to do better at breaking pressure."

Despite their struggles, all hope wasn't lost in the final minutes. After racking up four goals in the second half of last Sunday's win, the Revolution were intent on finding similar success after the interval.

In the 66th minute, Fagundez ran at the D.C. defense and found an opening before firing away on Bill Hamid, who did just enough to tip the shot over the bar. Moments later, Nguyen fed a pass to Tierney, who uncharacteristically incorporated a rare right-footed shot that hit the near post.

"It's definitely a collector's item when I get a shot off on the right," Tierney quipped. "Yeah, people start to overplay the left (foot) so you have to have a little something in the bag."

One last opportunity came in the 88th minute when Nguyen grabbed a pass from Andrew Farrell and tested Hamid, who rose to the challenge once more to give D.C. its first point in league action since May 19.

"We know as well as anyone how tough it can be when you're struggling like they are, and how desperate they were going to be," Tierney said. "We knew (that) and were prepared for the fact that it was going to be a difficult game, and it was."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Revolution (5-4-5, 20 points) extended their defensive shutout streak to 395 minutes, but failed to find the back of the net against D.C. United (1-10-3, 6 points) in a 0-0 draw at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.

Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth was called upon to make only one save to earn his seventh shutout of the season. United counterpart Bill Hamid stopped three shots to pick up his third shutout of the season.

With the draw, the Revolution extended their unbeaten streak to five (3-0-2) but saw their winning streak snapped at three. D.C. United earned their first point in league action since a 1-1 draw against Sporting Kansas City on May 19.

What it means: Less than a week after putting a five-spot on the defending champion Galaxy, the Revolution couldn't muster a single goal against the worst team in the league. Although there were chances to be had, the Revolution were ultimately undone by their inability to put together some of the same combination passing seen against the Galaxy last week. Diego Fagundez looked dangerous, but couldn't beat Bill Hamid on his 66th-minute shot. Saturday's game was the ultimate trap game for the Revolution, and unfortunately for the Foxborough faithful, the hosts fell right into it.

Stat of the game: After scoring in their last five games, the Revolution were blanked by an opponent. The last time they had a zero on the scoreboard came on May 2, when they were held to a scoreless draw by Portland at JELD-WEN Field.

Fagundez's scoring run ends: Fagundez, who had scored in the Revolution's previous four games, failed to find the back of the net against D.C.

Nyassi faces old mates: Former Revolution midfielder Sainey Nyassi, who signed with D.C. United on May 27, entered the game as a 70th-minute substitute for D.C. Nyassi spent nearly seven years with the Revolution (2007-2013) before the club waived him on May 16.

Next up: Before hitting the road for a June 15 clash against the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Revolution will host the New York Red Bulls at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday for a fourth-round U.S. Open Cup match at Harvard University's Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium in Cambridge, Mass.

To Revolution head coach Jay Heaps, last weekend’s 5-0 win over the defending champion Galaxy might as well have happened last year. Or last century, for that matter.

Sure, the coaching staff and players savored Sunday’s defining victory in the hours that followed it. And with good reason, of course.

But with D.C. United on tap for Saturday, the celebrations and back slapping that followed the Galaxy win are over. And they better be.

"That game is done,” Heaps told revolutionsoccer.net. “It was three points that we needed to get. We need to get these (three points against D.C.).”

Three points is not only the objective this weekend -- it’s the expectation. After all, D.C. comes into Foxborough with the worst record in the league (1-10-2, 5 points), the worst goal differential (-18) and sports an 11-game winless streak that stretches back to late-winter.

Even so, Heaps doesn’t believe that Saturday’s game will be a walk in the park for his team, which has knocked down its last three opponents in convincing fashion. Despite D.C.’s struggles, Heaps knows how dangerous they can be, and that their week-to-week struggles aren’t indicative of their quality.

“You don't look at the scoreline,” Heaps said in reference to what he’s seen of D.C. on tape. “You look at how they're moving, their movement off the ball, the shots created, the opportunities created (and) the opportunities given up. They're a very good team, and they have excellent players.”

Heaps has witnessed first-hand just how good those players -- players like Dwayne DeRosario, Chris Pontius and Nick DeLeon -- can be. Not only did many of the same players on this year’s roster help D.C. reach the Eastern Conference finals last November, but many of them also played major roles in sweeping the head-to-head regular season series (3-0-0) against the Revolution in 2012. And they did it by putting the ball in the back of the net -- often (seven goals in three games).

In light of that, the area of the field where the Revolution must be at their best is in the defending third. Although D.C. has only strung together six goals in 13 games, Revolution forward Juan Agudelo believes that his club’s best chance at beating them -- or any opponent, for that matter -- begins in the back.

