NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION v CHIVAS USA
GILLETTE STADIUM, Foxborough, Mass.
4:30 p.m. PT (HDNet; FSN-PT)
July 7, 2007 (WEEK 14) / MLS Game #
The New England Revolution and Chivas USA face off for the second time in successive weekends, this time at Gillette Stadium as Chivas continue their westward trek. In some degree of irony, the Revolution were the only team not to have a game on Independence Day, instead able to focus entirely on their 2-0 loss to Chivas last Saturday at The Home Depot Center. Chivas, meanwhile, made a stopover at FC Dallas on Wednesday where they dropped a 2-0 decision, their second shutout defeat in three weeks in the state of Texas.
REFEREE: Abbey Okulaja. SAR (bench): Rob Fereday; JAR (opposite): Adam Wienckowski; 4th: Niko Bratsis
MLS Career: 62 games; FC/gm: 30.3; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 5; pens: 18
Games involving Revolution: P12 W7 L3 T2; FC/gm: 27.3; Y/gm: 4.1; R: 0; pens: 2
Games involving Chivas USA: P6 W0 L2 T4; FC/gm: 28.5; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 0; pens: 2
INJURY REPORT: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION - OUT: MF Joe Franchino (R ankle surgery); FW Arsene Oka (R MCL sprain); DOUBTFUL: GK Doug Warren (concussion); MF Jeff Larentowicz (R eye injury); PROBABLE: MF Shalrie Joseph (R quadriceps strain); MF Miguel Gonzalez (R groin strain) ... CHIVAS USA - OUT: DF Carlos Llamosa (L knee ACL surgery); DOUBTFUL: DF Desmond Brooks (L hamstring strain)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: NE: Jeff Larentowicz ... CHV: Alex Zotinca
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: NE: Andy Dorman; James Riley ... CHV: Sacha Kljestan; Orlando Perez; Claudio Suarez
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: NE: Amaechi Igwe (USA; FIFA U-20 World Cup)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (5 meetings): Revolution 2 wins, 5 goals ... Chivas USA 2 wins, 5 goals ... Draws 1
AT FOXBOROUGH: (2 meetings): Revolution 2 wins, 4 goals ... Chivas USA 0 wins, 1 goal ... Draws 0
• This is the second of two meetings between the teams this season, the only one set for Gillette Stadium, with the two league encounters just a week apart.
• Last year, the Revolution won the season series, winning in New England while playing to a draw in southern California. The season before, the teams split their two inaugural encounters, each winning by 1-0 scorelines on their own ground.
• Last year's Chivas USA home match was played as part of a doubleheader with a friendly matching FC Barcelona and Mexico's CD Guadalajara, and drew the largest crowd ever to see a regular season Major League Soccer game, 92,650 flocking to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the 1-1 draw.
• Coaches record: Steve Nicol vs. CHV: P5 W2 L2 D1 ... Preki v NE: P1 W1 L0 D0
LAST MEETING
6/30: CHV 2, NE 0 (Marsch 60; Galindo 89)
• Once again it was Jesse Marsch who proved to be the difference against the Revs in southern California. A year ago, in front of the largest regular-season crowd in MLS history, Marsch scored the equalizing goal at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
• He literally reprised the effort in the 60th minute, Ante Razov standing up three New England defenders in the right side of the area before laying the ball back for Marsch, who hammered a first-time drive off the inside of the left post for his first goal on the year.
• Chivas went a man down in the 81st minute when Claudio Suarez was sent off after apparently elbowing Revolution forward Adam Cristman while challenging for a ball at midfield.
• But it was the home side that took advantage in the final minute. A long ball out of the back found Maykel Galindo racing forward on the left, and after juking past Jay Heaps, he launched a hooking shot that dipped over goalkeeper Matt Reis and inside the far post for his seventh goal on the campaign.
• Here's Preki's team (4-4-2): Preston Burpo - Lawson Vaughn (Laurent Merlin 71), Claudio Suarez, Jason Hernandez, Orlando Perez - Alex Zotinca, Paulo Nagamura, Jesse Marsch, Francisco Mendoza - Maykel Galindo (Erasmo Solorzano 92+), Ante Razov (John Cunliffe 84). Substitutes Not Used: Bobby Burling, Anthony Hamilton, Rodrigo Lopez, Justin Myers
• Here's Nicol's team (3-4-1-2): Matt Reis - Jay Heaps, James Riley, Avery John - Steve Ralston, Gary Flood (Khano Smith 67), Michael Parkhurst, Wells Thompson - Andy Dorman - Adam Cristman, Pat Noonan. Substitutes Not Used: Bryan Byrne, Kyle Helton, Brad Knighton, Marshall Leonard, Chris Loftus
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution were the only team not to play on July 4-5, their last match the 2-0 loss to Chivas USA in the front half of the home-and-home series over two weekends. With just one win in their last five games, the Revolution trail D.C. United by a single point in the Eastern Conference, now with 22 points from 13 matches, in the midst of a tightly bunched division.
TEAM NEWS
• Chivas USA were coming in off their first shutout in nine games, the loss to Houston Dynamo ending a five-game unbeaten streak. The Revolution had scored three goals in each of five of their previous seven games while moving to the top of the East.
• Revolution head coach Steve Nicol made three changes to his team that hammered Toronto FC 3-0 the weekend before at home - all across the midfield. Steve Ralston and Michael Parkhurst returned from international duty while Gary Flood also came into the team, replacing Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz and Khano Smith, the first two out of the starting lineup through injury.
• While there were the significant absences in the Revolution lineup, Nicol felt simple fundamentals let his team down.
