High Risk, High Reward

Three quality points as the handbrake begins to loosen.

*Photo credit to Al Sermeno/Getty Images.*

In a much-needed victory, the Portland Timbers defeated Caleb Porter's New England Revolution 2-1 at Providence Park. Since leaving the Timbers at the end of 2017, Porter remains winless against his former club.

Recap

Portland began this game in a back three that shifted into a back five out of possession. This structure allowed the Timbers to retain defensive solidity while keeping their width in the attack. Through the first 20 minutes, each team tried to pick and choose their moments to attack, but the Timbers remained in control. Then, in the 20th minute, Portland embarked on their best team goal of the season.

I'll break it down in full later, but the ball was worked through the middle of the pitch and led to a Santiago Moreno cross from the right side of the box. David Da Costa heroically rose above a mass of white shirts but couldn't get on the end of it. No problem. Ian Smith was at the back post and volleyed it past Aljaz Ivacic for a 1-0 lead.

After taking the lead, Portland remained in control and were pushing for a second. A David Da Costa ground cross in the 34th should have led to that second goal, but Kevin Kelsy's attempt to strike the ball didn't result in any contact. So New England got on the ball, and Carles Gil found Luca Langoni on the right side with a wonderful diagonal ball over the top. This put Langoni in a 1v1 opportunity with Kamal Miller, and the young Argentine won that battle before firing his shot past Maxime Crepeau. 1-1, 35th minute. The Revolution nearly took the lead two minutes later but Leo Campana sent his golden opportunity into the North End. Halftime arrived with a tie game and each team believing that they could find the winner in the second half.

New England started the second half as the better team, which forced the Timbers to defend their own box. But the introduction of Gage Guerra in place of Kamal Miller on the hour mark changed the game. Back in their familiar 4-2-3-1, the Portland Timbers went on the attack. In the 67th minute, Moreno's corner kick was cleared and recycled to Finn Surman. The center back put in a quality cross to Guerra, but Matt Polster made an equally impressive tackle to win the ball and send New England on the counter. Langoni was suddenly rushing at goal, and Surman erased the threat with a perfect last-man tackle. Portland's pressure continued, and repeated miscommunications with Kelsy stood out as the Timbers searched for a go-ahead goal. That goal finally came in the 72nd minute, when Diego Chara recycled the ball to Da Costa in the left channel. After creating some space, Portuguese Dave shot from outside the box towards the far post. The smallest deflection took it past Ivacic, and the Timbers had the lead back. Portland tried to progressively kill the game off, and the final whistle felt like music to their ears. Their home unbeaten streak has increased to 10, and they defeated two (three) familiar faces in the process.

Tangible Threat

Throughout this game, the Timbers were in control. However, a team can control the game while also failing to threaten the opposition box. Portland did both yesterday, and they did it in a way that they haven’t been doing all year.

This map, courtesy of @mlsstat.bsky.social, shows how legitimate Portland’s attacking threat was in this game. You want to know why the Timbers were so good at getting into New England’s box? Besides the obvious caveat of a relatively tame New England press?

I was skeptical about how playing with dual 10s would work out. But so many of these box entries came from the channels. Those were the spaces occupied by Da Costa and Moreno throughout the game. Even when Neville switched to a back four, the dual 10s remained.

Smith tucked inside with Zuparic and Surman to form a de-facto back three. During the pre-match press conference on Thursday, Neville spoke about how basically every team in the league uses some sort of back three now. This has been Portland’s version in 2025, and it always involves the left back inverting towards the center of the defensive line. Mosquera is always given the freedom to get forward if necessary on the right, particularly in buildup. Ortiz stayed higher than Ayala in buildup because the Timbers weren’t afraid to try the long ball today. (Spoiler alert: I really liked the variety of ways that the Timbers attacked in this game.) But the real magic occurred in the attacking midfield positions.

Last week, Da Costa and Moreno spent the second half as dual 10s playing underneath Kelsy and Felipe Mora. It didn’t work in the slightest because the Timbers utterly failed to get them the ball. But tonight, with a relative lack of pressure from New England, Da Costa and Moreno found the game early and often. The key to the puzzle was Gage Guerra, who acted as a field stretcher.

