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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.”

Kelyn Rowe scored twice in the New England Revolution’s 5-1 win over the Rochester Rhinos (USL-PRO) in Tuesday’s rainy third-round U.S. Open Cup tilt at Sahlen’s Stadium.

Rowe scored in the 23rd and 64th minutes and assisted on Andy Dorman’s 53rd-minute strike. Jerry Bengtson etched his name on the score sheet in the 54th minute while Kendall McFayden brought one back for the Rhinos in the 77th minute. Chad Barrett’s 81st-minute strike reclaimed the Revolution’s four-goal cushion for good.

Shortly after Dorman’s goal, the game was halted for approximately 45 minutes after lightning was spotted in the vicinity of the stadium.

Revolution keeper Matt Reis earned his first start since March 23 and recorded his first win since a season-opening 1-0 victory over Chicago on March 9.

McFayden was issued a red card in stoppage time for a hard challenge on Gabe Latigue near the Revolution box.

With the victory, the Revolution will host the winner of Wednesday’s New York Red Bulls-Reading United (PDL) third-round match on June 12 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.

What it means: Nearly a year to the date after the Harrisburg City Islanders bounced them out of last year’s tournament in embarrassing fashion, the Revolution returned to Open Cup action with a vengeance. Coach Jay Heaps used a slew of veterans and saw his club dominate a depleted Rhinos squad that had only 13 healthy players at its disposal. Even with a four-goal lead and the result in hand, Heaps could be heard barking instructions and imploring his players to get the ball forward. Simply put, the Revolution did well to put last year’s early elimination in the rearview mirror.

Stat of the game: The five goals scored by the Revolution were the most they’ve scored in Open Cup play since a 7-1 third-round victory over the Mid-Michigan Bucks (PDL) on June 27, 2001 at Foxboro Stadium.

Imbongo injured: Dimitry Imbongo suffered a left leg injury just after the half-hour mark when he was tackled near the right touchline. Although Imbongo was able to walk back to the bench on his own, Heaps saw no need to have his striker risk further injury and took him off for Tyler Polak in the 33rd minute.

Familiar foes: Tuesday’s clash marked the fifth time the Revolution and Rhinos have met in Open Cup play. With the 5-1 win, the Revolution remained unbeaten in the all-time series (3-0-2).

Sene starts: Saer Sene, who scored a team-best 11 goals for the Revolution last year, went 45 minutes in his first start since suffering an ACL injury last August. Prior to Tuesday, Sene had made seven appearances off the bench in 2013, and most recently assisted on Juan Agudelo’s stoppage-time goal in Sunday’s 2-0 win against Toronto FC.

Latigue, Polak featured for Revs: Latigue and Polak, both of whom were recalled from Rochester on Monday, played against the club they’ve spent the past two months with. Latigue got the start at right back, while Polak came on for Imbongo in the 33rd minute.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Some MLS coaches dread any forum that forces them to stretch their roster or shuffle their lineup. Jay Heaps is not one of them.

With Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup tilt against the Rochester Rhinos (USL-PRO) at Sahlen’s Stadium coming less than 72 hours after his club’s 2-0 win over Toronto, the Revolution coach welcomes the chance to give some of his reserve players some well-deserved minutes.

“You test your depth, you test your roster,” Heaps told revolutionsoccer.net on Sunday. “For me, it actually comes at a good time because we’re talking about all those players who are chomping for opportunities. Nothing says an opportunity like an Open Cup game and a chance to play against a pretty good team in Rochester.”

Heaps is being kind by categorizing the Rhinos -- whom the Revolution formed an affiliation with prior to the season -- as a “pretty good team.” The USL-PRO standings suggest otherwise.

Through their first nine games, the Rhinos are 1-6-2 (5 points) and have struggled on both ends of the pitch. Their poor form out of the gate cost Jesse Myers his head coaching job earlier this month, and general manager Pat Ercoli has stepped in to fill the spot.