"I think it's unbelievable what our defense has done this year,” Agudelo told revolutionsoccer.net. “They've kept us in the game. I feel like (when) they don’t concede any goals, it gives us a better chance of scoring goals, and that's helped us a lot."

For all that the top-ranked Revolution defense -- which has blanked its last three opponents and is currently riding a 305-minute shutout streak -- has accomplished in recent weeks, Revolution right back Andrew Farrell is quick share the credit across the field.

“It's not just the defense,” Farrell told revolutionsoccer.net, “You know, (it’s) the midfielders and forwards (too). Juan Agudelo is one of the better forward/midfielders who (also) defends, and we have guys who are just going to put in the work.”

And that’s exactly what Heaps is going to demand from his players on Saturday. He knows that a team as desperate as D.C. could be just as dangerous as the Galaxy, and that his club must resist any temptation to take it easy on Saturday.

“The standings don't matter for us, because to be honest with you, at any moment in this league, whether it’s four, five or six games down the road, everything changes,” Heaps said. “So for us, we know it's going to be a tough match all the way around."

On Saturday, the Revolution (5-4-4, 20 points) will look to bookend their week -- which began with Sunday's emphatic 5-0 win over the Galaxy -- with another victory when they host the basement-dwelling D.C. United (1-10-2, 5 points) at Gillette Stadium.

The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET, and will be televised regionally on Comcast SportsNet New England. 98.5 The Sports Hub will provide a radio broadcast to local listeners.

Saturday's game is the first of three games the longtime conference rivals will play during the regular season. On July 27, the Revolution will travel to Washington before the series with D.C. wraps up on Sept. 21 at Gillette Stadium.

Last year, D.C. swept the season series by going 3-0-0 against the Revolution.

REVS NOTES:

* Revolution forward Jerry Bengtson will be unavailable for Saturday's match after being called up by the Honduras National Team for World Cup Qualifying. Honduras faces Costa Rica on Friday in San Jose, Costa Rica; then heads home to host Jamaica in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on Tuesday.

* Diego Fagundez will aim to extend his scoring run when he steps onto the field at Gillette Stadium on Saturday. He has scored in his last four games, and a strike against D.C. would mark the longest Revolution goal-scoring run since Clint Dempsey scored in five straight between April 7 and May 9, 2005.

* Saturday's match concludes the Revolution's current three-game homestand, and it'll be nearly a month before the hosts their next home game -- July 6 clash with the San Jose Earthquakes.

* Despite starting only eight games this season, Revolution midfielder Kelyn Rowe earned a share of the league lead in assists (5) with Sporting Kansas City's Graham Zusi after adding two more to his total in Sunday's win over the Galaxy. Incidentally, Rowe has already matched his assist total from last season.

* They said it: "We are going to prepare for D.C. the same way we did for LA: the same intensity, the same detail, like I said it is another chance to take three (points). It is another stepping-stone going towards making the playoffs. We're aware of how desperate D.C. is going to be and we will be prepared for that." -- Revolution defender Chris Tierney following Sunday's shocking 5-0 win over the defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- If there were any doubts about the Revolution's offense going into their high-profile clash against the Galaxy, they were effectively put to rest when referee Fotis Bazakos chirped his whistle thrice on Sunday.

Granted, it wasn’t all that long ago when putting a shot on frame, let alone scoring, seemed like a tall task for the Revolution. Their first six games of the season yielded only two goals -- not to mention a pair of performances that failed to feature a single shot on target. And even though the offense had looked lively in recent weeks, some skepticism remained.

Then came Sunday’s 5-0 rout of the defending champions and a scoreline that signaled that the Revolution attack is, in fact, for real.

“We have so many good attacking players on this squad now,” Revolution defender Chris Tierney said after the game. “Bringing guys into the game late, that can change a game. Like Chad (Barrett) did and Kelyn Rowe, as well. The depth of this squad is such a bonus this year.”

While the acquisition of Juan Agudelo from Chivas USA in early May certainly bolstered the team’s attack, the truth is that the offense has finally come into its own now that its goalscorers are healthy.

Case in point: The return of Saer Sene. Although last year’s leading scorer earned his first minutes of the season back on April 13, it was evident in the weeks that followed that the French forward’s fitness wasn’t quite 100 percent after suffering a torn ACL last August.

But on Sunday, Sene was fit enough to get his first start since last summer and rewarded the coaching staff’s patience by scoring the opening goal -- his first of the season -- in the 33rd minute.

“We wanted to get him a start,” Revolution coach Jay Heaps said after Sunday’s game. “It was a conversation we had early in the year and he was coming back from injury. We circled a date to have a start and if it seemed rushed, it’s because we wanted to get him on field. I thought he did a nice job in the first half and obviously scored the goal.”