By keeping New England’s right side (eventually left; Moreno and Guerra eventually swapped flanks at some point during the second half) focused on the space that was behind them, Portland was able to exploit the space in front of the backline. This is what the Timbers have been missing without a healthy Jonathan Rodriguez. Yeah, they’re missing goals, but having the threat of getting in behind kept defenses on their toes and opened a ton of space for Evander and Portland’s other attackers last season. If anything else, the mere threat of Rodriguez opened space for the Timbers’ attack. Antony, despite being a speed demon, doesn’t offer that kind of threat in possession as much as he could. The Brazilian likes the ball passed into his feet during buildup phases but unleashes his speed and acceleration during transitions. Guerra, while playing in only his second MLS game, provided an impact equal to Jonathan Rodriguez. It isn’t always about the goals. And immense credit goes to Phil Neville for figuring it out.

However, the biggest question immediately relates to consistency. Can the Timbers keep running their attack like this? I’ve been begging for them to find the other club in the bag for a while now, and those complaints hit a peak after last weekend’s loss in Toronto. Before the game, Aljaz Ivacic said that the Timbers are more dangerous without the ball than with it. I wonder what he thinks about this next play.

The highlight package begins with Santiago Moreno receiving the ball in the middle of the pitch after a flick from Kevin Kelsy. At first, it seems like Joao Ortiz and David Da Costa are occupying the same space. Moreno is definitely going to pass it to one of them.

After a couple quick touches, Moreno passes it backward to Ortiz. This ends up being the correct choice. Alhassan Yusuf has squared up against the Ecuadorian, but the main focus belongs on Matt Polster; his midfield partner. Da Costa has subtly slid out to occupy the space Moreno just vacated. Moreno continues his run and instantly forces Polster to make a choice: which midfielder does he cover. In the space of one second, the Timbers have created a potentially massive attacking opportunity. But they have to get a lot of things right first.

Ortiz’s decision is to take a couple touches and roll the ball backwards (NOT A BACKHEEL, THERE’S A DIFFERENCE) to Da Costa. Moreno has inverted his run, and Ortiz now occupies the space vacated by Da Costa. Over the span of five seconds, three different players have occupied the space in the right channel.

Now the play really begins. Da Costa’s next pass goes to Ayala, and the Timbers have just executed a merry-go-round of sorts. This reminds me of the nonsensical ring-around-the-rosie that the Kansas City Chiefs tried before the snap in a regular-season NFL game a couple seasons ago (I do not remember the exact game). Ayala now gets to act as the quarterback, and he’s about to have two receivers: Da Costa on a quick screen and Moreno’s now-completed curl.

Ayala chooses the curl, and it’s time for Da Costa to make his move. The initial pass turns into a wall pass because Moreno is instantly returning the ball to Da Costa before he makes another off-ball run.

It turns out that Da Costa isn’t going to return the ball to Moreno immediately. He has something else planned entirely. Kelsy has done his job by occupying New England’s center backs, and now it’s his turn to do something on the ball. Portuguese Dave finds Big Kev, and the humongous Venezuelan instantly rolls it backwards with the bottom of his foot (ONCE AGAIN, NOT A BACKHEEL) into space for Moreno, who has continued his run. Da Costa immediately begins to move once the ball leaves his feet. One quick note. All of these off-ball runs have come through the middle since Ayala got on the ball. The Timbers are being direct in possession, and it’s already glorious.

I already love this cross from Moreno. He has two players occupying a similar space in the box and the ball is hit so both of them have a chance to get on it. Da Costa has been incredible in this sequence, and here’s his chance to finish it off.

Sad trumpet noises. Despite some outstanding effort, the cross is just too tall. Such a promising sequence has now seemingly gone to waste.

OH MY GOODNESS IT’S IAN SMITH! Four seconds ago, he was picked up by the camera lurking on the outside of the box. He sensed this opportunity, and it’s his turn to box-crash and save this glorious sequence. It looks like he’s going to have a free shot at goal from a relatively tight angle. I wonder if he can smash it in towards the far post. Ivacic seems to have the near post covered, so his best option is to aim for the postage stamp.

Curse you, Ian Smith. You hit that ball so hard that I needed to break out the red circle again. That was very inconsiderate. But dear GOD, you hit it perfectly. Such a wonderful play deserved a finish like that. The Portland Timbers have scored some incredible goals in 2025, but this one might take the cake from a team perspective. There isn’t any outstanding buildup from deep. It’s just a group of players in the center of the pitch passing the ball around and making direct, dangerous runs. This is what the Timbers have been sorely lacking in the final third. This is what they tried to execute in Toronto, but getting the ball into these areas proved to be an insurmountable task. More goals like this could follow, but not by the same blueprint. It’s a clinic in short passing and off-ball movement. I’d like to order fifty of them.

