It's a goal he said he has patiently awaited. "Everyday [I] just come to training and work on every aspect of my game and just be ready for every opportunity that's given to me," Nunez said. "And that's my main focus right now, any little chance I get just try and make the best of it."

And so he did.

Nunez came off the bench in the 41st minute for injured RSL forward Robbie Findley, who suffered a minor concussion, and within 19 minutes, he scored what proved to be the winning goal, against the best team in the league.

Having defeated New England (8-4-3), RSL (5-5-4) extends its unbeaten streak to five games, which matches the club record. The loss ends the Revolution's streak of going unbeaten in seven straight games.

RSL coach Jason Kreis said the way Nunez stepped up was an indicator his team was capable of excelling.

"I'm very, very happy for Tino, I thought his performance was fantastic," Kreis said. "Again, he's just a guy that gets in there and works really hard and takes a lot of pride in the way he holds the ball out for the rest of the team, so he did that well tonight, it was nice to see him rewarded with a goal."

Even after the field was clear and no fans were left to cheer on Nunez and his game-winning goal, the 23-year-old Long Beach, Calif., native was still all smiles.

"It definitely feels very good," Nunez said. "The feeling is unexplainable."

sredhouse@sltrib.com