or allow a goal -- on the season, but that all changed quickly. In just the eighth minute, Columbus took the lead. From a turnover, Joseph Ngwenya received the ball on the right, and picked out Ricardo Virtuoso in the area. He calmly laid a square pass to Ned Grabavoy and he hit for the Crew's first goal on the campaign as his shot took a deflection on its way to goal.
• But the Revolution pulled level just two minutes later. A nifty passing sequence between Andy Cristman and midfielder Andy Dorman saw Dorman collect pass in the heart of the penalty area and he drove it home, claiming honors as the first man to beat Crew 'keeper Andy Gruenebaum this season.
• The Revolution took the lead seven minutes before the break. Taylor Twellman intercepted the ball near the center circle and went haring forward unmolested, letting fly from 25 yards out with a shot that beat Gruenebaum inside his right-hand post. It was the third goal of the season for Twellman, who hit for a double just five days prior in a 4-0 rout of Toronto FC.
• But the Crew showed resiliency, getting the equalizer four minutes from the end. Brad Evans freed Frankie Hejduk on the right flank and after getting to the corner his rolling cross slipped under the boot of a Revolution defender. Kei Kamara was on the other end and he hammered his shot off the underside of the bar into the goal to give the Crew a third draw in as many matches on the season.
• Here's Sigi Schmid's team (4-4-2): Andy Gruenebaum - Frankie Hejduk, Marcos Gonzalez, Ezra Hendrickson, Rusty Pierce - Joseph Ngwenya (Kei Kamara 69), Ned Grabavoy, Danny O'Rourke, Eddie Gaven - Andy Herron, Ricardo Virtuoso (Brad Evans 62). Substitutes Not Used: Bill Gaudette, Stefani Miglioranzi, Brandon Moss, Duncan Oughton, Tim Ward
• Here's Steve Nicol's team (3-4-1-2): Matt Reis - Jay Heaps, James Riley, Avery John - Steve Ralston, Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Khano Smith (Wells Thompson 60) - Andy Dorman - Taylor Twellman, Adam Cristman (Pat Noonan 66). Substitutes Not Used: Gary Flood, Amaechi Igwe, Marshall Leonard, Ryan Solle, Doug Warren
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution followed up their first loss in eight games with a draw in their last league action, playing to a goalless result with Real Salt Lake two weekends ago. The Revolution now sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with 18 points from 10 matches, one behind the Kansas City Wizards and two behind the New York Red Bulls.
LAST MATCH
• The Revolution came into the match after having their seven-game unbeaten streak ended the weekend before in a 4-3 loss to Kansas City, while Real were still looking for their first victory on the campaign, though with three draws in four matches since Jason Kreis took over.
• Yet after 90 minutes of near-domination by the Revolution, the teams shared the points. Nick Rimando was called upon to make 13 saves, just two away from the MLS record and the sixth such performance in MLS history -- matching the RSL club record, set when D.J. Countess made 13 saves in a 2-2 draw with San Jose in 2005.
• RSL was forced to play a man down for the final eight minutes after Ritchie Kotschau was sent off mere seconds after coming on as a substitute. It was the second time in MLS history a player had been sent off within a minute of coming onto the field (and no starting player has ever been sent off in the first minute).
• Four of Rimando's saves came over the final minutes, including one where Andy Williams slowed up a Jay Heaps attempt on the line before the RSL 'keeper claimed it, but the visitors' defense stood resolute for a second consecutive goalless draw.
• Revolution boss Steve Nicol made one change to the team that lost 4-3 to the Kansas City Wizards a week earlier, as Adam Cristman again came into attack in place of Pat Noonan.
• Here's Nicol's team (3-4-1-2): Matt Reis - Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, James Riley - Steve Ralston, Jeff Larentowicz, Shalrie Joseph, Khano Smith (Bryan Byrne 71) - Andy Dorman (Wells Thompson 63) - Taylor Twellman, Adam Cristman (Pat Noonan 64). Substitutes Not Used: Daniel Hernandez, Avery John, Marshall Leonard, Doug Warren
• "We're not happy we tied. We just couldn't buy a goal tonight. I guess that's about it," said Nicol. "I mean, 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."
TEAM NEWS
• The tone for the match was set at the beginning of the game - when Taylor Twellman's header from six yards skimmed off the top of the crossbar - and at the end, when 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.
• "We couldn't buy a goal tonight. Obviously we completely dominated the game. 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 dressing room's pretty quiet. It happens," Nicol said.
• It was the final match before a trio of Revolution players headed off to join the U.S. national team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup - striker Taylor Twellman, midfielder Steve Ralston and defender Michael Parkhurst.
• "I believe anytime you lose the quality of players that we're losing, it's tough to fill. But that's the challenge. That's what we got to do. Fortunately for us, we've started off well, and we can absorb a little bit of this loss of personnel," said goalkeeper Matt Reis. "But, I think we should be fine. It'll be a good chance for the young guys and the guys that have been busting their rear ends everyday to get a chance to help us out. At the end of the season, we're going to need everybody that's in this locker room to contribute."
