Khano Smith's penalty kick almost seven minutes into second-half stoppage was the only goal of the game, as the New England Revolution earned a 1-0 victory over defending champion Pachuca in SuperLiga 2008 Group B action on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.
It was the Revs' second straight 1-0 victory - they defeated reigning Mexican champion Santos by a similar score-line on Sunday night - and all but assured the club of a trip to the competition's semifinal round. Depending on the result of the Chivas USA-Santos match played later Wednesday night, the possibility still existed that the Revolution could end up in a three-way tie in the group, in which case goal differential would decide which teams advanced. Pachuca remained on three points following a 2-1 victory over Chivas USA in its opening match.
The game's deciding moment occurred almost seven minutes into stoppage time, as Sainey Nyassi's right-wing cross struck the arm of Pachuca defender Julio Manzur, who was positioned just inside the area. Referee Walter Quesada showed no hesitation and instantly pointed to the spot, from which Smith sent a left-footed shot into the right side of the net as Pachuca goalkeeper Miguel Calero went the wrong way.
New England began the match with six potential starters unavailable because of injury, including the club's two leading goal scorers this season, Steve Ralston and Adam Cristman.
The Revs' injury crisis was nearly worsened less than one minute into the match, as forward Kenny Mansally clashed heads with Pachuca defender Leobardo Lopez as both were contesting a bouncing ball. However, after receiving treatment on the sidelines for about five minutes, both returned to the field.
The action began fast and furious in the opening stages, as each team had a chance to take an early lead in the first six minutes. New England appeared to score when emergency left back Chris Tierney's fifth-minute free kick was headed into the net by Jay Heaps, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Just moments later, "Los Tuzos" had their opportunity to open the scoring when Paul Aguilar's cutting pass put Damian Alvarez in alone on Revs goalkeeper Matt Reis, but Reis was up to the task and saved Alvarez's low shot with his legs.
The hectic pace continued throughout the first half, but serious opportunities were rare. Long-range efforts from Amaechi Igwe in the 32nd minute and Smith in the 39th minute gave the Revs a slight advantage in terms of chances, but Igwe's knuckling effort was punched away by Calero and Smith's shot skipped just wide.
Pachuca's best first-half chance came in the 42nd minute, as Alvarez slipped through the Revs backline and freed himself near the top of the area. With time to compose himself and Reis charging, Alvarez fired a slicing shot inches wide of the right post.
Kheli Dube forced Calero into a good save less than two minutes into the second half, as he fired a quick shot from eight yards out after receiving Mansally's diagonal pass in the box. Calero didn't handle the shot cleanly and let the ball squirt towards the right post, but the 'keeper recovered and was first to the rebound.
"Los Tuzos" came closest to scoring in the 68th minute, and it was once again Alvarez who was at the center of the action. The 29-year-old forward received a pass with his back to goal and turned to fire a long-range shot from a full 25 yards out, and his swerving effort appeared to be headed inside the right post. However, Reis managed to get the slightest of touches on the shot, doing just enough to push the ball off the post and back into play, where it was cleared to safety by Michael Parkhurst.
Dube was denied for a second time by Calero in the 82nd minute, as his high drive towards the near upper corner was pushed over the net by the Colombian.
However, there was no denying Smith on his penalty kick attempt, as the Bermuda international stepped up and secured all three points for the Revs deep into injury time.
New England will play its final Group B match in SuperLiga 2008 on Sunday, July 20, when the club will visit fellow MLS side Chivas USA at 8 p.m. ET at Cal State Fullerton's Titan Stadium. If the Revs advance to the tournament's semifinals, they will play on either July 29 or July 30 with an aim at reaching the final on Aug. 5. They will resume their MLS regular-season schedule on Saturday, Aug. 9, when they will host the Chicago Fire at Gillette Stadium.
