D.C. UNITED vs NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
RFK MEMORIAL STADIUM, Washington, D.C.
May 26, 2012 (WEEK 12, MLS Game #115)
7:30 p.m. ET (CSN-NE)
D.C. United and the New England Revolution meet for the second time this season when the long-time rivals face off Saturday evening at RFK Stadium. United have started their homestand with back-to-back wins, coming off a 3-1 victory against Toronto FC last weekend. The Revolution hit the road after a 2-2 draw with Houston Dynamo last weekend. United’s 2-1 win on April 24 is New England’s only loss this year at Gillette Stadium.
REFEREE: Kevin Stott. SAR (bench): Adam Wienckowski; JAR (opposite): Jason Cullum; 4th: Kevin Terry Jr.
MLS Career: 221 games; FC/gm: 25.7; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 58; pens: 45
DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE HERE (PDF)
INJURY REPORT:
- D.C. UNITED – OUT: MF Lance Rozeboom (L knee ACL tear); DF Robbie Russell (L hamstring strain); MF Danny Cruz (R hamstring strain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Chris Pontius (gluteus minimus strain); MF Nick DeLeon (L hamstring strain); GK Joe Willis (eye contusion); PROBABLE: DF Emiliano Dudar (L hamstring strain); FW Maicon Santos (L calf strain); MF Marcelo Saragosa (R soleus strain) …
- NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION – OUT: FW Zak Boggs (R ankle sprain); DF Flo Lechner (R foot fifth metatarsal fracture); MF Sainey Nyassi (R hamstring strain); MF Clyde Simms (L ankle tendonitis); FW Jeremiah White (concussion); PROBABLE: MF Lee Nguyen (R shoulder sprain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
- SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
- SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DC: Maicon Santos, Chris Pontius, Dwayne De Rosario … NE: Chris Tierney, Benny Feilhaber
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (57 meetings): United 26 wins (4 shootout), 82 goals … Revolution 23 wins (3 shootout), 73 goals … Ties 8
AT RFK (28 meetings): United 16 wins (2 shootout), 51 goals … Revolution 8 wins (1 shootout), 38 goals … Ties 4
FUTURE MATCH: 9/15: D.C. United vs. New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m. ET
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. A late Chris Pontius goal gave United a 2-1 comeback victory on April 14 at Gillette Stadium.
• The win in the first meeting snapped a five-game United league winless streak vs. New England, dating back to 2008, and was their first victory in Foxborough since 2007, also snapping a five-game winless streak there.
• The Revs also won a U.S. Open Cup play-in match last year, a 3-2 win at RFK Stadium.
• Coaches record: Ben Olsen vs. NE: P4 W1 L3 D0 … Jay Heaps vs. DC: P1 W0 L1 D0
LAST MEETING (MLS):
4/14: NE 1, DC 2 (Moreno 6 – Maicon Santos 19; Pontius 82)
• The Revolution took the lead on six minutes. Lee Nguyen and Saër Sène combined down the left to slide the French forward into a good crossing position. Sène's tempting service left an unmarked Jose Moreno with little more to do than volley home at the near post for his first MLS goal.
• Maicon Santos hit for the equalizer after 19 minutes. Nick De Leon floated a corner to the far side of the penalty area for De Rosario to bicycle kick toward goal. Santos reacted quickly to divert De Rosario's attempt into the net from six yards for his third goal of the campaign.
• United then scored the winner eight minutes from the end. DeLeon did well to win a 50-50 ball inside the Revolution half and the play eventually squirted out to Pontius on the left side of the penalty area. Pontius cut inside his marker and fired home his first goal of the season.
• NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-3-1-2): Matt Reis - Kevin Alston (Fernando Cardenas 86), A.J. Soares, Stephen McCarthy, Chris Tierney - Ryan Guy, Clyde Simms, Lee Nguyen (Benny Feilhaber 55) - Kelyn Rowe - Jose Moreno (Bjorn Runstrom 79), Saer Sene.
