COLUMBUS CREW v NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM, Columbus, Ohio
7:30 p.m. ET (WB-56)
Sept. 2, 2006 (WEEK 23) / MLS Game #150
The Columbus Crew and New England Revolution play the back half of their home-and-home series over two weekends, after the Revolution claimed a 1-0 victory at Gillette Stadium last Sunday evening. For the Revs, it was a first victory in nearly two months, and they sit in third place in the Eastern Conference where second and fifth place are separated by just four points. The Crew are rapidly approaching must-win territory if they are to avoid missing out on the MLS Cup Playoffs for a second consecutive year - they are seven points out of fourth place in the East with seven matches remaining.
REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. SAR (bench): C.J. Morgante; JAR (opposite): Michael Salyers; 4th: Hilario Grajeda
MLS Career: 45 games; FC/gm: 29.8; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 10; pens: 21
MLS 2006: 4 games; FC/gm: 28.0 (avg: 29.0); Y/gm: 4.5 (avg: 3.53); R: 2 (MLS: 20); pens: 0 (MLS: 26)
Games involving Crew: P11 W1 L6 T4; FC/gm: 27.4; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 3; pens: 7
Games involving Revolution: P8 W1 L3 T4; FC/gm: 26.4; Y/gm: 1.9; R: 1; pens: 3
INJURY REPORT: COLUMBUS CREW - OUT: GK Jonny Walker (lower back), DF Jed Zayner (L knee ACL); DF Frankie Hejduk (R knee ACL); GK Jon Busch (R knee ACL); MF Danny Szetela (R knee); MF Jacob Thomas (L calf strain); PROBABLE: MF Duncan Oughton (R quadriceps strain) ... NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION - OUT: DF Marshall Leonard (L Achilles tendon repair); QUESTIONABLE: MF Jani Galik (R hamstring); FW Pat Noonan (R hamstring); PROBABLE: MF Daniel Hernandez (L ankle sprain); GK Doug Warren (L arm contusion)
SUSPENDED: CLB: Joseph Ngwenya (through Sept. 3) ... NE: Sharlie Joseph (five cautions; through Sept. 3)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CLB: Ritchie Kotschau, Jose Retiz ... NE: Andy Dorman, James Riley
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CLB: Brandon Moss, Joseph Ngwenya ... NE: Jay Heaps, Daniel Hernandez, Jeff Larentowicz, Taylor Twellman
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: CLB: Tim Ward (U.S. U-20 national team) ... NE: Miguel Gonzalez (U.S. U-20 national team)
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (40 meetings): Crew 20 wins (4 shootout), 59 goals ... Revolution 13 wins (1 shootout), 51 goals ... 7 draws
AT COLUMBUS: (20 meetings): Crew 11 wins (1 shootout), 38 goals ... Revolution 4 wins (1 shootout), 23 goals ... 5 draws
This is the third of four meetings between the Eastern Conference clubs this season, the second of two at the Ohio State Fairgrounds and the back half of a home-and-home series over two weekends. They meet three times over the final eight weeks of the campaign, next in the season finale at New England on Oct. 14.
A year ago, the Revolution won three of the four meetings between the teams, with the fourth and final encounter a draw. Columbus last won in the series on June 6, 2004, a span of six matches (three NE wins, three draws).
The teams also met in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals in 2004, the Revolution advancing 2-1 on aggregate as Matt Reis saved two penalty kicks in the second leg in Columbus.
Coaches record: Steve Nicol v CLB: P16 W7 L4 D5 ... Sigi Schmid vs. NE: P14 W6 L6 D2
2006 (MLS)
6/21: CLB 1, NE 1 (Kamara 86 - Dorman 66)
8/27: NE 1, CLB 0 (Larentowicz 34)
In the first meeting between the clubs on June 21 in Columbus, the Crew got a late goal to pull into a 1-1 draw. The visitors struck first, midway through the second half. Jose Cancela flighted a wonderful long ball from near the midfield stripe, finding Taylor Twellman, who perfectly laid it back to a charging Andy Dorman. The Welshman raced into the penalty area and hit a low shot inside the near post to beat Noah Palmer.
But this time the Revolution were on the receiving end of some late dramatics. Ritchie Kotschau charged down a deflected pass near the byeline deep in the New England penalty area and pulled back a perfectly clipped cross where Kei Kamara came in to dive and head it home for the equalizer.
LAST MEETING
The Revolution were winless in their last six league matches, while the Crew were looking to build on a victory against New York in their last match that put an end to a 13-game winless run.
The only goal of the game came in the 34th minute. A corner kick was partially cleared, and sent back into the packed goalmouth by Jay Heaps. It found its way to Jeff Larentowicz, who turned and stabbed home from the edge of the six-yard box, ending a 288-minute goalless run in league play for New England.
The Crew were left a man down in the 64th minute when Joseph Ngwenya was sent off after pushing Revolution midfielder Andy Dorman in the face after he and Columbus 'keeper Bill Gaudette tangled briefly. But the visitors still should have pulled level in the 87th minute after James Riley pulled down Marcus Gonzalez from behind in the area. But Matt Reis dove to his right to tip aside Eddie Gaven's spot kick.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
With their first victory since July 8, the New England Revolution now have 31 points from 24 matches, and sit in third place in the Eastern Conference. They trail the second-place Chicago Fire by a single point, but are just a single point ahead of the fourth-place Kansas City Wizards.
TEAM NEWS
Revolution boss Steve Nicol made two changes to the team that dropped a 1-0 decision to the Chicago Fire the Sunday before at Gillette Stadium. Jose Cancela came into the midfield, with Clint Dempsey still suspended, as Joe Franchino was also suspended to yellow card accumulation. Willie Sims also got a start, replacing the injured Pat Noonan.