What’s worse, the Revolution recalled two of their four loan players (Gabe Latigue and Tyler Polak) from Rochester for Tuesday’s tilt, leaving the Rhinos in a bit of a personnel predicament.

“We're looking at possibly only having 13 players available for Tuesday night,” Ercoli told rhinossoccer.com on Monday. “We have players that we are looking to bring in to fill out our roster, but playing the game the day after Memorial Day is complicating the process. We're going to do our best to sign players for the match, and then wait for a decision from U.S. Soccer in the morning.”

As if the cards weren’t stacked against the Rhinos enough, the Revolution have a slew of healthy veterans ready to go in Rochester.

“If you look at the guys that didn’t play (Saturday) that we have, we’re going after it,” Heaps said following Saturday’s game. “We’re just going through it, going through injuries, but A.J. (Soares) is ready to go. Darrius Barnes didn’t play (Saturday) and Darrius has played excellent for us. Kalifa (Cisse), (Andy) Dorman, Chad Barrett, Dimitry (Imbongo) -- the way we feel about Tuesday, with the game on a Tuesday with the following game on a Sunday, we’re going … there to win.”

It may seem like the Rhinos stand little chance against their MLS nemesis, that the odds of a USL-PRO side beating an MLS side aren’t all that great. But recent history has shown that success in this historic tournament -- which is celebrating its centennial this year -- is far from guaranteed for the Revolution.

Last year, New England fought through a scoreless 90 minutes against the Harrisburg City Islanders, then scored three quick goals in overtime. But the City Islanders promptly responded with three of their own to send it penalties, where they bested the Revolution in a shocking third round victory.

Tuesday’s tournament game will be a test for the Revolution, without a doubt. A test that Heaps hopes his squad passes this time around.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- One of the biggest reasons why the Revolution have managed to reel off back-to-back wins for the first time this season can be summed up in two words: Diego Fagundez.

On Saturday, the 18-year-old midfielder scored his third goal in as many games to lift his club to a 2-0 win over Toronto FC. He leads the club with four goals on the season.

Not bad for a guy who wasn't even considered a regular starter about a month ago.

"Getting those extra minutes in and getting confident in the game (has helped)," Fagundez said after Saturday's game. "Then, just going out there, trying to help out the team and being in the right spots."

No question Fagundez has been getting into the right spots during the last three weeks. Whether it's sneaking to the near post on a corner kick, running onto a ball and bursting through the backline, or volleying a deep cross -- as he did on Saturday -- Fagundez is finding a variety of ways to stamp his name on the scoresheet.

The manner in which the Revolution's original Homegrown Player has found the back of the net hasn't been an accident, especially with the club's improved form going forward.

In recent weeks, Revolution head coach Jay Heaps has tinkered his offense to get the most out of dynamic players like Fagundez, who's never been shy to take on a defender or make a late run into the area. So far, the tweaking has done wonders to put Fagundez in dangerous positions.

"The way we've been playing right now is very fluid in the offense," Heaps said. "We're pushing where Diego is. It's a little bit wider and he has a little bit more freedom and so he's getting good in matchups and he's an intuitive player as well."

That intuition served him well on Saturday. In a game that could've deteriorated into a sluggish effort given the rainy conditions and a struggling opponent that would've been happy to salvage a draw, Fagundez made a keen far post run and punched a long cross from Chris Tierney past Toronto keeper Joseph Bendik in the 23rd minute for what proved to be the game winner.

"I wasn't trying to pick out Diego or anything," Tierney said. "I was just trying to put it in a good area ... what a finish on his part. Great side-foot finish."

But the teenager wasn't about to punch the clock after his masterpiece. Instead, he continued to make dangerous runs into the final third, and put additional pressure on the Toronto backline by switching sides with fellow midfielder Juan Agudelo, a certain freedom that Heaps might not have given him a few weeks ago.

"I actually like that a lot because you don't have just one side just to stay on the whole game," Fagundez said. "If you play 90 against just one defender, he knows what you're doing, so you just switch it up and they get confused."