• D.C. UNITED (4-3-1-2): Joe Willis - Robbie Russell, Brandon McDonald, Dejan Jakovic (Chris Korb 60), Daniel Woolard - Danny Cruz, Perry Kitchen, Nick DeLeon - Dwayne De Rosario - Maicon Santos (Chris Pontius 79), Hamdi Salihi (Josh Wolff 65).
D.C. UNITED
D.C. United made it two wins in a row on their homestand, rolling to a 3-1 win against Toronto FC on Saturday evening at RFK Stadium. United are in second place in the Eastern Conference with 24 points from 14 games.
LAST MATCH
HIGHLIGHTS: D.C. 3, TOR 1
• United’s opening goal came just 55 seconds into the match, the third quickest goal in team history. Toronto conceded a free kick on the left hand flank, and Branko Boskovic whipped in a curling ball which was headed home by Dwayne De Rosario from 8 yards out.
• D.C. hit for the second on the stroke of halftime. United quickly changed the point of attack through Josh Wolff, who found a streaking Chris Korb down the right flank. The right back’s cross landed for De Rosario at the far post, and he tucked it home off the gloves of TFC goalkeeper Milos Kocic.
• Toronto FC pulled a goal back in the 71st minute as halftime substitute Danny Koevermans tallied his second goal of the season. A Toronto free kick was sent long into the box and Koevermans raced onto it to tap home from close range.
• Yet United restored their two-goal lead two minutes later. Taking control of the ball in the Toronto box, Andy Najar weaved past several defenders, got to the touch line, and then sent a pass towards the middle that Hamdi Salihi placed into the back of the net.
• United head coach Ben Olsen made two changes to the team that posted a 2-0 win against the Colorado Rapids at RFK Stadium. Danny Cruz and Josh Wolff came into the side, in place of Robbie Russell and Lewis Neal.
• D.C. UNITED (4-3-1-2): Bill Hamid - Andy Najar (Stephen King 83), Daniel Woolard, Brandon McDonald, Chris Korb - Danny Cruz (Dejan Jakovic 26), Perry Kitchen, Branko Boskovic (Marcelo Saragosa 75) - Dwayne De Rosario - Hamdi Salihi, Josh Wolff.
TEAM NEWS
• United had gone 89 matches without recording back-to-back victories. They’ve now done it twice in less than a month.
• “There were a lot of shaky moments. We were in trouble [in the second half],” United head coach Ben Olsen said. “They get that goal, and I thought we were in some trouble. It was going to take a goal to make us respond on a day like that. At 2-0, everyone is tired, we are just defending, and grinding it out and dodging bullets here and there. And the goal woke us up.”
• With his two goals vs. Toronto FC, Dwayne De Rosario now has five goals this year – all in the last six games. In 32 games since coming to D.C. United, De Rosario has 18 goals and 14 assists.
• “Whether I’m scoring or not is not a big concern,” De Rosario said. “Of course I like scoring, it’s what I do, but I go to win. If it takes me scoring and stepping up, then I’ll take the chance. But what’s important is that we are playing as a team.”
• Against teams from which he’s been traded, De Rosario now has 10 goals in 13 games: 4 in 8 games vs. Houston (including one this year), 1 in 2 games vs. New York, and now 5 in 3 games vs. Toronto FC.
• De Rosario returned to his place behind the front two, with Hamdi Salihi and Josh Wolff as strikers, meaning Branko Boskovic started in a less usual wide midfield role.
• “I thought early in the game, the 4-4-2 wasn’t flying with Branko out wide and Dwayne in there. It was more because of the way [Toronto] was shaped. We switched [Josh] Wolff from forward to left and brought Branko in next to Perry [Kitchen] to sure up that middle a little bit. We were outnumbered and I thought it might help us with some possession. I think that actually helped at times.
• Salihi also continued his rich vein of form recently, scoring for the fourth time in the last five games. He has started the last two matches, after serving as a substitute for the previous six matches (appearing in four).
• Josh Wolff made his first start of the season, after five appearances as a substitute, and contributed an assist, involved in the buildup to United’s second goal.