• "We didn't look after each other with the ball," he said. "We gave bad balls from the first minute to the last minute ... it's the fundamentals of the game, passing and controlling the ball, and we didn't pass it and we didn't control it so you end up getting what you got tonight."
• It was a second game in a holding midfield role for Michael Parkhurst, usually situated in the center of the Revolution back three. He was partnered in the middle by rookie Gary Flood, making just his second start of the season - his first since Opening Day.
• "It was below par for our standards," said Parkhurst. "Passing is one thing we try to dominate a team on week in and week out and we didn't do that. Anytime we have a performance passing the ball like we did tonight it's disappointing because that's something we take pride in."
• Revolution assistant coach Paul Mariner alluded to the similarities between the lineup for the Chivas match and the makeshift lineup employed in the opening match of the season, a 1-0 loss in Chicago on April 7. He noted that the team fielded against Chivas USA settled in after halftime much like the side in Chicago.
• "It took us 45 minutes to settle into the game in Chicago when we made all those changes," Mariner said. "We were getting into that same rhythm [at Chivas] when we gave away the ball and they scored."
• While Chivas have had a match in the meantime - the 2-0 Independence Day loss to FC Dallas - the Revolution have been able to focus simply on the rematch.
• "I'd like to think that the players are going to be sitting down thinking 'we have a chance to get them back next week,'" Nicol said. "I expect us to come in next week and be getting after them and making up for tonight's poor performance."
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA started their two-game road swing with another difficult reverse in the state of Texas, falling 2-0 to FC Dallas on Wednesday afternoon at Pizza Hut Park. Chivas are still in third place in the Western Conference with 20 points from 13 matches, three points ahead of the Colorado Rapids but now trailing division leading FCD by nine points.
LAST MATCH
• Both teams came into the game with recent success, each with just one loss over their previous five games. Chivas USA had won four in that stretch, while FC Dallas had won three with a draw.
• Ramon Nunez started the game on the substitutes' bench, but when Marcelo Saragosa re-injured his knee and was forced off after 12 minutes, Nunez made his first appearance since June 17. He then put the Hoops into the lead in the 41st minute with a stunning strike. He started a quick counter, receiving a return pass from Arturo Alvarez outside the top of the area, and rifled a rising blast into the upper left corner.
• A counter led to the second FC Dallas goal, four minutes from the end. Pablo Ricchetti raced forward with Dominic Oduro on his left. The Argentinean laid the ball off to Oduro, who cut across the top of the area and lashed a low drive past Chivas 'keeper Preston Burpo.
• Chivas USA head coach Preki made three changes to the team that defeated the Revolution 2-0 in the first leg of their home-and-home on Saturday at The Home Depot Center. Claudio Suarez was suspended, but Shavar Thomas returned from suspension to take his place in central defense. John Cunliffe came back into the team, replacing the suspended Paulo Nagamura in midfield, while Laurent Merlin made a start up top in place of Ante Razov.
• Here's Preki's team (4-4-2): Preston Burpo - Lawson Vaughn (Rodrigo Lopez 62), Jason Hernandez, Shavar Thomas, Orlando Perez - Alex Zotinca, Jesse Marsch, Francisco Mendoza, John Cunliffe (Ante Razov 62) - Maykel Galindo, Laurent Merlin (Anthony Hamilton 79). Substitutes Not Used: Bobby Burling, Justin Myers, Eder Robles, Erasmo Solorzano
• "I'm disappointed with the result. Obviously, the first goal changed everything. I thought there was a foul in the corner on the other side of the field that the referee decided not to call. They were then able to go on the other side and score a goal," Preki said. "I thought that was the difference in the game. We had some chances in the first half. If we go one goal up, it's a different game. It's hard when you give up the first goal, you're on the road and are depleted. But that's how the game goes sometimes."
TEAM NEWS
• Preki had opted to start French striker Laurent Merlin alongside leading scorer Maykel Galindo, saying after the game the move was designed to give a rest to Ante Razov, Galindo's normal strike partner. Razov entered the match in the 62nd minute for John Cunliffe.
• Merlin actually had one of Chivas' better chances of the match when he got a one-on-one with FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala in the 20th minute, but the Argentinean 'keeper came off his line to make a point-blank save, but Galindo, who leads Chivas with seven goals this season, was held in check for much of the match.
• "I thought he was busy but our play in the final third wasn't great," Preki said. "There was so much space out there and we just couldn't find the right pace on a pass or a good cross. When you can't do that, you aren't going to score a lot of goals."
• However, for the return match in New England, both defender Claudio Suarez and midfielder Paulo Nagamura, who missed Wednesday's game while serving suspensions for yellow card accumulation, will be available. In addition, also returning could be goalkeeper Brad Guzan, midfielder Sacha Kljestan and defender Jonathan Bornstein, all of whom have been with the U.S. national team at Copa America.
• Yet while Chivas USA had a second trip to Texas in the space of two weeks - both losses, with no goals scored and six goals conceded - the Revolution were the only team with a July 4 date.
• "Some guys are going to feel some effects (on Saturday)," said Hernandez. "Today took a lot out of us trying to come in here and get a result. We have to do our best to take care of ourselves and get ready for Saturday. Whatever that takes, each guy has to take it upon themselves. I think we'll be prepared for Saturday's game."
• Chivas continued to struggle on the road, now with just four points from their seven away matches on the campaign. It's the poorest away record in the league, percentage-wise (along with the Chicago Fire).
• "Whenever you go on the road, we always try to leave with at least one point. I thought we did pretty well at least for most of the game," said center back Jason Hernandez. "Defensively, the first goal of the game came on a shot that we couldn't do anything about. The second goal happened because of a mistake. We have to put it behind us. But I thought we played pretty well. It was kind of hot out there, but I thought we managed the game pretty well."