Most teenage attacking players would be content to devote all their energies on the offensive end and put their defensive chores on the backburner. But Heaps is quick to point out that Fagundez has actually done well to track back and aid the defense.

"He's becoming a complete player," Heaps said. "You see him forward and back doing both things, and the better he is defensively, the more he does offensively."

Eventually, the rest of the league will catch on to what Fagundez has been doing during the past three weeks. He knows that his torrid form won't last forever, and he understands he'll have to put in more work each week to find scoring chances.

"It's going to get harder and harder," Fagundez said. "But I just have just to (find) those chances and just get into the right spots at the right time and go forward from there."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The hot hand of Diego Fagundez carried the Revolution (4-4-4, 16 points) to a 2-0 victory over Toronto FC (1-7-4, 7 points) at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.

Fagundez scored in his third straight game when he volleyed a Chris Tierney cross through in the 23rd minute, while Juan Agudelo scored in his second straight in the 90+3 minute. Revolution keeper Bobby Shuttleworth made a pair of saves to pick up his second straight clean sheet.

With the win, the Revolution secured their second straight win and are unbeaten in their last three (2-0-1). For Toronto, Saturday's loss extended their losing streak to five, and pushed their winless streak to 10 (0-6-4).

What it means: Riding the high of last week's 2-0 win in Houston, the Revolution went into Saturday's game against Toronto with a visible swagger. Fagundez wasted little time putting the attack on his shoulders again when he scored on a beautiful volley midway through the first half. Although Toronto found opportunities to equalize in the latter stages, Agudelo's stoppage-time strike ensured that there would be no post-Houston hangover in front of the home crowd. With their next two at home, it was the kind of win that could set the tone for the rest of the homestand, and even beyond.

Stat of the game: The 23rd-minute goal from Fagundez marked the first time the Revolution scored in the first half this season. Incidentally, the last time the Revolution racked up a first-half goal came from a 17th-minute strike from Fagundez in a 1-0 win over Chicago on Oct. 20, 2012.

Defense comes through again: For the second straight game, the Revolution back four kept their opponents off the board. Through its first 12 games, the Revolution have posted seven shutouts.

Bengtson's back: After getting dropped from the starting lineup for the last two games, striker Jerry Bengtson returned to the starting lineup against Toronto. In 72 minutes of action, the Honduran struggled to find chances, and didn't register a single shot.

Nguyen hits the wo0dwork ... again: For the second straight game, Lee Nguyen came within inches of scoring his second goal of the season. In the 61st minute, he raced toward Toronto's net and blasted a 25-yard shot that pounded the crossbar and dove into the turf before it strayed away. Last week, Nguyen hit the post in the 71st minute.

Next up: The Revolution will get set for game two of a three-game homestand when they host the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, June 2 at 4 p.m.

If there’s one thing that Revolution head coach Jay Heaps is paying particular attention to ahead of Saturday’s match against Toronto FC, it’s his team’s attitude out on the training pitch and in the workout room.

Last week, the Revolution parlayed their hard work behind the scenes into a 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium.

"It was a good week leading up to that (win),” Heaps told the media on Wednesday. “We went in there with confidence, and it's important for us to use the positives."

One of the positives that sprang from their surprising win in Houston was a lively attack, which punctured the Dynamo’s backline for two goals -- the most the Revs have collected on the road this season.

It’s no secret that Heaps wants to see more of that same attacking soccer on Saturday, and there’s no denying that newly-acquired Juan Agudelo, who’s expected to make his home debut on Saturday, will be counted upon to spear the offense.

“He shows that he can hold the ball,” Heaps said of his 20-year-old forward, who joined the team via trade from Chivas USA earlier this month. “He can play in the channels, he can play back to goal, or facing up. He's just a pretty dynamic player, and we're excited to have him."

While the attack received the bulk of the praise for last week’s win, the defense also played an important role in preserving the rare road victory.

The win gave the Revolution defense its sixth shutout of the season, a remarkable stat considering the recent rash of injuries that have hit the back four.