However, the Timbers did lose the xG battle despite playing a pretty cohesive attacking game. Kelsy’s repeated failures around the box certainly played a part, but that shouldn’t take away from Portland’s excellence in the middle of the pitch. By controlling the midfield, the Timbers had a platform for attacking success. However, winning the midfield battle didn’t give them the win. Taking risks did.

Last week I talked about the Timbers’ aversion towards passing the ball into space. Aside from the outstanding sequence that delivered Smith’s goal, Portland was more than happy to use the speed of their attackers and wingbacks by launching balls into space for them to chase. There’s that “club in the bag” I was talking about last week. The Timbers decided to be more direct, and it paid off with a win. But the killing blow was dealt by another thing I’ve been begging to see.

Taking shots from outside the box opens up a world of possibilities. When Da Costa squared up in the 72nd minute, he unleashed chaos. The slightest of deflections took the ball past a diving Ivacic. There are a ton of lessons to take away from tonight’s victory. But the biggest one of all is that taking risks wins games of soccer.

Coach Rating: 9

Phil Neville’s rating begins with the starting lineup. There were some serious questions about what the forward line would look like. However, Neville said “it was obvious” that two strikers did not work for this team. Credit to him for figuring that out, and for putting the team in a balanced structure.

But the real reason that this rating is so high lies with the substitutes. The starting lineup was pretty easy to pick. Choosing to bring on Guerra ahead of Mora was a risk, but it paid off in spades. Every single sub was aced tonight, especially Chara’s entry. By giving the club captain sufficient time to settle into the pace of the game, the concerns that I have about his ability as a substitute were erased. All of those subs elevated the team, and all of them contributed to tonight’s win. That’s the mark of an excellent coaching job.

Player Ratings

Maxime Crepeau: 9.1

Another tough decision for Neville involved the goalkeeper position. Crepeau returned from the Gold Cup with only one game under his belt, but slotted right back into the Timbers’ starting lineup. What followed was a Crepeau masterpiece. Yeah, he’ll get some stick for Langoni’s goal, but I’m choosing to place the blame on Kamal Miller for failing to stop the Argentine in the open field. In the 17th minute, Crepeau stonewalled Peyton Miller in a similar 1v1 situation. You can’t win every 1v1, you know. But what really elevates this performance was his performance on the ball.

No one was pushing the team up the field more than Maxime Crepeau. After every recovery he made, his release was on par with Tom Brady. This quick distribution (combined with several excellent long balls) was a major boost to the team’s mentality. Crepeau led from the back tonight. Those intangibles are what a fully confident and healthy Crepeau can bring to this team. In addition to several fantastic saves, his performance was very impressive.

Dario Zuparic: 8.2

In a positive side, Zuparic’s attacking contributions didn’t stand out. But his defense did. As the right-sided center back, he was often tasked with covering a lot of space vacated by Mosquera’s charges into the opponent’s half. He handled himself very well and won all 5 of his aerial duels. Although he says that he doesn’t want to score goals, I think he wanted to put one past his old friend. I’m disappointed that he didn’t, but it’s not his fault.

Finn Surman: 8.6

That last-man tackle is going to steal the headlines, but I’d like to highlight what he did a minute earlier.

*Apple TV isn’t let me clip things again. That’s annoying. Go the 66th minute to see his cross to Guerra that got cut out by Polster.*

That’s a stellar pass and he’s really unlucky that it didn’t turn into an assist. Adam Susman put it best in his post-game report: there’s a level of performance that is now an expectation. Surman continues to meet it, week after week (we do not talk about last week).

Meanwhile, he received the captain’s armband from Kamal Miller after the Canadian was subbed off. That gesture speaks volumes. An international goalkeeper was on the pitch, but it was 21-year-old Finn Surman who got entrusted with the top on-field leadership role.

Kamal Miller: 6.7

Miller has a very exploitable weakness: he isn’t that fast and often gets beat by tricky and technical wingers, especially when he’s defending on the back foot. It’s unfortunate. But I would like to highlight one play that stood out to me.