Sene wasn’t the only dinged-up striker who had to battle through an injury before grabbing his first goal of 2013.

Barrett, who was hampered by a left hamstring strain during the past two months, also made a triumphant return to the pitch on Sunday. In his first taste of league action since a March 23 start against Sporting K.C. (0-0), the ex-Galaxy forward delivered a strong dose of payback when he came on in the 88th minute to collect a 90+1 minute goal and an assist on Rowe’s 90+4 minute strike.

“There are so many players that can hurt you, especially coming on fresh like that,” Tierney said. “I am not surprised that we scored five.”

Although Agudelo didn’t factor in the scoring on Sunday, Heaps was quick to praise the talented 20-year-old’s efforts, which helped smooth over some of the rough edges in the second half.

“I thought Juan Agudelo had a heck of a night, just working hard and creating a lot of stuff,” Heaps said. “When we’re free flowing and can open a game up, as long as we have proper balance, we feel OK.”

Given the way the newly healthy duo of Sene and Barrett played on Sunday, it’s probably safe to say they feel more than OK.

Revs midfielder Diego Fagundez was voted Major League Soccer’s player of the week for Week 14 following his one-goal, two-assist effort in the Revolution’s 5-0 victory over the LA Galaxy on Sunday.

Fagundez, just 18 years old, has scored a goal in four straight games. He set up Saer Sene and Lee Nguyen for the game’s first two goals, before scoring his fifth goal of the season in the 87th minute.

Sunday was the first multiple-point game of Fagundez’s career, and his first career multiple-assist game. His four-game goals scoring streak is the Revs’ longest goal-scoring streak since 2005 when Clint Dempsey scored in five straight games between April 9 and May 7.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Revolution coach Jay Heaps was quick to pour cold water on any notion that Sunday's 5-0 thrashing of the Los Angeles Galaxy on national television was a statement game for his side.

Never mind that New England scored its most goals in an MLS game since September 2004. Or the fact that they did it against the back-to-back defending champions, who themselves came into Sunday's game fresh off a 4-0 trouncing of the Seattle Sounders.

No, none of that mattered to Heaps, who insisted that Sunday's win -- the Revolution's fifth of the season -- meant nothing more than any of their other four wins on the season.

"It's three points," Heaps said. "We're still in the middle of the pack trying to fight away. Every game is a grind for us."

Although the score may not suggest it, Sunday's game certainly was a grind for the Revolution in the early going.

In the first 25 minutes, the Revolution's possession rate hovered near 38 percent, and with the way the Galaxy were making regular forays into the final third, it seemed as if the guests were ready to put one past goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth.

"To be fair, I thought they were the better team in the first half," Revolution left back Chris Tierney said. "They created more chances, but we weathered the storm, which is what you have to do sometimes and Bobby kept us in the game with some big saves."

But just when it looked like the Revolution defense -- which last conceded a goal on May 11 -- was about to buckle, the attack turned the table on the defending champions.

In the 33rd minute, Andrew Farrell played it forward to Saer Sene, who then looked for a teammate to stretch the Galaxy defense. He found Diego Fagundez in the middle, and sent him a quick pass that Fagundez immediately returned to Sene, who ran onto it and sent it past Carlo Cudicini.

"[Fagundez] was putting the ball exactly where he wanted," Heaps said. "That touch to Saer was one of the best touches of the game."

Fagundez, who entered the match on fire with three goals in his past three, would go on to steer the attack in the second half, as the Revolution hit the jackpot in the waning moments.

With the game far from decided as late as the 71st minute, an alert Fagundez caught the Galaxy napping on defense following a curious sequence in which a foul was called differently by two different officials. But instead of waiting for the confusion to clear, Fagundez played it forward on a quick restart to Lee Nguyen, who casually slipped it past Cudicini for the second goal.

"It was weird because the linesman called it a throw-in for [the Galaxy] and the referee called it a foul," Fagundez said. "So as soon as he called it a foul, I got the ball, put it [down] and played it [to] Lee, and Lee just did it on his own and scored."

A two-goal victory against the defending champions would've been impressive for a middle-of-the-pack team like the Revolution. A team that hadn't seen much success in recent years would've relished that kind of result. But the team that played in front of a season-high 19,120 home supporters on Sunday clearly wasn't satisfied with only two goals. Not even close.

In the waning moments, the Revolution unleashed a furious display of offense that saw Fagundez (87'), Chad Barrett (90+1) and Kelyn Rowe (90+4) all pad the lead to hand the champions their worst defeat of the season -- a defeat that had the Galaxy scratching their heads trying to figure out what had just happened to them.

