Brayan Vera Rocket Sparks CF Montréal Comeback in 2-2 Draw With New England Revolution

Brayan Vera lines up at center back, and center backs are generally paid to stop goals, not to score screamers. In the 52nd minute at Stade Saputo, Vera took aim from outside the box anyway, swung his left foot through the ball and found the top left corner. Just like that, CF Montréal had a pulse.

Seven minutes later, Prince Owusu headed home a Luca Petrasso cross, and a night that looked lost at halftime ended in a 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday in front of 15,082 fans. The Revolution scored twice in six first-half minutes and then spent the entire second half learning that a two-goal lead is a mood, not a guarantee.

New England Owned the First Act

For half an hour, the Revolution were the better team by a distance. Peyton Miller fired high in the fourth minute, Brooklyn Raines tried his luck from range in the 11th, and Miller forced Sébastian Breza into a save in the bottom left corner in the 17th. Montréal had its looks, with Owusu pulling one just wide from the middle of the box in the 14th and skying another in the 19th, but nothing stuck.

The opener came out of a pinball sequence in the 28th minute. Will Sands shot wide, Carles Gil had an attempt blocked, and when Alhassan Yusuf's shot was blocked too, referee Jair Marrufo pointed to the spot for a handball by Efraín Morales. Gil stepped up two minutes later and drilled a left-footed penalty into the top left corner. According to the AP, it came in his 200th MLS regular-season start for the Revolution. Not a bad way to mark the occasion.

Victor Loturi forced a save from Matt Turner in the 33rd, and Dor Turgeman missed from very close range in the 35th. He did not miss again a minute later. Miller got loose and fed him, and Turgeman finished with his right foot from point-blank range. Breza was booked moments afterward, and the half closed with both keepers busy: Breza stopped Gil in the 41st, and Turner turned away two Hennadii Synchuk efforts in the 41st and 42nd. New England led 2-0 at the break.

Then Montréal Flipped the Script

Montréal sent Olger Escobar on for Matty Longstaff at halftime, and the home side came out with a different energy. The goal that started the comeback had a nice twist to it: Morales, the defender whose handball gifted New England the penalty, was credited with the assist on Vera's strike. Redemption arcs do not usually resolve in 24 minutes, but here we are.

Montréal kept coming. Turner saved Owusu's shot from the left side of the box in the 57th, Synchuk had one blocked, and a minute after a corner, Petrasso whipped in the cross that Owusu headed into the bottom right corner. Two goals in seven minutes, and the game was suddenly a coin flip.

New England's Window Slammed Shut

To their credit, the Revolution did not fold. In the 62nd, Turgeman forced a turnover from Breza, according to the club, and tried a chip from outside the box that slid just left. Substitute Luca Langoni headed wide from very close range off a Sands cross a minute later. The best chance arrived in the 68th, when Gil slid a through ball to Turgeman in the middle of the box, only for Breza to make the stop.

The finish was frantic. Vera nearly completed his own personal heist in the 90th minute, but Turner saved his header from a Brandan Craig cross. At the other end, Wilson Harris headed narrowly past the top left corner in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Neither side found a winner, and both walked away with a point that felt very different depending on the locker room.

The Difference Makers

Brayan Vera scored the goal of the night and put two of his three shots on target, including that late header that nearly flipped the draw into a win.

Prince Owusu finished with four shots, two on target, and produced the equalizer. The Revolution's own match capsule listed it as his 10th goal of the season.

Hennadii Synchuk was Montréal's most persistent attacker with six shots, three of them on target. He just ran into Turner every time.

Matt Turner made six saves and kept New England ahead for as long as he could.

Dor Turgeman scored once and took six shots, which the Revolution said was a career high. Peyton Miller, the club's 18-year-old Homegrown Player, picked up his first assist of the season per New England.

The Turning Point

Vera's goal mattered for more than the scoreline. According to the AP, it ended a three-match regular-season scoreless streak for Montréal. Once the first one went in, the second arrived almost immediately. A team that had gone three league games without a goal suddenly had two before the hour mark.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: New England 21, Montréal 15.
• Shots on target: Montréal 8, New England 5.
• Saves: Turner 6, Breza 3.
• Crosses: Montréal attempted 31 and completed 4, but one of those four produced the equalizer.
• Possession: New England 53.8 percent, Montréal 46.2 percent.

What It Means

New England moved to 9-3-5 with 30 points and, per the club, is unbeaten in three games since returning from the FIFA World Cup break. The Revolution host Houston Dynamo FC at Gillette Stadium on Aug. 8, and they will want that two-goal cushion back.

Montréal moved to 4-4-10 with 16 points. The draw stopped a two-match losing skid, but the club has not won a league match since a 2-0 home victory over Orlando City on May 9. Montréal gets two weeks off before hosting D.C. United at Stade Saputo on Aug. 15.

Cheat Codes, Then a Dead Controller

New England played the first half like someone who had found the cheat codes and the second half like someone had unplugged the controller. Gil's milestone, Turgeman's finish and Turner's six saves all deserved better than a shared point. But Montréal, a team that has spent the summer searching for goals, found two in seven minutes, one of them from a center back who simply decided it was his turn. Sometimes that is all a comeback needs.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Match details as reported by the AP via ESPN, the New England Revolution (revolutionsoccer.net), CF Montréal (cfmontreal.com) and mlssoccer.com.