*I really wish I could clip this. Go the 14th minute to see Miller carry the ball from box to box and find Smith.*

That’s really nice. Somehow he had one of the best and worst plays in the first half. It’s just very easy for opposing teams to gameplan for him.

Juan Mosquera: 8.1

Mosquera was Crepeau’s preferred “quick release” outlet, and he proved it over and over again in the second half. In addition, he tracked back really well from high up the pitch, with an excellent sequence in the 12th minute acting as a major highlight.

*Pretty self-explanatory (excuse my frustration, I’m very angry at Apple).*

That’s a lot of clips (you’d think, right). It tends to happen when a lot of good things happen in a game (if only they could be embedded in this article). Mosquera drew 2 fouls, completed all 5 of his dribbles, made 2 headed clearances, and tallied 5 ball recoveries. That’s a complete performance from an excellent two-way fullback.

David Ayala: 7.7

The defense wasn’t as good, but the ball progression was excellent. Like Surman, Ayala is a young player who has commanded a level of expectation. Usually he meets it. I think he did today, and was a key reason why the team was able to use the center of the park at will.

Joao Ortiz: 8.4

Ayala didn’t need to do a lot of defending because Ortiz was omnipresent in the midfield. And when he won the ball, he looked incredibly comfortable on it. I thought he did something that needed to be done: dictating the tempo. This featured a lot of first-time passes, and a lot of looking upfield for long balls. A complete performance from the Ecuadorian; easily his best in a Timbers uniform so far. Neville, for what it’s worth, thought he was the best player on the pitch. Although that might not be factually correct, it’s closer to right than wrong.

IAN SMITH: 10

It took me a while to put my finger on it, but Ian Smith’s first goal is eerily similar to another former Timber.

*Marvin Loria debut goal against Houston in June 2019. That whole highlight package is a welcome distraction.*

No, it’s not a carbon copy, but it doesn’t have to be. Timbers fans have been spoiled in terms of first goals. Think about Nagbe’s worldie in 2011, or Valeri’s statement in 2013. You can add the recently departed Claudio Bravo to that list. Even Kenny Cooper’s goal against the Rapids that officially welcomed the Timbers to MLS was a quality strike. Portland players have a tradition of making a statement with their first goals, and Ian Smith added to that legacy with a violent finish against an easy scapegoat. In Year 50, you have to respect it.

Just one goal doesn’t earn you a 10 though. How about some outstanding defensive effort, even after both of his calves cramped during the same action. When a player is dealing with that kind of pain, but still actively defending Carles Gil and holding him in the same position without letting him escape, that’s a performance worthy of a 10. “We’ve let him down badly,” Neville said post-game. “He was our best player in preseason, he was our best player in the first 3 games of the season, and then Jimmy Fory took over and then Claudio Bravo’s experience we went with….you know every day in training he was training in a different position.” Smith, to his credit, doesn’t let the constant positional switches get him down. And he finally got a chance to play in his preferred spot tonight. His response was an unquestioned Man of the Match performance. Ironically, after a few seasons without left-back depth, the Timbers ended up in a spot where the previously unquestioned starter became completely expendable.

Santiago Moreno: 8.3

Prior to tonight’s game, Neville spoke about the confidence levels of his attackers. After a rather general answer that talked about how all of them are confident, the head coach decided to single out Moreno. Not for any on-pitch reason, but because Neville demolished him in table tennis. 21-7 is a football score. Hell, it’s a New York Jets score. I watch the Jets every week because I can’t stop, and most Sundays treat me to Eldritch horrors. It’s utterly demoralizing. Although Moreno’s job doesn’t involve table tennis, and my job has nothing to do with the tragedy that is Jets football, a defeat like that delivered by your boss can ruin your week. But Santiago Moreno is not me. He doesn’t let those defeats destroy his mental health.

The man who is nominally Portland’s starting right winger is not a winger at all. He spends far too much time in the center of the pitch. Tonight, that tendency paid off in spades. Moreno is good in tight spaces? Watch him escape pressure. Moreno is an outstanding worker off the ball? He won 2 tackles. Getting the absolute best out of Portland’s flagship U22 signing has been the key to the team for YEARS. Tonight, with Da Costa alongside him, Moreno excelled.

David Da Costa: 9.3

Da Costa has more goals from outside the box than inside the box. Sure, the tally marks stand at 2 to 1, but I think he should shoot more from outside the box. The numbers back it up.