The Revolution, for their part, knew what they did to humble the Galaxy.

"We just made enough plays when it came down to it," Tierney said. "We obviously found our feet a little in the second half and the guys up top did a great job and we kept another clean sheet in the back, which is always a priority."

A statement game? Don't tell that to Heaps.

"We're still grinding," Heaps said. "We just got [above] .500, we have five wins now, and it's important for us to use this as a learning experience."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Diego Fagundez extended his goal-scoring streak to four and helped lead the Revolution to a convincing 5-0 win over the defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.

Fagundez tallied his team-leading fifth goal of the season in the 87th minute, and assisted on Saer Sene's 33rd minute goal. Lee Nguyen scored his second goal of the season in the 71st minute, while Chad Barrett notched his first goal of the season in 90+1 minute. Kelyn Rowe capped the scoring in the 90+4 minute.

Bobby Shuttleworth made six saves to earn his third straight clean sheet, and his sixth on the season.

With the win, the Revolution extended their unbeaten streak to four (3-0-1) and improved their record to 5-4-4 (19 points). The Galaxy fell to 6-5-2 (20 points).

What it means: Sunday's five-goal thrashing over the defending champions put to rest any questions about whether the Revolution's recent run of success was a fluke. After a tentative first 25 minutes, the Revolution put together their most complete performance of the season. Not only did the Revolution rack up a season-high five goals, but their defense quietly shut down a Galaxy attack that neutralized Landon Donovan in the final third. Sunday's performance was nothing short of a statement game --- and that statement was that these Revolution are for real.

Stat of the game: Sunday's performance marked the second straight game in all competitions in which the Revolution scored five goals. The Revolution claimed a 5-1 U.S. Open Cup win over the Rochester Rhinos (USL-PRO) last Tuesday.

Another game, another shutout: Sunday's 5-0 win extended the Revolution's shutout streak to 306 minutes. The last goal the Revolution defense conceded came from a 55th minute Lloyd Sam strike in a 1-1 draw against the Red Bulls on May 11.


Next up: The Revolution will look to go a perfect three-for-three on the homestand when they host D.C. United on Jun. 8. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Playing the defending champions is never an easy task, but that’s the challenge the New England Revolution (4-4-4, 16 points) face this weekend with the Los Angeles Galaxy (6-4-2, 20 points) in town for a nationally-televised match.

Even though the back-to-back MLS champions (2011 and 2012) enter Sunday’s game only one point clear of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, Revolution defender Chris Tierney is well aware of the threats the Galaxy pose every week.

“They have players who are dangerous and have a lot of pace,” Tierney said after Saturday’s training session. “You look at a lot of the film on them, and it can only take 10 seconds for them to hit you 80 yards and score on the counterattack.”

Last week, the Galaxy showed off their attacking prowess in a 4-0 thumping over the Sounders last Sunday at The Home Depot Center. All four goals were scored before halftime in a game that served to remind the rest of the league that the defending champions could indeed flip the switch at a moment’s notice.

One Revolution player who knows first-hand how quickly the Galaxy can punish an opponent is striker Chad Barrett, who spent portions of the last two seasons in Los Angeles with the repeat league winners.

Although some may see the smooth runs and passes put together by Landon Donovan, the ball-winning abilities of Omar Gonzalez or the savvy scoring touch of Robbie Keane and believe the Galaxy succeed on talent alone, Barrett counters that notion with a concept that few people give Bruce Arena’s club credit for.

“They just work hard for each other,” Barrett said after Saturday’s training session. “It’s a blue-collar (type) of team. They’re just going to come in here and run their (hearts) out.”

And that’s precisely what the Galaxy will have to do especially well against the Revolution, as Gonzalez (United States) and Keane (Republic of Ireland) are both away on international duty for their respective countries.

But those absences won’t affect the way the Revolution approach Sunday’s contest. As Barrett tells it, the key to keeping pace with the champions, with or without two of their best players, is to treat them like any other opponent.

“You kind of have to take the game to them,” Barrett said. “You have to show them respect, but you can’t (shy) away from them. You have to match their intensity and effort, which I know we’re capable of doing.”

New England, which is unbeaten in its last three (2-0-1), has done well to exhibit its intensity and effort in recent weeks, which makes this weekend “a good time to play the Galaxy,” according to Barrett.

However, Tierney isn’t about to be tricked into thinking that his club has the upper hand this week. The game may be at home, and the Galaxy may not be at full strength, but the veteran defender says that he and his teammates are looking at Sunday’s clash no differently than they have since the start of the season.

“We’re still a team that’s trying to prove ourselves,” Tierney said. “We’re not satisfied with the wins that we’ve had so far, so it’s business as usual.”