Khano Smith scored his first goal of the season in the 72nd minute and goalkeeper Matt Reis stood tall in the final stages, as the New England Revolution defeated FC Dallas, 1-0, at Pizza Hut Park on Thursday night. The loss was the Hoops' first of the season, as they entered the match as MLS' last remaining unbeaten team.
The Revolution (3-2-1, 10 pts.) climbed into a tie for first-place in the Eastern Conference with Kansas City thanks to the win, while Dallas (2-1-2, 8 pts) remained in the Western Conference's top spot despite the loss.
The victory continued New England's history of success against the Hoops, as the Revolution pushed its overall record in the all-time, regular-season series to 20-9-1, while the club is 7-2-0 on its last nine trips to Dallas dating back to 2002.
New England - which was missing six regular starters for the match - had a great chance to take the lead in the 14th minute, as Kenny Mansally's perfectly-placed cross provided Wells Thompson with a free header as he went streaking into the box. However, Thompson failed to make solid contact with the ball and his header glanced wide of the right post.
The Revs continued to create the better of the scoring chances early in the match, as Shalrie Joseph's powerful drive from a full 25 yards forced a good save from FC Dallas keeper Dario Sala in the 20th minute.
Reis was called into action for the first time in the 24th minute, when he alertly pawed away Juan Toja's well-struck scissor-kick attempt.
Revolution forward Adam Cristman twice went close late in the half, but his first shot - a full volley from the penalty spot - went just wide, while his second effort was stopped by Sala.
After a quiet start to the second half, the action picked up in a hectic two-minute stretch starting in the 70th minute. Jay Heaps went close for New England, putting an open shot from seven yards out over the bar, before Dallas' Andre Rocha sent a long-range blast just wide two minutes later.
Almost immediately after Rocha's missed opportunity, Smith finally broke the deadlock with a rare right-footed goal from the top of the box. The Bermuda native received a pass on the left wing and deftly touched the ball around Dax McCarty before fighting his way around the midfielder, cutting inside, and curling a low shot inside the far post.
Reis preserved the lead for the Revolution in the 86th minute, making a great reaction save on Drew Moor's powerful header from McCarty's corner kick.
Dallas midfielder Pablo Richetti nearly stole a point for the Hoops in the 90th minute, blasting a half volley from 20 yards out just over the crossbar, while Reis was forced into one final save to deny Ricardinho in the fourth minute of stoppage time, but the visitors withstood the pressure and held on for their second road victory of the season.
The Revs will return home for their next match on Saturday, May 3, when they will host the Chicago Fire at Gillette Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
New England Revolution at FC Dallas
April 24, 2008 - Frisco, Texas (Pizza Hut Park)
Scoring Summary
NE - Khano Smith (unassisted) 72
New England Revolution: Matt Reis, Chase Hilgenbrinck, Michael Parkhurst, Jay Heaps, Amaechi Igwe, Khano Smith, Gary Flood, Shalrie Joseph, Wells Thompson, Adam Cristman (Kheli Dube 59), Kenny Mansally
Substitutes Not Used: Doug Warren (GK), Rob Valentino, Argenis Fernandez, Spencer Wadsworth, Brandon Tyler, Sam Brill
STATS: Shots 13; Shots on Goal 5; Saves 4; Corner Kicks 3; Offsides 1; Fouls Committed 13
FC Dallas: Dario Sala, Adrian Serioux, Duilio Davino, Drew Moor, Blake Wagner (Dominic Oduro 79), Andre Rocha, Marcelo Saragosa (Pablo Richetti 64), Dax McCarty, Arturo Alvarez, Juan Toja (Ricardinho 71), Kenny Cooper
Substitutes Not Used: Mike Graczyk (GK), Abe Thompson, Aaron Pitchkolan, Anthony Wallace
STATS: Shots 16; Shots on Goal 4; Saves 4; Corner Kicks 7; Offsides 4; Fouls Committed 12
Misconduct Summary:
NE - Wells Thompson (caution) 59
DAL - Arturo Alvarez (caution) 85
NE - Khano Smith (caution) 90
NE - Amaechi Igwe (caution) 93+
Referee: Alex Prus
Referee's Assistants: Fabio Tovar (SAR), Jose Corro (JAR)
Fourth Official: Jair Marrufo
Time of Game: 1:55
Weather: Partly cloudy, 81 degrees
Attendance: 10,453
NOTES
• New England was missing six regular starters for the match ... Taylor Twellman (right meniscus surgery), Steve Ralston (dislocated left shoulder), Chris Albright (left ankle bone bruise), Jeff Larentowicz (right ankle sprain), Sainey Nyassi (right adductor strain) and Mauricio Castro (red card suspension) were all unavailable.
• The match was New England's first at Pizza Hut Park since earning a 3-2 victory over FC Dallas in the U.S. Open Cup Final at the venue on Oct. 3, 2007 ... that victory earned the Revs their first-ever cup championship.
• Khano Smith's goal was his first since Sept. 29, 2007, when he scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win against Colorado at Gillette Stadium.
• Smith's goal in the 72nd minute snapped Dallas' 252-minute shutout streak, which was the longest shutout streak by any MLS team this season.
• Defender Jay Heaps climbed into seventh-place on MLS' all-time list for minutes played (23,033) in the 85th minute, passing the recently-retired Chris Armas (23,027) ... Heaps is New England's all-time leader in minutes played (17,289), games played (194) and games started (189).
• New England used its fifth different starting lineup in the team's sixth game of the season ... injuries, suspensions and international duty for starters have all contributed to the shuffling.
• The Revs deployed a 4-4-2 alignment to start a match for the first time since Oct. 7, 2006 - a 2-1 win at D.C. United ... Steve Ralston started that match at right back.
• Jay Heaps, Shalrie Joseph, Michael Parkhurst and Matt Reis have each played all 540 minutes for the Revs this season, making the quartet the league leaders in that category.
• Chase Hilgenbrinck earned his first career MLS start, getting the nod at left back ... he became the fifth player to earn his first career MLS start with the Revs this year, joining Mauricio Castro, Sainey Nyassi, Kenny Mansally and Amaechi Igwe.
• Wells Thompson made his first start since MLS Cup 2007 on the right side of midfield ... he missed the first four games of the season with a left heel injury before making his 2008 debut at New York (April 19), entering the game in the 84th minute ... Thompson made 27 appearances last season, including 11 starts.
• Jay Heaps started the match as a central defender, marking the third different position at which he's started in the first six games this season ... previously, he'd made starts at both left back and right back in a three-man setup, while tonight he started centrally in a four-man backline.
• Five of New England's seven available subs - Doug Warren (GK), Rob Valentino, Sam Brill, Brandon Tyler and Spencer Wadsworth - have not seen any MLS action this season ... Valentino, Brill, Tyler and Wadsworth have all never played in an MLS match.
• The teams entered the half tied at 0-0, marking the first time this season that FC Dallas did not lead at halftime ... it was the second time this season that New England entered halftime in a scoreless tie.