Da Costa grabbed this game by the scruff of his neck and won it for the Timbers. It’s the second time he has done that this season. I would like him to do it more. Playing alongside Moreno seemed to get the best out of him. He might be the most unselfish player in Timbers history. But he is a DP, and his job is to be selfish when the moment calls for it. That inner voice was calling for it in the 72nd minute. He led the team with 4 chances created, and did everything in his power to win the game, including winning it. Stellar performance from Portuguese Dave. And he got to debut the dance that he worked on with Mosquera all week. In the words of Neville: “They come to see you guys do your stupid dances and your flicks and all that business.”

By the way, I don’t want to hear about Evander until the Cincinnati game on August 16th. I’ve finally seen the light: Timbers fans should be rooting for him to continue his MVP pace. There are performance-based incentives in the deal with Cincinnati, so Evander’s success will benefit the Timbers. He’s gone. Da Costa is here. I can’t believe that this conversation is still occurring halfway through the season, even with the recent downturn in attacking output. The exact details of those incentives are still private, but I’m going to try my hardest to learn what they are. Until then (and even after they are made public knowledge (which is not a guarantee by any means)) I will be rooting for him to tear up the league with Cincinnati. Except on August 16th. He can take a backseat on that day and that day only.

Kevin Kelsy: 6.6

This is the toughest grade to give out. My reasoning for this might be unpopular, but I have to justify it. Yes, it isn’t a good grade, because Kelsy ended up being more of a liability than an asset tonight. That much is true. However, I see the vision. Most of his actions on the pitch involved some form of miscommunication. This included various flick-on passes to no one, which would have been positives if players had continued their runs. It boils down to his teammates not being on the same page as him. That can be rough. However, he is only 20 years old, and some expectations need to be recalibrated.

This was never a season where Kelsy was going to be a true difference-maker. Despite a hot start, growth and development were always the major goals of 2025 for the Venezuelan striker. There are parts of the game that he excels at. I’d like to highlight his ability to be an outlet for long balls. But, at the same time, he doesn’t offer much of a box presence. Kelsy offers a lot as a poacher given his outstanding ball-striking ability. But he has to learn how to get into those places first. He’s pretty good at hold-up play, but loses possession more often than not. The tools are there. I think that’s undeniable. How he develops those tools and becomes a more complete player will determine his ceiling. It’s always worth reminding everyone that he’s 20 years old. Patience is the name of the game with him.

Gage Guerra: 7.7

If only he scored that header in the 63rd minute. But he came on the pitch and immediately impacted the game despite putting up some lackluster counting stats. The hunger, effort, and positional awareness is always present in his game. Those three things will result in goals sooner rather than later.

Felipe Mora: 6.9

I saw Mora begging for the ball quite a bit tonight, and I think he should’ve been involved around the box. His scoreless streak has now reached 10 games. That duck needs to be broken sooner rather than later. Mora’s strengths would’ve worked wonders from the start in tonight’s game. It wasn’t a terrible idea to start Kelsy in his place, but I was fully expecting a Mora masterclass prior to the lineups being released. His biggest contribution ended up being the clearance on New England’s final corner kick at the very end of the game.

Diego Chara: 7.8

Chara was given ample time to adjust to the game, and responded with a vintage moment.

*81st minute challenge on Urruti. The most necessary clip of this entire article, and Apple decides to punish the people who cover the league for no reason.*

My jaw dropped in the press box. With his former coach watching, the captain decided to commit a brazen act of robbery and victimized his former teammate. He provided the assist on Da Costa’s goal, which was his first goal involvement since 2022. Congratulations to him.

Cristhian Paredes: 7.2

Did you remember that Paredes was initially brought to the club by Caleb Porter? While the Paraguayan’s statistical contributions weren’t great, he brought the proper energy to close out the game. That’s why he’s the Closer, after all.

Eric Miller: 8.5

This is an absolutely correct rating and I will not be hearing otherwise. Mr. Reliable entered the game in the 83rd minute, and made 4 key clearances in 10 minutes of game time. With Smith’s cramps, Miller was the only defensive substitute available, and he played out of position at left back. Didn’t matter. As a key factor in sealing the win, he gets a high rating. Those are the rules, after all.

