FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Eastern Conference leaders New England Revolution issued a resounding statement ahead of Sunday's contest with D.C. United by dismissing second-place Kansas City at home on Thursday night: No more lost points at home.
"The boys have been frustrated that we've lost some points here," Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said after Saturday morning's training session at Gillette Stadium. "We want three points here."
With Thursday's comprehensive victory against the Wizards, New England thinks it has restored the home-field advantage it has struggled to assert this season. Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst believes his side, which has drawn four times in nine matches at home this season (4-1-4), has shown too much courtesy to its guests.
"We've been doing well on the road, but we've been dropping points at home," Parkhurst said. "We want people to fear coming in here to play us."
Fear is easy to inspire when your team leads Eastern Conference with a four-point cushion and boasts the fewest losses (three) and most goals scored (33) in the league. Couple the record with Thursday's win and the revival of Pat Noonan (three goals in the last three games after two in the previous 14 matches) and the Revolution are approaching all systems go in advance of another key match against D.C. United on Sunday.
Victory against perennial foe United would extend the Revolution's gap over D.C. to 12 points with 11 matches left in the season.
"We know it's a big game," Parkhurst said.
Despite the nine-point separation, Parkhurst noted that his team always gets a stiff challenge from D.C., while Nicol said that "you know United is always going to be a good side" and suggested that the contest will as tightly contested as previous encounters.
The teams last met on May 3 and played to a 1-1 draw at RFK Stadium. Andy Dorman tallied for the Revolution and Jamie Moreno scored from the spot before Shalrie Joseph was dismissed after 58 minutes.
The first match came at the nadir of United's season as D.C. struggled out of the gate before settling into a rhythm and climbing back up the Eastern Conference table.
"They had a bad spell at the start of the season, but it's not unexpected," Nicol said, citing that teams rarely go through the season unchallenged. "They are right back in it."
But United's recent form has been patchy. Tom Soehn's team advanced to the SuperLiga semifinals after going 1-1-1 in the group stages, while United has gone their last three league matches without a victory.
Injuries have taken their toll as United has had to chop and change as Greg Vanney (ankle) will miss out and Fred is suspended.
One bright spot for United is the projected return of Jamie Moreno to the starting lineup. Moreno suffered a hamstring injury in a 3-3 draw with FC Dallas on July 14 and has seen limited action while recovering.
Moreno poses a different threat than the Revolution faced with Wizards striker Eddie Johnson on Thursday night because he operates more on guile than physical gifts, according to Parkhurst.
"Jaime's been around a long time," Parkhurst said. "He knows all the tricks of the trade. He's a very smart player."
In contrast, Moreno's partner up top, Luciano Emilio, presents a different challenge for Parkhurst. Emilio is second in the league with 10 goals in 16 matches with a style that focuses more on power than craft.
"Emilio has some physical tools," Parkhurst said. "He uses his body well and makes strong runs. Obviously, he's a good finisher and you can't give him chances."
Nicol has few injury worries ahead of Sunday afternoon's contest. Backup goalkeeper Doug Warren has been upgraded to probable (concussion symptoms). Adam Cristman, who scored the second goal on Thursday night, is likely to play as well despite suffering from turf toe.
Two players who won't feature on Sunday or any time soon are trialists Sanna Nyassi and Abdoulie Mansally. While the midfielders, fresh off a stint with the Gambian U-20 team in last month's FIFA U-20 World Cup, have impressed Nicol in their two weeks of training, the Revolution coach admits signing them will be difficult.
"It's a complete mess," Nicol said. "It's extremely unlikely to happen. There are a lot of things to sort out."
