FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - There are some nights when the ball just won't go in, no matter how many shots are put on frame.
For the New England Revolution in Saturday night's scoreless draw with Real Salt Lake at Gillette Stadium, the magic number was 13. That was the number of saves RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando had to make from 23 Revolution attempts.
New England pushed players forward and pinned Real Salt Lake in their own half for the entirety of the second half, holding RSL without a shot in the second stanza.
"Obviously we completely dominated the game," Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said after his team snatched one point when three was more likely. "I guess you've got to give them credit for defending well. They came here for a point and that's what they got."
The tone for New England was set in the ninth minute. Taylor Twellman, who entered the night leading MLS with seven goals on the campaign, skimmed his header from six yards off the top of the crossbar after Khano Smith had crossed into the penalty area from the left wing.
It was the start of a frustrating evening for Twellman and the Revolution as Real Salt Lake defended resolutely for most of the contest. New England created a series of chances, most notably Steve Ralston's effort in the 87th minute that forced a diving save from Rimando and Jay Heaps' 89th-minute header that was cleared off the line by Andy Williams.
Nicol said that, obviously, it was a frustrating night for the Revs in front of goal.
"We just couldn't buy a goal tonight," Nicol said. "We have to give them credit. They got people behind the ball, got bodies in front of the shots, and had Andy Williams head one off the line. It was just one of those nights."
It was not for a lack of effort on Nicol's part that the Revs could not find a goal. Nicol inserted Pat Noonan, Wells Thompson and Bryan Byrne in order to increase service into the box in the second half, but Nicol said that the clutter in the RSL penalty area precluded any conversions.
"Maybe in the final third we could have had a better pass or a better cross, but there were so many bodies in the box," Nicol said. "We couldn't buy a goal."
Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston gave credit to the visitors for defending deeply and keeping things organized at the back.
"We did everything but score," Ralston said. "Give them credit. Down a man, they defended well and set up a lot of guys behind the ball. We have to do a better job of getting the final pass, better balls in the box. I'm disappointed, obviously, it feels like a loss."
Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis said that the effort put forth by the Revs is important despite the apparently negative result.
"In the whole scheme of things, I think we should be very happy," Reis said. "As competitors, I feel like we left a little something out there tonight."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