New England Revolution vs. Pachuca
July 16, 2008 - Foxborough, Mass. (Gillette Stadium)
Scoring Summary:
NE - Khano Smith (penalty kick) 97+
New England Revolution: Matt Reis (GK), Chris Tierney, Michael Parkhurst, Jay Heaps, Amaechi Igwe, Khano Smith, Shalrie Joseph ©, Pat Phelan (Brandon Tyler 91+), Sainey Nyassi, Kenny Mansally (Wells Thompson 71), Kheli Dube
Substitutes Not Used: Doug Warren (GK), Sam Brill, Joe Germanese, Brandon Manzonelli, Rob Valentino
STATS: Shots 13; Shots on Goal 7; Saves 4; Corner Kicks 5; Offsides 2; Fouls Committed 12
Pachuca: Miguel Calero (GK) ©, Fausto Pinto, Leobardo Lopez, Julio Manzur, Christian Gimenez, Paul Aguilar, Carlos Rodriguez (Jose Maria Cardenas 73), Jose Torres (Gabriel Caballero 55), Jaime Correa, Damian Alvarez (Luis Montes 77), Christian Correa (Edwin Borboa 62)
Substitutes Not Used: Rodolfo Cota (GK), Edy Brambila, Juan Rojas
STATS: Shots 10; Shots on Goal 4; Saves 6; Corner Kicks 4; Offsides 1; Fouls Committed 10
Misconduct Summary:
NE - Khano Smith (caution) 13
PAC - Christian Gimenez (caution) 24
Referee: Walter Quesada
Referee's Assistants: Marvin Ramirez (SAR), Luis Roman Zumbado (JAR)
Fourth Official: Jorge Gonzalez
Time of Game: 1:56
Weather: Sunny and 85 degrees
Attendance: 9,614
NOTES
• The match was delayed for several minutes between the 80th and 90th minutes while Revolution midfielder Pat Phelan was tended to on the field for an apparent head injury ... Phelan clashed heads with teammate Sainey Nyassi on a corner kick and lay unconscious on the field following the play ... the 22-year-old - who was taken off the field on a stretcher with his neck mobilized - regained consciousness and reported having feeling in his extremities, while he also said that he recalled the incident ... he was taken to Mass General Hospital for further tests.
• With the win, New England all but assured itself of a spot in the semifinal round, though that still depends on the result of the Chivas USA-Santos match ... a Santos win or draw would secure the Revs' semifinal spot, but a Chivas USA win would mean that the possibility remained of a three-way tie atop the group, in which case goal differential would decide which clubs advanced.
• The match was the Revolution's first-ever against Mexican power Pachuca, and just the club's second against a Mexican opponent in an official international tournament ... Sunday night's 1-0 win over Santos Laguna was New England's first-ever official match against a Mexican team. Mexico National Team head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was in the stands at Gillette Stadium for the second straight match ... Eriksson - who formerly managed the England National Team and, most recently, English Premier League side Manchester City - was on hand to scout players from Santos and Pachuca. All 18 players that were healthy and available for the Revolution dressed for the match, as seven Revs were unavailable because of injury ... Steve Ralston (L quad strain), Jeff Larentowicz (L quad contusion), Taylor Twellman (R hip strain), Mauricio Castro (L groin strain), Adam Cristman (R toe sprain), Gary Flood (L ankle sprain) and Chris Albright (hip injury) were all unavailable because of injury.
• Because of the rash of injuries, the Revs put out a younger-than-normal starting lineup ... the Revolution's average age in its starting lineup was 25 years, 55 days. Wellesley, Mass., native Chris Tierney - a natural left midfielder - started at left back, marking his first professional start at Gillette Stadium ... the graduate of Noble and Greenough School has made one substitute appearance in MLS regular-season action (June 21 at Real Salt Lake), and two starts in the U.S. Open Cup, in which he recorded a pair of assists.
• Midfielder Brandon Tyler made his first professional appearance at Gillette Stadium, replacing Pat Phelan in stoppage time ... Tyler is yet to make an MLS regular-season appearance for the Revs, though he has played in both of New England's U.S. Open Cup matches.
• Goalkeeper Matt Reis made four saves to earn his second consecutive shutout.
• The Revs wore black arm bands in honor of Mary Kropelin, the mother of Nick Kropelin, who handles the Revolution's team administration and operations duties ... Mary passed away on Sunday morning following a lengthy battle with cancer.
