They were without two of their most important players and went behind by two goals on aggregate. They hit the post, the bar and were denied on numerous occasions by the opposing goalkeeper. They finished the game with their captain reduced to a walking role while their top goalscorer filled in as a defensive midfielder.
Yet, somehow, in some way, the New England Revolution found a way to make it through to their fifth consecutive Eastern Conference Championship by defeating the Chicago Fire in a penalty kick shootout, after a 2-1 victory Saturday night at Gillette Stadium left the series tied 2-2 on aggregate.
"Tonight was just a gutsy performance from everyone that played on our team," said defender Jay Heaps. "There was a lot of emotion and everyone in this locker room contributed."
"If there is any team that has had to deal with adversity every single year it has been this one," added Taylor Twellman. "We have kept together a core group of guys and we just showed up and kept going. We were behind the eight ball from the start and we just responded and kept going."
Twellman had the final say in the penalty shootout which followed the regulation 90 minutes and additional 30 minutes of extra time. The striker stepped up to send the Foxborough crowd into raptures after Matt Reis had saved spot kicks from Thiago and Andy Herron.
"I lost my penalty duty on this team in 2003, so when penalties come round I am itching to take them. Everyone did their job and Matt Reis made some good saves. I just went up there and hit it as hard as I could and was pleased to see it hit the net," said Twellman.
The glorious ending for the home side looked to be a long way off when Nate Jaqua scored from Justin Mapp's cross in the 18th minute to double the Fire's aggregate lead. However, New England have made a habit of stirring comebacks in previous playoff runs and that prior experience helped the side again Saturday.
"There was kind of a sense that we knew we would do it," said Joe Franchino. "I don't know how to explain it but everyone knew it. We just kept going and going and we knew it was going to come. Even when (Twellman) hit the post, we never let down. That's the way this team is: never say die."
Twellman made up for his 21st minute near-miss four minutes from halftime when he leveled the game on the night from Franchino's cross. It was a vital time for the Revolution to score and revitalized the side's hopes.
The excitement was added to 13 minutes into the second half when Pat Noonan, on as a substitute, stabbed home to put the hosts ahead. Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said he expected the forward to make an impact.
"It is great for everybody, the players and the crowd, when Pat steps on the field," Nicol said. "He adds that bit of quality when he is given the chance to show it and he showed it again tonight."
Later in regulation, Noonan hit the bar as the Revs looked to win the tie without having to go to extra time. However, Matt Pickens in the Chicago goal followed up his fine first leg display with another excellent performance. However, when the penalty shootout came around, it was his opposite number that stepped into the limelight.
Reis memorably stopped two Columbus Crew penalties in the 2004 postseason and had already saved two of the three spot kicks he had faced this season. Though he seems to have a knack of coming out on top in such situations, the Revs goalkeeper said there is no particular science to his art.
"It's just a read and a feeling when they step to the ball," said Reis. "When they take their last step I try and get over to the side I think they are going to go to and cover that side."
As if stopping two of Chicago's efforts was not enough, Reis also dispatched one of the Revolution penalties, as the home side was perfect from the spot to complete New England's team effort.
"Everyone, from top to bottom, played their heart out and that is fitting because no one wanted us to go through," said Heaps. "They aren't going to stop us if we can stick together like that."
Nicol admitted that he would prefer to play at home in the next round, meaning he would favor a New York Red Bulls comeback win against D.C. United on Sunday afternoon. The Revs may have played their last game of 2006 at Gillette Stadium and Reis was keen to thank the home fans for the role they played in the series decider.
"I think the crowd in general was a big factor. They came out tonight with the threat of bad weather and they really gave us a lift when we needed it," he said. "We were two goals down in the series and we fought back and a lot of that was because they gave us a boost."
Whatever happens at RFK Stadium, the Revolution are a step closer to getting back to Frisco, Texas, which according to Heaps, was their plan all along.
"Come Monday, we're going to get back at it. Our goal from the beginning has been to get back to the final and we want to move on," he said.
Andrew Hush is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
