in 2005, against the MetroStars, and in 2006, against the Chicago Fire. This is the first time the Revolution come home even or in the lead. "We're confident," said Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston to The Boston Globe. "We've been in this situation before and we know how to get it done. We just need to go home and win. We'll be the aggressors." ... Since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002, the Revolution are 6-0-3 (with a 14-5 goal differential) in MLS Cup Playoff matches in Foxborough. The Revolution have lost just once at home in the postseason, a 2-1 loss to D.C. United in the club's first-ever playoff game in 1997 (the 2002 MLS Cup Final was considered a neutral-site game). "If we don't win at home, we don't deserve to go through," said defender Jay Heaps. ... After conceding 15 goals in their final seven league matches, the Revolution kept a first clean sheet since Aug. 25. Nicol said a large key to that was the defensive work done on the flanks by Wells Thompson and Khano Smith. "We spoke before the game about limiting the service to [Jozy] Altidore and [Juan Pablo] Angel and that is exactly what we did," said Nicol. "A large part of that was down to the two wide guys who stopped crosses coming into the box and, when they did, made it difficult for a good ball to be put in." ... After going the entire season without being shown a yellow card, Michael Parkhurst earned one on the first leg, stopping a Red Bulls counterattack. "There's smart fouls, and there's bad fouls," Nicol said. "That was a smart foul. He knew exactly what he was doing. It was one of those things that's accepted in a game."
RED BULLS: The Red Bulls were the only home team not to come away from the first leg in the conference semifinals with some sort of advantage. However, even though they are heading to Gillette Stadium looking for some rare success, New York feels they still have a small edge. "The pressure's a little bit on them now," Red Bulls midfielder Claudio Reyna said to the (Newark) Star-Ledger. "It will be interesting. It's a chess match now and it's nice. We still believe that with the players we have up front that any moment we get a chance (we can) score a goal. It will probably be a similar game, very tight, hard-fought, very little space. There was no-risk defending by both teams." ... The Red Bulls felt the Revolution came to Giants Stadium looking just to keep things tight. But, they caution, with the same lineup as in the first game with Francis Doe partnering Juan Pablo Angel in attack and Jozy Altidore as an attack-minded wide midfielder, that opens opportunities for New York to grab goals. "If they're going to continue this style of play, I think we're going to see a lot of the ball again and, hopefully, we can find that little hole to find the back of the net," Red Bulls defender Dave van den Bergh said. "If they decide to open up, we have got more possibilities to be dangerous in the counterattack. I don't know if they want to do that because we've got four guys up top with plenty of speed and plenty of tricks under their belt." ... The Red Bulls have won a playoff series just once in club history -- in 2000, when the then-MetroStars knocked off the then-Dallas Burn in the quarterfinals. "There's a lot to play for," Reyna said. "It's all mental now. We have to be focused and play as a team like we did (Saturday) and we'll give ourselves a pretty good chance to go through. We have to be aggressive. Whether or not we press them as high as we did, I don't know, but we have to be aggressive. It's the only way to play it at this stage of the season." ... New York has not won in Foxborough -- in any game -- since June 29, 2002, a span of 12 matches overall. New England has a record of 9-0-3 in that stretch, including a win and a tie in playoff matches. ... "Who cares how many times we haven't won there? We can beat this team," Altidore said. "We have talked about it, and now it's time to go do it on the field."