According to center back Jose Goncalves, the lone defender who hasn’t missed a game this season, it all starts with the same competitive spirit that Heaps demands from his players out on the training pitch.

"I think (it’s) because everyone is very focused,” Goncalves told the media on Wednesday. “So, if someone gets a red card or injured, then the next one steps in. (This week), it will be pretty (much) the same because everyone is focused and everyone has the hunger to play."

It’ll be interesting to see how hungry the Revolution are come Saturday. Unlike last week, the team isn't up against a wall on the road facing one of the best teams in the league. Rather, it's hosting a downtrodden Toronto side that hasn’t sniffed a win since its shocking 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City on March 9.

Incidentally, the last time Toronto came to town was right after the Revolution reeled off a morale-boosting 2-0 win over New York on July 8, 2012. But an early Luis Silva goal led the Revolution to a 1-0 loss, setting in motion a club-record 10-game winless streak that essentially ended their playoff hopes.

Clearly, the Revolution would like to avoid any such hangover with Toronto back in town.

“Saturday will be a very important game,” Goncalves said. “We must make sure we perform with the same attitude that we went with on the pitch in Houston."

Coming off their biggest win of the season in Houston, the Revolution (3-4-4, 13 points) begin a three-game homestand that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday against ninth-place Toronto FC (1-6-4, 7 points).

Comcast Sports Net New England will televise the match, while The Sports Hub 98.5 HD2 will carry the game over the radio airwaves.

Saturday's match marks the first of three games (Aug. 4 in Foxborough, Aug. 30 at Toronto) between the conference foes during the regular season.

Toronto claimed its first victory at Gillette Stadium in seven tries last season when Danny Koevermans scored a sixth-minute goal en route to a 1-0 win on July 14. Former Revs assistant coach Paul Mariner was Toronto's head coach at the time of the win.

REVS NOTES:

* Saturday's game is expected to mark the home debut of recently acquired forward Juan Agudelo. Last week, Agudelo, who had been shelved for a month with a hamstring injury, made his Revolution debut and helped pressure the Dynamo backline into an 84th-minute own goal.

* The Revolution won't have much time to rest following Saturday's match, as they're set to hit the road for a U.S. Open Cup third-round tilt against USL-PRO affiliate Rochester Rhinos on Tuesday. The game will be played at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, and will kick off at 7:35 p.m.

* Rochester punched its ticket to next week's Cup game by beating GPS Portland Phoenix 1-0 on Tuesday. Revolution loan player Bilal Duckett scored the lone goal of the game in the 65th minute, while ex-Revolution striker Blake Brettschneider started as one of the Rhinos' two forwards. Because Duckett played in Tuesday's game for the Rhinos, the Revolution cannot call him into action for next week's Cup game.

* After head-butting Revolution striker Dimitry Imbongo in the 39th minute of last weekend's match at BBVA Compass Stadium, Dynamo defender Bobby Boswell was fined and suspended for a total of two games by the MLS disciplinary committee. Boswell, who received an automatic one-game suspension for the red card he was issued for the infraction, will miss Saturday's game at Sporting Kansas City and a June 1 game at Columbus.

* Center back AJ Soares, who's missed the Revolution's last five games since suffering a right hamstring injury against the Red Bulls on April 20, participated in full training on Tuesday. Stephen McCarthy, who was voted by the media as the team's defender of the year last season, filled in for Soares during his absence, and helped the defense post three shutouts.

He may not have scribbled his name on the scoresheet during his club’s surprising 2-0 win over the Dynamo on Saturday, but that didn’t stop new Revolution striker Juan Agudelo from making a favorable first impression.

Agudelo, who arrived in a trade from Chivas USA on May 7, flourished in his Revolution debut to point the club towards a convincing road victory at BBVA Compass Stadium.

“It was awesome, getting to know the guys, playing with the guys,” Agudelo told the media after Saturday’s game. “It’s awesome playing in front of a guy like Lee [Nguyen]. I was just receiving and getting great balls.”

