Andy Dorman's first-half strike stood up to give Matt Reis his sixth shutout of the year as the New England Revolution defeated the New York Red Bulls 1-0 at Giants Stadium on Saturday night.
Seven minutes before the half, Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph created the game's lone goal with a brilliant diagonal pass to free Dorman down the right side. Dorman collected, took one touch and clinically blasted the ball past Conway into the far side to give his side a lead it would never relinquish.
It was the seventh goal of the year for Dorman, who is the top-scoring midfielder in MLS. With the second assist on the play, veteran New England midfielder Steve Ralston became the all-time assist leader in MLS with 115, one more than former Tampa Bay Mutiny teammate Carlos Valderrama.
The Revs came out like gangbusters from the opening whistle. Red Bulls 'keeper Jon Conway had to come up big just four minutes into the tilt when he stoned the red-hot Dorman, who had been sent through for a one-on-one with New York's backup backstop.
Dorman had another excellent chance to put the visitors ahead seven minutes later when the ball fell to him during a scramble in the Red Bulls' box. The Englishman pounced on it and this time he beat Conway. However, Bulls defender Seth Stammler was there to clear off the line.
New York nearly went ahead against the run of play at the quarter-hour mark. Hunter Freeman's deflected cross fell to Clint Mathis, who volleyed off the post. The rebound caromed off Mathis, but Reis was well-positioned to make the stop.
The home side had another good opportunity to open the scoring in the 28th minute. With two defenders draped on him, Juan Pablo Angel used some nifty footwork to get free, cut the ball back, and fire a shot from the edge of the area that skimmed off Reis's crossbar.
On the stroke of halftime and with the Revs now ahead, Angel had another golden opportunity. Dane Richards served in a cross from the right side, but Angel headed over the top from point-blank range.
After the break the visitors seemed content to sit back a bit with the one-goal lead. Neither team created much offense during the early part of the second half, and as is often the case when these two rivals play, the game evolved into a tight, physical affair. Referee Ramon Hernandez ended up calling 16 fouls and handing out five cautions after the break.
As the clock crept past the 70th minute, the Red Bulls began to show some urgency and press forward in search of the equalizer.
Still, it was the Revs that got the clearest looks at goal. First, Joseph put Taylor Twellman behind Kevin Goldthwaite on the right side and the U.S. international ripped a powerful blast that Conway parried away. A few minutes later, n the 87th, Conway again kept his team in contention by tipping second-half substitute Adam Cristman's 18-yard screamer over the bar.
The game ended on an ugly note. Angel was shown a straight red card by Hernandez after a vicious elbow to the head of Joseph, whom he had battled all night, as the two went up for a 50-50 header.
With the win, the Revs leapfrog New York into first place in the East. Reis's latest clean sheet ties him with Houston's Pat Onstad for tops in the league. And with the defeat, the Red Bulls fell from first to fourth place after D.C. United escaped with a draw against FC Dallas and Kansas City beat Real Salt Lake.
Doug MacIntyre is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
