WASHINGTON, D.C. – Locked in a scoreless draw and searching for a late breakthrough against a tired opponent on Sunday night at Audi Field, Bruce Arena turned to substitutes Adam Buksa and Cristian Penilla for an attacking spark.
The duo delivered with aplomb, as Penilla set up Gustavo Bou’s 86th-minute strike to break the deadlock before adding a second assist on Buksa’s insurance goal four minutes later, sealing the New England Revolution’s 2-0 win over D.C. United and lifting them into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
“The substitutions from the 60th minute on are designed to get guys on the field to bring energy and to be dangerous going forward in the attack,” said Arena, noting they’d given instructions for Penilla to take on D.