After drawing 3-3 with the New York Red Bulls at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis knew the pressure to get results on the road was going to be tremendous.
After starting a five-game road trip (four MLS games and a U.S. Open Cup match) with a 1-1 the Colorado Rapids on May 10 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, RSL lost to FC Dallas 2-1 at Pizza Hut Park, lost again 2-1 in the Open Cup game in Denver, drew 0-0 against the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park and headed into Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., this Saturday to face a team that was tied for first in the Eastern Conference with 17 points.
With the Revolution coming off an embarrassing 4-3 loss at home to the Kansas City Wizards and an Eddie Johnson hat trick (a feat which he would repeat Saturday with another three-goal performance against the Red Bulls in Kansas City), the Revs were facing their last game before CONCACAF Gold Cup call-ups. Lethal New England finisher Taylor Twellman (looking to build on his league-leading seven goals, including an astounding 82 in his five-year career - look out Kreis, Jaime Moreno, et al.), midfielder Steve Ralston (looking to build on his league-leading six assists) and defender Michael Parkhurst were hoping to get one last result at home before reporting to The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on June 4 for training.
Both RSL defenders Danny Torres and Jean-Martial Kipre failed fitness tests pre-New England, which meant that with Nick Rimando in goal, a backline of Nik Besagno (on the outside right), Eddie Pope, Jack Stewart and Willis Forko would have to shut down the Twellman-Adam Cristman attack, while having to limit the chances for both Ralston on the right and Khano Smith on the left.
Newly-inserted holding midfielder Chris Lancos would be responsible for the match up against Andy Dorman, while the Chris Klein-Mehdi Ballouchy-Freddy Adu threesome would have to create and attack while also keeping an eye on Shalrie Joseph and Jeff Larentowicz in the midfield. Up front, RSL sniper Alecko Eskandarian would once again pair up with Atiba Harris against the back three of Jay Heaps, Parkhurst and James Riley, along with 'keeper Matt Reis trying to keep the ball out of the net for Stevie Nicol's men.
Off the bat, flashy Bermudan Smith (two goals vs. RSL in 2005) looked to take advantage of his size and speed against young Besgano on the outside flank. While Nik won almost all of his 1-v-1 battles, it was the single time that he was beaten that led to Twellman's best chance. With Smith crossing from the touchline, Twellman drifted off his defender's shoulder and finding space to head the ball off the cross bar.
On the attacking side of things, Ballouchy was building upon two solid outings. Showing flair and an attacking desire to get forward, he found space due to his work ethic and created opportunities for not only himself, but for the other attacking four. Adu had two great chances in the first half with two shots off the side net and over the crossbar. Forcing Reis off his line multiple times with dangerous crosses, Adu did a good job beating his man to the touchline and getting Eskandarian and Harris in the mix.
After holding the Revs scoreless in the first half, Kreis made changes early in the second to try to get his men to think more offensively and attack. With Besagno making way for Chris Brown and Klein dropping back to a right back position (where he excelled at 1-v-1 defending and build-up), RSL started getting more counter-attacking chances. While the defense was weathering the storm and both Pope and Rimando up to the challenges once again, Atiba made way for Andy Williams, as "Bomma" entered into the midfield in the 66th minute, forcing Adu up top to partner with Alecko.
RSL still had problems creating serious goal-scoring chances, and with Pat Noonan entering for Cristman around the same mark for the Revolution, Kreis was thinking more about how to stymie the New England attack. Richie Kotschau (who would not only be making his Real Salt Lake debut, but also returning from a forced sabbatical after being drafted and released due to a broken leg by Toronto FC, who chose him after being left unprotected in the Expansion Draft by the Columbus Crew) would enter in the 81st minute, replacing Willis Forko at left back.
Kotschau would leave the match in less than a minute with a red card after a poor, mistimed tackle from behind on Bryan Byrne, equaling the Major League Soccer record for the shortest time between entering a match and receiving a red card. While he would probably admit that it was not the right decision to leave his feet, especially that late and from behind, it's easy to see how something like this could happen to a player who's eager to get his career back on track after sitting on the sidelines, looking in for so long. But, for a player with his experience, it's just one more obstacle that RSL has to overcome.
The Revolution threw everything they could at the Salt Lake defense, with Twellman and Co. having multiple scoring chances. Rimando and the boys did the same as they had done at Toyota Park, with RSL coming away with another nil-nil draw on the road.
Now with time to sort out all that they may want and need, Real Salt Lake faces a Chinese National Team side that was dismantled Saturday afternoon in San Jose by the U.S. National Team 4-1. Look for the younger players to get a chance to show their stuff at Rice Eccles on Thursday night at 7 p.m. MT.
Brian Dunseth, the former Captain of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, who scored the game-winning goal in Real Salt Lake's first-ever win in its home opener in 2005 vs. rival Colorado, can be heard each week on KALL 700 AM the Zone, providing analysis during RSL game broadcasts and co-hosting the pre- and post-game shows for RSL home games. A nine-year veteran of MLS play, Dunseth is now a licensed realtor for The Bringhurst Group in Salt Lake City, and looks forward to your feedback atbrian@slchouses.com.
