“It's always difficult to explain after a game like this one,” declared head coach Marco Schallibaum in his post-game comments. “In short we were not strong enough. We were not able to cause the other team any difficulty. The will was there but the quality was not. We took a goal in the first half and were chasing it the rest of the game. We were not strong in the last 20 metres. We were just not good today,” he concluded.

New England starting 'keeper Matt Reis was given a straight red for his tackle on Marco Di Vaio, in alone after being declared offside on two occasions earlier. After Bobby Shuttleworth replaced Reis and midfielder Chad Barrett had his night terminated, Patrice Bernier stepped up to the spot and, using the hesitant approach to the ball that has yet to fail him in MLS, slowly rolled the ball inside the left post after Shuttleworth had committed the other way.

"I think it was the wrong decision by the ref. It certainly wasn't a foul," Caldwell said. "It was a good ball by Bob… and I scored. I was in the area first and held my ground, and it was very disappointing that I didn't get a goal."

Lloyd Sam played just a little more than a half-hour on Saturday — and it was enough to earn the New York Red Bull the Player of the Week Award.

But a two-game winning streak? Start the parade. And, for the long-suffering supporters of this franchise, they shouldn’t try to analyze things too much. Just enjoy it — they deserve some triumphs, after all. And, for a franchise that has suffered so many suckerpunches late in games, maybe it’s time for a karmic shift, to see the opposition blow so many chances they should have converted.

“It’s just a clip,” Miller said. “I was getting ready to pull the trigger and put the ball in the back of the net, and he just clipped my heels or my calf. It’s one of them – it’s harsh on him, but by the letter of the law, it’s got to be a sending off.”

New England Revolution forward Diego Fagundez is all of 18 years old, and he’s already showing North American soccer fans that he might be one of the best homegrown prospects any of the MLS teams have brought up through their systems.

Well, this version of TFC, now winless in 10, has just seven points through 12 games. Pro-rated over a 34-game season... it’s ugly. It would put TFC on a pace for just 20 points, three LESS than last season.