Although his introduction had been hastened by Ryan Guy’s calf injury just after the half-hour mark, Agudelo, who entered the game in the 35th minute, was ready to do whatever he could to get the Revolution on the board.

Initially, Agudelo was stationed behind forward Dimitry Imbongo in a 4-4-2 formation, a role that required him to provide support to the second-year striker. But when Imbongo was issued a straight red card in the 40th minute, the talented 20-year-old was quickly called upon to spear the attack himself.

“When [Imbongo] goes off, Juan is such a versatile player that we just shifted him further up top, we were able to move Juan Toja wide,” Revolution head coach Jay Heaps told the media after the game. “For us, we didn’t have to maneuver as much as they did by taking Ricardo Clark out of the midfield.”

As the game progressed, Agudelo’s attacking instincts became even more evident. In the 51st minute, he, Clyde Simms and Diego Fagundez worked a dazzling passing sequence that helped set up Fagundez for the opening goal.

“It all started with Juan,” Fagundez told the media after Saturday’s game. “Juan got the ball wide and then he gave it to me. I gave it back to Lee and he gave it back to me and I just saw Clyde on the top of the eighteen so I gave him a pass. I followed through it and then he did a beautiful lay-off where I could just touch it around the defender and get a goal.”

But Agudelo was far from calling it a night at that point. Even though he was coming off a hamstring injury that had shelved him for the past month, the new Revolution striker remained relentless in the waning stages and nearly capped his debut with a goal.

On a counterattack in the 84th minute, Agudelo grabbed a pass from Lee Nguyen, then backheeled it wide to an unmarked Chris Tierney. Although Tally Hall denied Tierney’s shot, the rebound was was up for grabs after Adam Moffat tipped it up. Agudelo positioned himself well to bring it down, then pushed the ball off of Clark before it fell into the Dynamo net for what was ruled an own goal.

“I saw that the defender wasn’t really looking at me,” Agudelo said. “So I just put my body in the way and tried to get anything that I could on it and put it toward the net.”

Agudelo’s effort not only gave the Revolution a welcome cushion before the final whistle, but it also won him praise from his head coach.

“I thought Juan was great,” Heaps said. “I thought Juan did a nice job of holding the ball. He was getting grabbed and pulled and pushed and he didn’t lose his focus and held on for some good plays. Not only that, but he kept it for us in some really tight spots, difficult areas.”

For the second straight week, Diego Fagundez scored the opening goal, but this time it proved to be the game-winner as the New England Revolution staked a surprising 2-0 win over the second-place Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday night.

Fagundez, who scored last week vs. New York, struck in the 51st minute while Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth stopped a trio of shots to lead the guests to their second road win of the season. An 84th-minute own goal from Dynamo defender Ricardo Clark padded the New England lead.

Both teams finished with 10 men after Bobby Boswell and Dimitry Imbongo were shown red cards in the 40th minute for their roles in a dust-up inside the Houston 18.

The Revolution win snapped a three-game winless streak (0-1-2) and improved the team's record to 3-4-4 (13 points). Meanwhile, the Dynamo, whose record unbeaten run at home ended at 36 games last week, dropped its second straight at BBVA Compass Stadium and sports a record of 6-4-2 (20 points).

What it means: Revolution coach Jay Heaps spent much of this week publicly downplaying the end of the Dynamo’s historic home unbeaten streak last week. But it’s clear that the Revolution smelled blood the moment they stepped onto the pitch at BBVA Compass Stadium. While the Dynamo played like a club that was still shell-shocked from last week’s 1-0 defeat to Sporting Kansas City, the Revolution played with inspiration and determination throughout. The convincing win will certainly serve as a morale boost, and it’ll be interesting to see whether it becomes a turning point after a disappointing and, at times, frustrating first 10 games of the season.

Stat of the game: Houston outshot New England 20 to 10 on the evening, and on that stat alone, it may have seemed like the hosts were the ones in firm command. But the fact was the chances the Dynamo uncovered weren’t of the highest quality, making it easier for the Revolution to see out the victory.