Table Time

4th place again? Sure, why not. However, the big news involves two of the three teams ahead of the Timbers. San Diego crapped their pants against Houston (welcome to MLS, this happens to everyone eventually) and Vancouver gave the Galaxy their second win of the season (welcome back Vancouver, we missed you). Now the gap between 1st and 4th is 6 points, and the Timbers have 15 potential points against the top 3 up for grabs over the rest of the regular season. Those matches will probably dictate where the Timbers land in the playoffs (yes, they’re going to make the playoffs).

Final Whistle

Neville stole the show with several quotables in his post-game press conference, with the “stupid dances” quip eliciting some chuckles from the reporters in attendance. But one quote stood out to me.

“This group in particular has to remember why they play football. They’re a young group, they’ve been really tight all week. They’ve not had much fun during the week. Their faces have been down since Toronto. I woke up this morning and I thought ‘They’re not going to play well if they don’t play with fun.’ If they’re uptight, if they’re thinking about results, thinking about the playoffs. So before the game, I just said ‘Let’s forget the result. Let’s just have fun. And whether we win or lose we’re just going to have fun out there.’ I wanted to see them dancing. I wanted to see them expressing themselves. I wanted to see them smile…..At the end of the day, it’s just a game of football.”

From my perspective, winning was all that mattered. But I left the door open for a quality performance that could result in a loss. Sometimes that’s the way soccer happens. You could dominate but lose based on one moment. The Portland Timbers delivered a quality performance and a victory. In doing so, they showed some tangible improvements that could result in more wins down the line.

Caleb Porter; the irascible face on the sidelines. A man who went from the college ranks and won MLS’ biggest prize twice at two different clubs. Tonight, he watched another former collegiate star dominate his team. There’s some beauty in that. Porter’s greatest contribution to MLS was the work he did at Akron with Darlington Nagbe. It was too sweet when he won the Cup with Nagbe twice; once in Portland and once with Columbus. The man has a pattern. Next year will be his 3rd in New England. That’s when the cups come.

I will never stop defending Caleb Porter. It’s so fitting that his return to Portland came in their 50th anniversary season. As he walked into a familiar but foreign setting, it hit me. This is a man who never saw the stadium expansion from the opposing sideline. So much has happened (for better and worse) since he left the club. And yet, in the northeast corner, his crowning achievement looms over everything. In the post-cup celebration, he uttered an immortal quote: “The magic was real.” In a week-and-a-half, the Timbers will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of that cup victory. Three people who played key roles in that triumph were on the pitch today. One is still a Timber. The other has bounced around the league and reunited with his former coach. Yet no matter where he goes, he will always be cheered in Providence Park. When Porter walked out from the locker room before kickoff, cheers rose from the west side. He’s a hard man to get along with. But he’ll always receive a warm reception in Portland.

The other familiar face did not receive a cheerful welcome in his return. Aljaz Ivacic, the Supporters’ Player of the Year three years ago, was soundly booed every time he touched the ball. And I have to hand it to him: he leaned into the villain role. From the beginning of the game, he began to timewaste. His team’s defeat was not his fault in the slightest. If anything, he kept the scoreline more respectable with a couple of good saves. Those stops were the exact types of interventions that allowed the Timbers to keep treading water in 2022. However, just like his most ignominious on-field moment during his Timbers career, he was powerless to stop a left back scoring a worldie against him. It just happens sometimes. With chants of “Timbers reject” and “dodgy keeper” raining down on him throughout the second half, the Slovenian made a tentative wave towards the fans who once held up jazz hands whenever he made a key stop. Both manager and coach did not have the return to Providence Park that they wanted.

The Portland Timbers, meanwhile, are still treading water. They’re continuing to turn Providence Park into a fortress. If the season ended today, they’d have home-field advantage in the first round. Although they had a positive start away from home in the early months, securing that home-field advantage is the primary goal for the rest of the season. They have serious competition from several teams with games in hand, but the Timbers have put themselves in a spot to control their own destiny. It can be refreshing to forget about the expectations, but an upcoming run of games against those competitors will be a true test of this team’s mettle. First up? St. Louis, who isn’t one of those competitors. But it’s still a difficult test against a desperate opponent with nothing to lose. 3 points is nice. 3 points against Boston is even better. Sure, the Revolution aren’t as stinky as their Massachusetts counterparts, but it always feels good to beat Boston. The climb continues.