• “It was always going to be a tough game for us because of the legs we put out there, and the age of the guys that were going back to back. [Josh Wolff’s] only played 30 minutes up to this point and he went 90; [Branko] Boskovic doubled up,” Olsen said.
• Andy Najar made his second start in the last four games at right back, and contributed his second assist of the season – after a skipping run through four TFC defenders.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution weren’t able to make it back-to-back wins at home, as they were pulled back into a late 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution are in a tie for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 13 points from 11 games.
LAST MATCH
HIGHLIGHTS: NE 2, HOU 2
• The Revolution took the lead on 25 minutes. Referee Baldomero Toledo pointed to the spot after Brad Davis clattered into Saer Sène in the area, and Sène took the ball and tucked home his fifth goal of the season.
• The Dynamo were level six minutes later as Davis served up his first assist of the season, swinging a free kick that Will Bruin nodded home for his fifth goal of the season before Matt Reis could clear it.
• The Revs struck against the run of play for a second time to grasp the lead. Sene robbed defender Geoff Cameron of possession in the middle third and surged down the left into the Dynamo penalty area, capping off the one-man move by thumping home his second of the night past goalkeeper Tally Hall at the near post.
• Yet the Dynamo came back to secure a draw with three minutes remaining. Brian Ching and Luiz Camargo played a quick one-two on the edge of the Revolution penalty area with the forward clipping the ball over the New England back four into Camargo's path on the left side of the penalty area, and the Brazilian midfielder kept his composure and polished off the move with his first MLS goal.
• Revolution head coach Jay Heaps made one change to the team that rolled to a 4-1 win against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Gillette Stadium. Ryan Guy came into the team in place of Clyde Simms.
• NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-3-1-2): Matt Reis - Kevin Alston, A.J. Soares, Stephen McCarthy, Chris Tierney - Lee Nguyen, Shalrie Joseph, Benny Feilhaber (Fernando Cardenas 77)- Ryan Guy - Blake Brettschneider, Saer Sene (Diego Fagundez 74).
TEAM NEWS
• Saer Sene hit for his second two-goal game of the season in the 2-2 draw. Sene has four goals in the last four games.
• “Saër had a great second goal and a penalty kick,” Heaps said. “I thought Saër was really good on that side of it, but we still need him to evolve and get better at holding the ball for us. I think, in the first half, there were a few key giveaways that we were defending on. Other than that, I think he's really coming into his own and I like the way he's competing.”
• With Clyde Simms sidelined with an ankle injury, Ryan Guy moved inside to play in the center of midfield. Already this season, Guy has played as a wide midfielder and also as a fullback.
• “I knew coming into it that I had big shoes to fill," Guy said. "I did my best to mimic what Clyde does for the team. I think Shalrie [Joseph] and I held the midfield well. We struggled a little bit in the first half. They had two wide midfielders that came in a lot and confused us, but, in the second half, we made some alterations and I thought we dealt with them well for the most part until the last three minutes.”
• Said Heaps: “I thought Ryan had a very good night plugging away holes. Losing Clyde Simms, that's a tough one because he's so good for us at clogging up spaces. I always go back, watch Clyde Simms and I always say that he's had a great game. I think Ryan did some good things tonight. I like him in that role because Clyde moves so much that you have to be able to have guys who can fill in like that.”
• The Revolution allowed another goal from a set-piece situation. They have now allowed five for the season – three from free kicks – tied with Toronto FC for most in MLS.
• “It’s one of those things where you go over it and over it and over it and over it and over it and over it and over it,” Heaps said. “It’s disappointing. I saw and I want to look at it when I’m a little more level-headed, but I’m disappointed in that. I’m flippin’ mad if you want to know the truth, flippin’ mad.”
• The Revolution extended their unbeaten streak at home to three games, in the midst of a stretch where they play seven of nine league games at Gillette Stadium. But they’ve lost three in a row away from home.
• “I don’t think we played our absolute best, but we still had a chance to win the game. We did some things well, and some things not so well,” Heaps said. “All in all, I liked the way we fought at least – we competed – and one of the things going forward is I want to make this a tough place to play and I think we did that.”
