New England 2, D.C. United 1

Behind the return of striker Taylor Twellman, the New England Revolution won their first match since April 4, defeating D.C. United, 2-1 at Gillette Stadium.

Twellman made his season debut tonight and was part of a series of events that led to the Revolution's game-winning goal. D.C. United's Bryan Namoff pulled down Twellman in the box and was given the foul that led to a penalty kick.

Steve Ralston converted the penalty kick to give the Revolution the 2-1 win, ending a six-game winless streak.

Twellman's return proved to be a boost for the Revolution. Twellman has not played a match since October because of problems connected to a neck injury he suffered in August.

United didn't take it easy on Twellman in his return, as he was knocked around and pushed to the ground a few times. Following the game, Twellman said he was happy to return to the field.

"It's a little emotional just from the sense that it's been a long haul," Twellman said. "It's been eight months of trying to guess what's going on, I just thank God that I figured it out. Now granted, I didn't expect to play 70 minutes tonight, and get punched in the face right away. So we'll see it was obviously a good test. We'll see how I feel tomorrow and Monday."