DOUBTFUL: FW Taylor Twellman (R ankle sprain); PROBABLE: GK Brad Knighton (R foot bone bruise); FW Adam Cristman (R toe sprain); MF Jeff Larentowicz (L quad strain) ... D.C. UNITED -- OUT: MF Ben Olsen (ankle surgery); MF Jeff Carroll (toe surgery) ... D.C. UNITED - OUT: MF Ben Olsen (ankle surgery); MF Jeff Carroll (toe surgery)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: NE: Kenny Mansally (Gambia; World Cup qualifying)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DC: Marc Burch; Rod Dyachenko ... NE: Amaechi Igwe
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (47 meetings): Revolution 17 wins (3 shootout), 58 goals ... United 24 wins (4 shootout), 72 goals ... Ties 6
IN FOXBOROUGH (23 meetings): Revolution 11 wins (2 shootout), 25 goals ... United 9 wins (2 shootout), 24 goals ... Ties 3
• This is the first of three meetings between the teams this season, the first of two at Gillette Stadium. The next encounter will also be on Route One, on Aug. 20, with the season series finale set for RFK Stadium on Oct. 16.
LAST YEAR (MLS):
5/3: DC 1, NE 1 (Moreno 50 - Dorman 46)
8/5: NE 0, DC 3 (Gros 22; Emilio 31, 76)
9/9: DC 4, NE 2 (Fred 31; Moreno 59; Emilio 67, 83 - Twellman 45; Heaps 54)
• A year ago, D.C. United swept the season series, winning the final two matches - once on each ground - after the teams played to a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the opener.
• The Revolution haven't defeated United in their last three home matches against the Black-and-Red. The last New England home win came Aug. 27, 2005, a 2-1 triumph.
• United's 4-2 win in the series finale last year was their first win at RFK Stadium against the Revolution in three matches in all competitions. New England won the final league encounter in 2006, then captured the Eastern Conference Championship with a 1-0 win on Nov. 5, 2006, before the clubs played to their opening draw a year ago.
• Coaches record: Steve Nicol vs. DC: P24 W9 L9 D6 ... Tom Soehn v NE: P3 W2 L0 D1
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution became the first team to defeat the Columbus Crew at home -- and put an end to their six-game unbeaten streak -- with a dramatic 1-0 victory Saturday night to leave the teams level atop the conference and MLS overall table. The Revolution and Crew both have 19 points, along with the Chicago Fire, in the trio of clubs atop both the East and MLS standings.
LAST MATCH
• The Crew had seen a five-game winning streak end the previous weekend, but still hadn't lost since the second week of the season. The Revolution had overcome a long string of injuries with back-to-back wins for the first time on the season.
• The Crew held the balance of the chances over the opening 88 minutes, but the Revolution capitalized on the one they needed. Steve Ralston skipped across the top of the area, and when Ezra Hendrickson tripped him in the tackle, referee Richard Heron immediately gave the penalty.
• Shalrie Joseph took the spot kick, but for the third time on the season, Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer saved it, diving to his left to palm the shot away. But Kheli Dube was quickest to the rebound and knocked it home for his second goal on the season and the game-winner.
• Revolution head coach Steve Nicol made no changes to the team that defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 at home the previous weekend.
• Here's Nicol's team (3-4-1-2): Matt Reis - Chris Albright, Michael Parkhurst, Jay Heaps - Wells Thompson (Sainey Nyassi 46), Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Mauricio Castro (Khano Smith 79) - Steve Ralston - Kheli Dube (Amaechi Igwe 92+), Kenny Mansally. Substitutes Not Used: Adam Cristman, Argenis Fernandez, Gary Flood, Doug Warren
• "I thought we did really well. We came here and we created chances. We got corners. We got free kicks. We were dangerous offensively," said goalkeeper Matt Reis. "We didn't sit back and hope for a tie, we came out and attacked and we beat the top team in the league in their house, so I think we're all very pleased with that."
TEAM NEWS
• The teams combined for a single shot on goal in the first half, but Revolution head coach Steve Nicol felt his side could have done more. He looked to change that by bringing on Sainey Nyassi to start the second half, who has been limited to substitute outings in his last two appearances after missing three games to injury.
• "We felt, in the first half, we had a couple opportunities to have a go at their defense and didn't take them. It's something we've been preaching and wanted to get out of the back four and that didn't happen in the first half," Nicol said. "So that's why we made the change. We wanted Sainey [Nyassi] to get the ball. We still wish he'd got some more of it, so he could have a go at it."
• In the first half, the Crew had some success on the flanks, getting into the corners to provide service. The Revolution reversed that thrust in the second half,.
• "I think we bottled them up," Reis said. "They play with one up high and three underneath. With three in the back, it caused us a few problems. When one of those wide guys comes inside, Frankie (Hejduk) and Ezra (Hendrickson) have a lot of space to come up and attack. We handled it really well. They didn't have too many chances."