• One player likely to fit into the starting lineup is rookie Wells Thompson, who could be expected to fill Ralston's wide midfield role. A second-half substitute on seven occasions in the Revolution's last nine games -- after starting and playing the entirety of the season opener -- Thompson has shown pace and commitment on the flanks late in contests.
• Thompson's style is tailored towards getting in behind defenders and whipping crosses into the box. "It's always been that way with me," Thompson said. "I'd just dribble through guys at the lower levels. In college, I was asked not to do it as much, but they've encouraged me to do it here. Since day one, they've encouraged me to do it. I've really embraced it. ... Sometimes, I need to get the ball into the box. That's what I love to do."
• Another likely addition to the lineup is defender Avery John. He was not included in Trinidad & Tobago's Gold Cup squad after a pay dispute between that country's federation and the members of last summer's World Cup team.
• "While it's disappointing [not to be there], I can stake a claim for a place in the team here," John said. Said Nicol: "It gives him an opportunity to step onto the field. It's good for me that I can turn to Avery."
COLUMBUS CREW
The Columbus Crew lost for the second game on the trot and remained winless since April 29, falling 2-1 to Houston Dynamo last Saturday at Crew Stadium. The Crew sit at the foot of the Eastern Conference table with eight points from 10 matches, two points behind Toronto FC and 12 points off the pace of league leaders New York.
LAST MATCH
• Dynamo were coming off back-to-back wins for the first time all season, after their MLS Primetime Thursday home win against Colorado, while the Crew were winless in their last five games, with just a single victory on the season.
• All the goals came in an eight-minute span midway through the first half -- and not without a touch of irony. Houston took the lead in the 22nd minute on a goal from Joseph Ngwenya -- against the club that dealt him away a few weeks earlier. Brad Davis flighted in a corner from the left, and Ngwenya glancing header from the near post bounced off the inside of the back stick and into the goal for his third goal in as many games.
• But three minutes later Columbus pulled level through Alejandro Moreno -- who was dealt to the Crew straight up in the deal for Ngwenya. The goal was also nearly identical: Guillermo Barros Schelotto whipped in a cross from the right side of the area and Moreno rose up to head home for his goal of the season.
• The match was decided four minutes through a cruel twist. Kelly Gray raced up the right flank and pulled back a rolling cross to the top of the six. Chad Marshall was racing toward his own goal ahead of a Houston attacker and deflected the ball inside the left post and into his own goal.
• Crew head coach Sigi Schmid made three changes to the team that lost 3-2 to the Chicago Fire the weekend before. Tim Ward came in for Frankie Hejduk, away on international duty, while Chad Marshall replaced Ezra Hendrickson in central defense in his first start of the year. Andy Herron started in place of the suspended Danny O'Rourke as Schmid once again reconfigured his lines.
• Here's Schmid's team (4-2-3-1): Andy Gruenebaum - Tim Ward, Marcos Gonzalez, Chad Marshall, Rusty Pierce (Jason Garey 81), Ned Grabavoy, Duncan Oughton - Robbie Rogers, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Andy Herron (Eddie Gaven 72) - Alejandro Moreno. Substitutes Not Used: Bill Gaudette, Kei Kamara, Stefani Miglioranzi, Danny Szetela, Jed Zayner
• "I thought we gave up one legit chance at the very beginning of the second half. Outside of that, until the very end of the game, I didn't think we gave much up. At times in the first half, we played as good of combining soccer as we've played all year," Schmid said.
TEAM NEWS
• Still, it was another disappointing result for the Crew, who have failed to reach the postseason in each of the last two seasons. At the one-third point of the season, they are already six points out of the final playoff spot in the East.
• "I thought we played some good soccer in the first half. People who know soccer look at it and say 'The Crew are playing a lot better than last year. They are a much better team.' But other people, all they're going to look at is the boxscore," Schmid said.
• Schmid wasn't pleased with how his team chased the equalizer, after attackers Jason Garey and Eddie Gaven came on over the final 18 minutes, for Andy Herron and defender Rusty Pierce.
• "What I'm mainly displeased about is just how we played the last 15 minutes of the game. At the end of the game, you score goals in the box. We went to a 3-5-2 and everyone started wandering and playing different positions," Schmid said. "What's the other team going to do? They are going to pack the box, they are going to pack things in, so you aren't going to get through the middle. You've got to get wide."
• In his first four games since joining the Crew, Alejandro Moreno had contributed a pair of assists while playing every minute of every match. His first goal with the Black & Gold then came against his former club.
• "It's obviously a lot of emotions for me because there are a lot of special people on that team that I have special relationships with, but once we start playing we're here to win a game and it's always nice to score against the team that traded you," he said.
• Guillermo Barros Schelotto has started the last five games for the Crew, and contributed three assists over that time.
• "I've been here for a month already I'm comfortable with the team and my teammates. I feel fine. I have adjusted to the team and I think they have adjusted to me," he said. "There's just one thing that we are missing. Hopefully we can get it done on Saturday because that's the only way we can start to think about the playoffs. We need to start winning games and the best way to do that is to start on Saturday in Boston."
