REAL SALT LAKE vs. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
RICE-ECCLES STADIUM, Salt Lake City, Utah
June 21, 2008 | 7:30 p.m. MT (TV38)
WEEK # 13 | GAME # 90
One game away from tying their club record unbeaten run, Real Salt Lake play host to a New England Revolution sporting an unbeaten skein of their own, when the two meet Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Real haven't lost in four games - and haven't lost at home all season - after a midweek draw with the San Jose Earthquakes. The Revolution extended their unbeaten streak to seven matches at midweek, coming back to snatch a late draw at home against the New York Red Bulls.
REFEREE: Kevin Stott. SAR (bench): Paul Scott; JAR (opposite): Peter Manikowski; 4th: Feliciano Palomino MLS Career: 151 games; FC/gm: 26.5; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 40; pens: 32
INJURY REPORT:REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: MF Nathan Sturgis (L hamstring strain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Fabian Espindola (L knee contusion); FW Yura Movsisyan (R meniscus surgery) ... NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION - OUT: DF Rob Valentino (R hamstring strain); DOUBTFUL: FW Taylor Twellman (R ankle sprain), MF Mauricio Castro (R oblique strain); QUESTIONABLE: MF Gary Flood (L ankle sprain); PROBABLE: FW Adam Cristman (R toe sprain), GK Brad Knighton (R foot bone bruise), DF Michael Parkhurst (L hip flexor strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: RSL: Chris Seitz (USA; v Barbados, June 21) ... NE: Kenny Mansally (The Gambia; v Algeria, June 20); Shalrie Joseph (Grenada; v Costa Rica, June 21); Khano Smith (Bermuda; v Trinidad & Tobago, June 22)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: RSL: Dema Kovalenko, Jamison Olave ... NE: Amaechi Igwe
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Kenny Deuchar ... NE: Jeff Larentowicz, Sainey Nyassi
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (6 meetings): Real Salt Lake 1 win, 5 goals ... Revolution 3 wins, 8 goals ... Ties 2
AT RICE-ECCLES STADIUM (3 meetings): Real Salt Lake 0 wins, 1 goal ... Revolution 2 wins, 3 goals ... Ties 1
• This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season, the only one at Rice-Eccles Stadium. They will meet on Oct. 4 at Gillette Stadium.
LAST YEAR (MLS):
6/2: NE 0, RSL 0
7/28: RSL 1, NE 2 (Talley 72 - Noonan 38; Larentowicz 82)
• A year ago, the Revolution won the season series for the second time in three years, winning the game in Salt Lake City after the teams played to a scoreless draw in Foxborough.
• RSL has yet to win at home against the Revolution in their history. The only point Real have taken in their three meetings in Utah came in a scoreless draw, June 24, 2006.
• RSL's lone win against New England came that season in the Bay State. Real haven't lost in their last two trips to Gillette Stadium.
• Coaches record: Jason Kreis vs. NE: P2 W0 L1 D1 ... Steve Nicol v RSL: P6 W3 L1 D2
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake extended their unbeaten streak to four games and remained unbeaten at home, but couldn't take advantage of a red card and played to a scoreless draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Real moved into a tie for third place in the Western Conference with 16 points from 13 games, level with FC Dallas a point behind Houston and four behind the LA Galaxy.
LAST MATCH
• Real came into the match with two wins and a draw in their last three matches, with shutouts in their last two games, while the Earthquakes had alternated wins and losses for five consecutive rounds, last a 3-0 loss to the Galaxy at home.
• A quiet first half saw the game's flashpoint erupt just before halftime, when San Jose defender Jason Hernandez was sent off for a second bookable offense in the 44th minute.
• After the break, the home side piled on the pressure, ending the match with a 24-7 advantage in attempts at goal. But they put just four on target; San Jose managed just one.
• RSL seemed to have the goal they needed in the 72nd minute when Kyle Beckerman tapped in from close range from a corner kick. But after consultation between referee Jasen Anno and his assistant, the goal was ruled out for offside.
• Real head coach Jason Kreis made no changes to the team that defeated Chivas USA 1-0 at The Home Depot Center the previous weekend.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert - Matias Cordoba (Kenny Cutler 67), Dema Kovalenko, Kyle Beckerman - Javier Morales - Robbie Findley, Kenny Deuchar (Tino Nunez 57). Substitutes Not Used: Ian Joy, Matias Mantilla, Alex Nimo, Kyle Reynish, Brennan Tennelle
• "We'll have to feel very disappointed that the final touch wasn't there to get us all three points. I think that this is the first time all season that we have been a man up, and so for this team I think it's another area where we have to go back and look and see how we dealt with it. I would say it probably wasn't good enough, and it's another experience we're going to have to learn from," Kreis said.
TEAM NEWS
• Despite playing the entire second half with the man advantage and amassing a huge shot disparity, RSL had few real glittering chances in the final third.
• "Our players have to have a little bit more of an aggressive mentality when you are playing against a team that is a man down. You have to know that they are going to sit in a bunker, and in order for you to move those players around you've got to dribble at them. You've got to be aggressive and cause defenders to make decisions on whom to play," Kreis said.