• Nicol also brought on Khano Smith in the 79th minute at the other wide spot and the Revolution were able to weather a Crew storm to hold out for the result.
• "Matt [Reis] made a great save early in the game to keep us in it and we kept fighting. The second half was a little bit better, we were able to find our forwards' feet a more than we were in the first half," Nicol said. "They're a good team. They did a great job defensively of taking up a lot of space and not giving us any time and obviously, going forward, they're dangerous, so we're fortunate to get out of here with three points."
• The Revolution will be without forward Kenny Mansally this week, as he has joined the Gambian national team in preparation for its World Cup qualifying matches.
D.C. UNITED
D.C. United won for the first time in more than a month, rebounding from a midweek loss to Toronto FC with a 3-2 win in the back end of a home-and-home series, ending TFC's six-game unbeaten run. United still sits in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, now with nine points from 10 matches, two behind the Kansas City Wizards and still 10 out of the top spot.
LAST MATCH
• Danny Dichio's seventh-minute goal on Wednesday night was the game-winner in the first meeting between the clubs in the week, extending TFC's club record six-game unbeaten streak while sending D.C. United to their fourth consecutive loss.
• Just as he had done at BMO Field, Dichio popped up early in the proceedings, this time heading a Jim Brennan cross home from close range for the 13th-minute opener. But United drew level in the 41st minute as Devon McTavish flicked on a corner at the near post and Gonzalo Peralta stooped to head home his first goal in a United uniform.
• But in first-half stoppage time, Dichio restored Toronto's advantage. The big target man exchanged passes with Guevara at the top of the D.C. box before taking knocking a well-aimed, side-footed shot that skipped past United 'keeper Zach Wells and nestled just inside the left-hand post.
• In the 70th minute, Santino Quaranta was pushed over by TFC fullback Marvell Wynne as he drove goalward nearly on the byeline, and Jaime Moreno duly converted from the spot to again bring United back level. Then two minutes later, a stinging Quaranta drive was only parried by TFC 'keeper Greg Sutton and Luciano Emilio swept to knock the rebound home. Minutes earlier, a carbon-copy "goal" was ruled out for offside, but this time the flag stayed down and United had put an end to their losing run.
• United head coach Tom Soehn maintained the same starting XI that started the 1-0 loss to TFC four days earlier at BMO Field.
• Here's Soehn's team (4-3-1-2): Zach Wells - Bryan Namoff, Devon McTavish, Gonzalo Peralta, Gonzalo Martinez - Santino Quaranta (Domenic Mediate 88), Clyde Simms, Fred - Marcelo Gallardo - Luciano Emilio, Jaime Moreno (Marc Burch 85). Substitutes Not Used: Jose Carvallo, Ryan Cordeiro, Francis Doe, Quavas Kirk, Dan Stratford
• "This group with all the turmoil we have we keep sticking together and we are going to pull through this. During traumatic times like this you can see it go the other way very easily," Soehn said. "But we had a lot of the ball [tonight]. It's just a matter of getting that one opportunity. One step in the right direction, but we still have a lot of work to do. This is a good starting point. Coming from behind, winning a game, it's a real positive and something to grow off."
TEAM NEWS
• Santino Quaranta certainly played a role in bringing United back. He won the penalty that led to the 70th minute equalizer, then his long-range blast wasn't handled by TFC 'keeper Greg Sutton and the rebound knocked home by Emilio.
• "We are looking to win a game when we are at home. I have called on everybody to step up and play their role. He dug deep and he wanted that play, he wanted that for himself and he made something out of it," Soehn said. "And Luci [Emilio] did a great job of following it up. He was more attentive and more alert, doing the things he did last year like following up plays."
• Quaranta said the second half of the TFC match could result in being the most important of the year for United. "At halftime, we could've fell apart -- I felt like our whole season was riding on this halftime, honestly," he said. "Because if we come out and lose that game, where do we go from there?"
• Emilio, the 2007 MLS Golden Boot winner, scored for the first time since the season opener (also against Toronto). His goal ended a personal scoreless drought of 653 minutes.
• "It was a hard shot from Santino, it was a very difficult shot for the 'keeper to handle. I was just there at the right place at the right time and I was able to poke it in," said the Brazilian frontrunner. "It's very motivating for us tonight, the win. I think tonight we began a new season for D.C. United and we're looking forward to more wins."
• Jaime Moreno's penalty kick was his team-leading fourth goal of the year, and the 116th league goal in his career. At the other end, Gonzalo Peralta's first United goal pulled the Black-and-Red level late in the first half.,
• "I hope that goal will be the beginning of a new stage for D.C. because we're on the bottom of the standings and we were very ashamed," Peralta said. "We felt very bad, weren't enjoying trainings or anything so we hope this win will lift us up and get us going."
• Striker Francis Doe was called up to the Liberian national team for four World Cup qualifiers next month. He left the team following the TFC match and will not return until June 21, missing four MLS games in the process.