Here's Nicol's team (3-4-1-2): Matt Reis - Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, James Riley - Steve Ralston, Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Andy Dorman (Kyle Brown 85) - Jose Cancela (Tony Lochhead 89) - Taylor Twellman, Willie Sims (Khano Smith 71). [Substitutes Not Used: Avery John, Doug Warren, Adam Williamson, Danny Wynn]
"That's probably the worst we've passed the ball all season. I've been coming up here saying we passed the ball well and not quite finish things off, but we didn't move the ball well at all tonight. We ended up with three points, so we shouldn't complain. It's 'ifs', 'ands' and 'buts'," Nicol said. "At the end of the day, we won the game, and that's the important thing. I certainly would rather be standing here complaining about how we passed the ball with a win behind us than saying how great we went out, but we didn't quite win again. So, sometimes that's the way it happens. We'll certainly take it. But, we'd certainly like to improve next week on certain bits of our play."
Larentowicz's goal was his first professional goal. The second-year player has made 18 appearance (12 starts) this season after seeing just a single minute of action in his rookie season. "I have to pick and choose my spots to go forward," he said to The Boston Globe. "I didn't score any goals with the reserve team last year. All the goals I scored [at Brown University] were off corners, either taking them or heading them. We have been saying the last couple of weeks we need to start a run now. We had the opportunity against Chicago [in a 1-0 loss last week] but we didn't take advantage of it. Now, we have the same chance and, hopefully, we can continue this the rest of the season."
"Jeff was big-time for us," said midfielder Shalrie Joseph to the Globe. "He was winning tackles and distributing the ball. Nobody expected him to score but we will take the three points if we can. Sometimes it's ugly but getting the points is big for us."
Willie Sims made his second start of the season, after making his first professional start on May 20 in a 4-0 loss to FC Dallas. "He worked hard, he is a young guy still learning the game," Nicol said. "And Taylor [Twellman] worked his socks off and made things easier for Willie. We asked [Sims] to get behind the defense and to do it as long as he could."
For Reis, it was a second saved penalty in two attempts this season - he saved a Josh Wolff try on April 15. Reis also saved two penalties in the second leg of the 2004 Eastern Conference semifinals that dumped the then-Supporters' Shield winners out of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
"I didn't guess," said Reis. "I just try to get a feeling and a read of the player. I felt he'd go across me with more power and usually when right-footed players do that they put it to the right. I was fortunate to get a good step on slippery ground and it was at waist level which is always a bit easier for goalkeepers."
COLUMBUS CREW
The Columbus Crew now have 23 points from 25 matches following a sixth loss in their last nine games. Still in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 23 points from 25 matches, they trail the fifth-place New York Red Bulls by six points, and are seven points out of the final playoff spot in the East.
TEAM NEWS
Crew head coach Sigi Schmid made no changes to the team that defeated the New York Red Bulls 1-0 the previous weekend at home, putting an end to the club's 13-game winless streak.
Here's Schmid's team (4-2-3-1): Bill Gaudette - Chris Leitch (Ricardo Virtuoso 82), Marcos Gonzalez, Ezra Hendrickson, Rusty Pierce - Duncan Oughton (Ned Grabavoy 77), Jose Retiz - Eddie Gaven, Sebastian Rozental (Eric Vasquez 71) Joseph Ngwenya - Jason Garey. [Substitutes Not Used: Ryan Coiner, Andy Gruenebaum, Ritchie Kotschau, Chad Marshall]
"In the first half, I think we limited the chances New England had," Schmid said. "I thought their goal was a fortunate goal ... it banged off a couple of people and it fell to Jeff Larentowicz, who put it in. So, we said, there's nothing you can do about it. That happens. Overall, I thought we did a good job of moving the ball. If we had played with this effort from moment one of the season, we wouldn't be in the place we're in now."
It was the eighth time in the last 15 games - dating to the beginning of the long winless run - that the Crew were shutout.
"I'm not disappointed with how we played, so it's not a big cause for alarm to try and make a lot of changes," Schmid said. "Obviously, we need to create a little more. We're learning how to play in our system, as well, and it's the first time all year we've been able to start the same team twice in a row."
However, that streak will not continue after the sending off of Ngwenya midway through the second half. Schmid didn't have a problem with the decision.
"I don't necessarily disagree; he deserved a red card because he pushed him, but I think Andy Dorman deserved a red card, as well," Schmid said. "It's the inconsistency that concerns me. I'm not going to argue and say that Joe (Ngwenya) didn't push the guy and he pushed him."
Schmid singled out two possible replacements in Ned Grabavoy and Ricardo Virtuoso for their impact on the game when they entered in the second half. Virtuoso's late addition also signaled a change in formation.
For Reis, it was a second saved penalty in two attempts this season - he stopped a Josh Wolff try on April 15. Reis also saved two penalties in the second leg of the 2004 Eastern Conference semifinals that dumped the then-Supporters' Shield winners out of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
"Penalties: you make them or you miss them. Matt Reis is pretty good on penalties," Schmid said. "Eddie Gaven has had a few other penalties and he's put them away for us this year. He wanted it, he stepped up and that's just one of those things that happens."
A week after playing his first game since October 2004, when he suffered a knee injury that eventually cost him the entirety of the '05 season, Duncan Oughton limped off the field when he was substituted in the 77th minute by Ned Grabavoy. "Duncan tweaked his knee, so we don't know how he's going to be," Schmid said.
