CINCINNATI – Bruce Arena has been coaching long enough to have seen plenty of games like Saturday afternoon’s showdown at TQL Stadium, where the New England Revolution generated chance after chance, shot after shot, only to be denied by near misses or stunning saves time and time again.
New England registered a season-high 26 shots on Saturday – including a staggering 21 in the first half to set a club record – and remarkably hit the woodwork three times in the opening 45 minutes. FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer made five saves, several of the highlight-reel variety, and as the game entered the latter stages, tensions grew as the Revs pushed for a breakthrough that had seemed on the verge from virtually the opening whistle.