3 takeaways from the Revolution’s 3-2 win over Red Bull New York

The Revolution overcame a squandered two-goal lead to pull off a 3-2 win against Red Bull New York at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday night.

New England got off to a quick start thanks to Dor Turgeman’s brilliant ninth-minute curler from the top of the box. The Revolution doubled the lead at the start of the second half thanks to a second goal from Turgeman (this time a tap-in from close range off a Luca Langoni assist).

New York responded shortly afterward via a Cade Cowell curler, and a quality Julian Hall finish in the 64th minute.

Yet just as momentum appeared to have ebbed away from the home side, Revolution forward Dániel Gazdag was in the right place at the right time to hammer home a rebound in the 83rd minute, which proved to be enough of a margin to collect three points.

With the win, New England remained in second place in the Eastern Conference (two points ahead of Inter Miami, who the Revolution face at home on Sunday).

Here are the takeaways from a chilly night in Foxborough:

Hold the Dor

The 23-year-old forward scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season. More impressively, that’s now 10 goals since the season restarted following the World Cup in the summer.

After facing questions for much of the year over his goal-scoring — and his capacity to play as a lone center forward — Turgeman has displayed all of the necessary traits in recent weeks. He fights to hold the ball up and make space for his teammates, harasses opposing center backs when New England is defending, drops off the forward line to connect with the midfield periodically, and (as of recently) scores goals.

If he can continue to do even half of those activities while also scoring at a decent rate, Turgeman could enjoy a long and successful career in MLS. In the short term, his form at the end of the regular season clearly bodes well for the playoffs.

Defensive lapses lead to a tie game

Having taken a 2-0 lead, the Revolution again (as has happened several times this season) failed to stay on the front foot. New York got back in the game almost casually when Cowell was allowed far too much space close to the Revolution goal. His well-taken goal, curled to the back post, should have been a wakeup call.

Yet New England continued to play with fire, and paid for it several minutes later.

Revolution center back Mamadou Fofana was subbed on in a triple change (more on this below), but was apparently not fully ready for the pace of the game. An Emil Forsberg flick-on snuck under Fofana’s foot. Hall didn’t hesitate, pouncing on the loose ball and tucking his well-placed shot into the far corner just past the outstretched fingertips of Matt Turner.

Even after New England eventually retook the lead, the Red Bulls created several additional nervous moments in which Turner was called into action. Not to continuously bring up “what this means for the playoffs,” but a leaky defense will not endure long in an escalated environment.

Miller, Gazdag supply the winner

Along with subbing Fofana on, the Revolution also deployed Peyton Miller and Matt Polster as a contingent of second-half substitutions. Miller went in for Will Sands at left back, but as usual was more notable for his offensive contributions.

After firing a cross right past the goal mouth in the 66th minute — which Langoni connected with but hit the post — Miller again popped up in the winning goal sequence.

Despite his left back responsibilities, Miller remained aggressive, finding himself in the box in the 83rd minute to smash an initial shot at goal. Though saved, it led to the ball sitting up nicely for Gazdag to volley in the winner.

Gazdag is not the flashiest in-season addition the Revolution have ever made, but he remains a composed and capable player (completing 33 of 35 passes in the game while playing in a variety of roles up front). A veteran presence with an eye for goal could be — wait for it — exactly what New England needs in the postseason.