• The 24 shots were a season-high for RSL, but the four shots on goal were just two more than the team low for the year.
• "I think we could've done a little bit better with our possession and we could've done a little bit better spreading out on the field. I think we lost the ball far too many times," said Nat Borchers. "At the same time, I think our guys really did work hard to win the ball back, and we put in a really good effort. It's just one of those nights, unfortunately."
• Still, RSL did extend their shutout streak to 276 minutes - two shy of the club record set almost exactly one year ago. The problem is they have only one goal to show for that period of time.
• "We've gone three games with shutouts - which is great - but then you look back and we've only scored one goal in that time and we have only one win in that time," defender Chris Wingert said.
• Real haven't scored in 197 minutes on their home turf at Rice-Eccles. "I think we're going to match up a little better with New England because they like to play soccer. When teams like San Jose come here, they just sit in and play a lot of kickball, try and get a draw, or wait to see if we make mistakes," said Beckerman. "This weekend we'll be up for it, it's New England. It will be a tough game, but we'll definitely be up for it."
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution got a late equalizer to extend their unbeaten streak, coming back to grab a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday evening at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution have 27 points from 14 matches, sitting atop the Eastern Conference and MLS overall table, five points ahead of second-place Columbus.
LAST MATCH
• The Revolution came in with five victories and a draw in their last six matches, while the Red Bulls were coming off three losses in their last four games, two by heavy deficits.
• Winless in Foxborough since 2002, the Red Bulls took the lead in the 37th minute. Dave van den Bergh took a clearance and went haring down the left flank before serving a high cross beyond the far post. Seth Stammler ghosted in beyond the corner of the goal area and met the ball with a perfect volley, ripping it inside the near post for his first goal on the season.
• An injury forced Steve Nicol to move playmaker Steve Ralston into a forward role for the final stages, and it paid off 11 minutes from the end. Jay Heaps played in a cross from the left flank, Kheli Dube knocked it down to Ralston, and he controlled before lashing home a rising drive for his third goal in as many games and fourth on the campaign.
• Revolution head coach Steve Nicol made two changes to the team that defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-0 the previous weekend at Robertson Stadium. Sharlie Joseph was allowed to return from the Grenada national team for the midweek league match and Sainey Nyassi came into the team, as Pat Phelan and Amaechi Igwe went to the substitutes' bench.
• Here's Nicol's team (3-4-1-2): Matt Reis - Chris Albright, Michael Parkhurst, Jay Heaps - Sainey Nyassi, Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Mauricio Castro (Wells Thompson 40) - Steve Ralston - Adam Cristman (Pat Phelan 71), Kheli Dube. Substitutes Not Used: Argenis Fernandez, Chase Hilgenbrinck, Amaechi Igwe, Chris Tierney, Doug Warren
• "Over the last 10 minutes and injury time, we got the ball wide more in that period than we did in the rest of the game," Nicol said. "We caused them problems. We could have gotten another one. We would have stolen the points if we'd gotten the second one."
TEAM NEWS
• When Adam Cristman limped off the field with 18 minutes to play, Nicol was forced to rejigger his team. With only little-used striker Argenis Fernandez in reserve, he chose to throw on defensive midfielder Pat Phelan in Cristman's place, shifting Steve Ralston into Cristman's spot and moving Shalrie Joseph into Ralston's attacking midfield role.
• "We were hoping that maybe we could make them think differently," Nicol said. "One of Rally's big attributes is his passing and holding the ball. We were trying to pull them in tighter and get some more room wide. We were hoping to get the ball wider more often."
• No one was more surprised than Ralston, who has played fullback and across the midfield for the Revolution but could not recall a time when he was asked to play striker.
• "I haven't played forward since my sophomore year in college. In practice every once in a while, I'll step up and play there," Ralston said. "... I got on the end of one [goal]; I could have had another one. If I was a real forward, I could have had two. Obviously, Conway made a great save on the follow-up. We could have snuck out of here with three points. To be fair, it's probably what we deserved."
• Kheli Dube continued to make his presence felt on the scoresheet. Thrust into the starting lineup six games ago, in the 2-0 victory against San Jose on May 17, Dube has contributed either a goal or an assist in five of those games, now with four goals and three assists on the campaign.
• "I just had to make sure I got it to the guy who had the opportunity to score. (Steve) Ralston was wide open. I could've tried to shoot, but it was better to get it to someone who was open and get the goal," Dube said.
• Joseph was a surprise addition to the Revolution lineup, showing up in Foxborough the day before the match after being released by the Grenada Football Federation to play in the midweek league contest. He returned to join his national team for this weekend's crunch World Cup qualifier in Costa Rica; the series is finely poised after a 2-2 draw in St. George last weekend.
• "Tonight was one of those games where every time you try to push it forward - every time you try to push the tempo of the game - they come back and take over the ball. They came in here and they wanted the points," Joseph said. "... We were working hard, but we were getting beat to all the loose balls, so you have to give them credit. They stayed behind the ball. We have to be better at home."