Agudelo makes his debut: Recent acquisition Juan Agudelo, who arrived via trade from Chivas USA on May 5, made his Revolution debut in the 35th minute when he came on for an injured Ryan Guy. His pressure on defender Ricardo Clark near the Houston net led to the own goal that essentially sealed the game late.

Seeing red for the first time: Imbongo’s 40th-minute red card marked the first time a Revolution player was ejected from a game this season. The Revolution picked up only three red cards last season, one of which was later rescinded by the league’s disciplinary committee.

Bengston remains on the bench: For the second straight week, designated player Jerry Bengtson was left off the starting lineup, as Imbongo got his second straight start up top. But unlike last week, Bengtson didn’t get the opportunity to come on as a substitute with the Revolution protecting their lead late.

Next up: The Revolution return to Gillette Stadium for a three-game homestand that kicks off on May 25 when they host Toronto FC. The game starts at 7:30 p.m.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In a sense, the Revolution couldn’t have picked a better time than this weekend to go down to Houston to face the Dynamo.

Last week, the Dynamo saw their historic unbeaten run at home come to a crashing halt at 36 straight after they fell 1-0 to Sporting Kansas City at BBVA Compass Stadium. It marked the first home loss for the defending conference champions since June 2011.

But even though the Dynamo (6-3-2, 20 points) are by no means a team on the skids, the possibility exists that the fallout from the surprising loss could carry over into Saturday’s contest against the Revolution.

“We're hoping that it does have some effect,” Revolution midfielder Ryan Guy said. “I think we'd like to continue that snap and hopefully they have a run of difficult form at home just like we're having at home. We want to take advantage of anything we can at this point."

Although Houston may be licking their wounds from last week’s disappointing loss -- one which saw them miss on a slew of opportunities to score late -- it’s been anything but a disappointing season for the second place squad.

Prior to last weekend, they reeled off a five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2), and sit only one point behind New York, even with two games in hand.

New England (2-4-4, 10 points) currently sits in the seventh spot, largely due its anemic offense, which only produced two goals in its first five games.

Designated player Jerry Bengtson hasn’t scored since the season opener, and there’s no question his confidence has eroded in recent weeks.

"I think he's pressing a little bit,” Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said. “There's difference between pressing and trying to work your way out of it. He's putting in effort -- it's just a matter of the decision making. And when you press, you don't make the right decisions.”

Despite Bengston’s struggles, the pieces have slowly started to fall into place for Heaps’ side in their last five. They’ve their tripled their goal total, and the attacking chances that once evaded them are finally arriving.

“I feel like we're coming together as a group now,” Heaps said. “It's a process. It's unfortunate that we're not taking our chances as well as I would like. We're creating more, but we have to be more clinical on those chances. And you know how it is: the more chances you get, the more goals you get.”

The Revolution figure to get more chances with the addition of Juan Agudelo. The 20-year-old forward, who has spent the past month recovering from a hamstring injury, appears to be ready to make his Revolution debut after participating in full training this week.

“He's obviously also got some skill,” Guy said. “(Now) it's just about getting him to gel with the guys, getting his personality involved and in the mix.”

Getting Agudelo on board with his new teammates will be crucial against the Dynamo. The Revolution have leaned heavily on their defense in the early going, and Guy mentioned that it’s about time the offense held up their end of the bargain.

“We do feel the pressure, as the attacking force, to make up for what our defense is doing really well," Guy said. “I was talking to a couple of guys on the team and the (phrase) we use is ‘when it clicks.’ I think we're just one, maybe two, clicks away from getting it just right."

The attack will need to get it just right to put Houston on its heels. Against a side as strong as the Dynamo, the Revolution can’t afford any wasted chances in front of the net.

“I think that Houston, no matter what the situation is, is a tough team,” Heaps said. “You have to go in there with a tight game plan and great energy. You have to make sure that you don't just take it on the chin from those guys, because they'll punish you.”