BY OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT in Foxborough
CARLES GIL proved he is still the King of New England as he marked a historic double-milestone with the winning strike to sink Columbus Crew.
In a match that looked to be slipping away from the Revolution, the Spanish maestro stepped up in the 85th minute to blast home a penalty, securing a 2-1 comeback victory and etching his name further into the MLS record books.
On his 200th appearance, Gil became only the second player in club history to record 50 goals and 50 assists, joining the legendary Lee Nguyen. It was a fitting end to a night that began with the Revs under the cosh.
The visitors from Ohio had threatened to spoil the party early on. Max Arfsten silenced the Foxborough faithful in the 25th minute, finishing off a slick move involving Diego Rossi and Daniel Gazdag to give the Crew a deserved lead.
But the Revolution found a new gear after the interval. The star of the show’s supporting cast, Luca Langoni, provided the spark. The Argentine winger, who now sits second in the MLS assist charts, whipped in a pinpoint delivery in the 54th minute for Dor Turgeman.
The young forward made no mistake, meeting the cross with a diving header that flew past Patrick Schulte to level the scores and ignite the Gillette Stadium crowd.
As the clock ticked toward a stalemate, Turgeman turned from scorer to provider—of sorts. The striker was hauled down in the area by Rudy Camacho, leaving referee Tim Ford with no choice but to point to the spot.
Up stepped Gil. With the weight of 200 games and a mounting home win streak on his shoulders, the captain remained ice-cool, slotting the ball home to maintain New England’s perfect home record under new boss Marko Mitrović.
While the Revs continue to struggle on the road, their home turf remains a fortress—thanks in no small part to their evergreen Spanish talisman.
