Revolution Edge Red Bulls 3-2 as Carles Gil Hits 100 Assists and Dániel Gazdag Strikes Late

Nine minutes into Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium, Carles Gil rolled a pass into Dor Turgeman's path, Turgeman beat Ethan Horvath from outside the box, and the Revolution's captain joined one of the most exclusive clubs in MLS. It was Gil's 100th career regular-season assist, making him just the eighth player in league history to get there.

The rest of the night was a lot less tidy. The New England Revolution beat Red Bull New York 3-2, but only after blowing a two-goal lead and leaning on Matt Turner for eight saves. Turgeman scored twice, the Red Bulls clawed back through Cade Cowell and Julian Hall, and Dániel Gazdag tucked home the winner in the 83rd minute to send New England into second place in the East.

Turner Holds the Fort

That early lead did not mean New England controlled anything. The Red Bulls had two shots blocked inside the first five minutes and kept coming after Turgeman's opener. Turner saved a Dylan Nealis header in the 17th, then survived a three-shot sequence in the 21st, stopping Jorge Ruvalcaba from a tight angle, watching another Ruvalcaba try get blocked, and then denying Hall from point-blank range.

The pressure never really stopped. Turner saved from Cowell in the 42nd and stopped another Nealis header right before the break. Somehow, New England went into the break up 1-0 despite being outshot by a mile.

Then they doubled it moments after the restart. Luca Langoni squared the ball across, and Turgeman finished from very close range with his left foot. Two shots on target, two goals. Efficiency is a love language.

The Red Bulls Bite Back

New York refused to go away. In the 51st minute, the move ran through Adri Mehmeti and Ronald Donkor before Cowell, out on the right, shifted the ball onto his left foot and beat Turner low into the bottom left corner. It was Cowell's third goal of the season and the 13th of his MLS career, according to the Red Bulls.

Michael Bradley then went to his bench, and it worked almost instantly. Emil Forsberg came on in the 63rd minute and had an assist within a minute or so, redirecting a Mehmeti pass first time for Hall, who finished with his right foot into the bottom right corner. Two-all, and Gillette Stadium got nervous.

Both sides had chances to win it. Langoni hit the right post in the 66th, Cowell narrowly missed moments later, Turgeman headed wide in the 72nd, and Turner made yet another save on Hall in the 73rd.

Turning Point: Peyton Miller Makes Something Happen

New England's own substitution changed the ending. Peyton Miller, on in the 63rd minute, had already set up Langoni's chance off the post. In the 83rd, he let fly with his left foot from the left side of the box. Horvath saved it, but the rebound sat up for Gazdag, who calmly finished into the bottom left corner from inside the six-yard box.

There was a fun subplot, too. Gazdag is the Philadelphia Union's all-time leading scorer, per the Union, and his winner officially clinched his old club's playoff berth while they were playing in Nashville.

The Red Bulls had one more look. Cameron Harper got in behind on a Rafael Mosquera through ball in the 87th, and Turner saved again. Seven minutes of stoppage time came and went.

The Stars

Carles Gil got the headline. The 100-assist mark came in his 225th MLS appearance, and only Carlos Valderrama, Marco Etcheverry and Preki got there faster, according to MLSsoccer.com. The opener was his 13th assist of the season.

"Congratulations to Carles," head coach Marko Mitrović said, adding: "But there are so many small things Carles does on the field that help us perform. He has massive trust from us and our team."

Matt Turner made eight saves and was the reason this was not a different story.

Dor Turgeman took five shots, put two on target and scored both.

For New York, Julian Hall was the most dangerous player on the field with six shots, five on target and a goal.

Ronald Donkor set up Cowell for what the Red Bulls say is his 11th assist of the season, though his early yellow card means he will sit out Sunday. Emil Forsberg changed the game off the bench, and his assist on Hall came almost as soon as he stepped on the field.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: The Red Bulls outshot New England 20 to 9 and put 11 on target to the Revs' four.
• Saves: Turner made eight. Horvath made one.
• Clearances: New England cleared the ball 24 times to New York's five.
• Corners: New York won six to New England's two.
• Possession: Nearly even, with New England at 51.3 percent.

What It Means

New England are 18-4-10 with 58 points, have won four straight and moved into second in the East, two points ahead of Inter Miami. MLSsoccer.com says the win guaranteed a top-four finish and home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Seeding is now on the line Sunday, when Miami come to Foxborough.

The Red Bulls are 11-6-15 with 39 points, and this was a gut punch after Saturday's 2-0 win over Miami. They also lose Donkor and Nealis to suspension for Sunday's trip to Nashville, per the club. The teams split the season series after New York won 1-0 at home in February.

Bradley was blunt. "It's a frustrating one tonight," he said. "But in order to take the big step as a team, you have to be able to be there in the decisive moments. When you do all of the work to create big chances in the box, then you have to score them. You have to finish plays off."

The Closing Take

This was a disaster movie in which the building shakes for 80 minutes and the hero still makes the last helicopter out. New England got outshot badly and still walked out with the bag, thanks to a goalkeeper in superhero mode, a captain hitting a century and a winner who doubled as a gift to his old club. The Revs will need a cleaner script against Miami on Sunday.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by MLSsoccer.com and NewYorkRedBulls.com; additional details from PhiladelphiaUnion.com.