“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."

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.