which he then celebrated by running to the location of home plate for the Washington Nationals and mimicking hitting one out of the park. Moreno converted his second penalty of the game and the third on the night eight minutes from the end when Leonard was ruled to have handled the ball, but that was all the response United could muster.
On May 14 at Gillette Stadium, both teams struggled to create coherent chances, and it was a Taylor Twellman goal just before the hour that was the difference. But the Revolution defense held firm, extending the club's shutout streak to 368 minutes - their last goal allowed coming in the last meeting against United, a wild 4-3 New England win on April 23.
Pat Noonan created the goal, turning Mike Petke inside-out with a mazy run on the right before sliding a pass to Twellman in the heart of the area. His first shot was blocked by Nick Rimando, but he was quickest to the rebound to poke it home for his fourth goal on the season.LAST MEETING
On June 18 on East Capitol Street, two goals within three minutes sent United on their way to the first defeat of the Revolution on the campaign, their 11-game run falling one short of the league record to start a season.
Santino Quaranta gave United a dream start, a free kick swung in from the right somehow finding its way to him beyond the far post, and he headed home despite a valiant effort from Jay Heaps on the line to keep it out (10).
Then just two minutes later Jaime Moreno reprised a goal from early in his standout career, slaloming through three defenders in the Revolution penalty area after a run from the left flank before sliding the ball home.
Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis kept his side in the game in the first half, twice stopping Moreno when he was through clean on goal. After the break, United goalkeeper Nick Rimando did his part, making a number of quality saves to keep the clean sheet.
Here's Peter Nowak's team (3-4-1-2): Nick Rimando - Brandon Prideaux, Bobby Boswell, John Wilson (David Stokes 46) - Dema Kovalenko, Brian Carroll, Ben Olsen, Joshua Gros - Christian Gomez (Clyde Simms 58) - Jaime Moreno, Santino Quaranta (Alecko Eskandarian 73)
Here's Steve Nicol's team (3-4-1-2): Matt Reis - Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Joe Franchino - Steve Ralston, Clint Dempsey, Shalrie Joseph, Marshall Leonard (James Riley 71) - Jose Cancela (Andy Dorman 46) - Pat Noonan, Khano Smith (Connally Edozien 67).HISTORY
United captured the season series a year ago, winning two of the four meetings, with the other two draws. United took a 1-0 victory on May 29 at Gillette Stadium (og 5), before they played to a pair of draws within two weeks - a 2-2 stalemate on Aug. 14 at RFK Stadium (Moreno 39, 56 - Ralston 38, Dorman 85), and a scoreless draw on Aug. 28 in New England. United then took the season finale between the two with a 1-0 victory on East Capitol Street on Oct. 9 (Gomez 32)
Then the teams met last year in the Eastern Conference Final, often called the best game ever played in MLS history. After the teams battled to a 3-3 draw through 120 minutes, United advanced to a fifth MLS Cup Final with a 4-3 win in the penalty shootout (Eskandarian 11, Moreno 21, Gomez 67 - Twellman 17, Ralston 44 pen, Noonan 85)
The Revolution have won just three of the last 11 games over the last three years, while United has won five. Before beating United in the first meeting this year, the Revolution hadn't defeated D.C. in two seasons.
Coaches record: Steve Nicol vs. DC: P16 W7 L6 D3 ... Peter Nowak v NE: P7 W3 L2 T2NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution saw their quick two-game winning streak come to an end, concluding a busy four-game stretch with two wins and two losses in a 2-0 defeat by the Colorado Rapids in Denver. Still, the Revolution own the best record in the league with 42 points from 23 matches, a point ahead of second-place Kansas City Wizards in the Eastern Conference and a point ahead of Western Conference leader San Jose Earthquakes in the race for the Supporters' Shield.
The Rapids ran their unbeaten run to three matches as the New England Revolution finished a busy stretch with a tired loss by a 2-0 scoreline.
Alain Nkong finally broke through for the home side in the 78th minute, finishing off a neat passing movement. Eric Denton laid the ball back from inside the box, and Nkong hammered a low drive from 20 yards inside the left-hand corner.
Then eight minutes later Jean-Philippe Peguero made it 2-0 from the penalty spot, beating substitute Doug Warren in his first action of the season after New England 'keeper Matt Reis was sent off for pulling down Fabrice Noel after the Haitian international had rounded him to concede the penalty.
Revolution boss Steve Nicol made three changes to the team that knocked off FC Dallas 2-1 the previous weekend at Pizza Hut Park. Taylor Twellman, Steve Ralston and Avery John were all on international duty for the USA-Trinidad & Tobago World Cup qualifier, so James Riley, Daniel Hernandez and Marshall Leonard came into the team as Nicol also put in a new tactical scheme.
Here's Nicol's team (4-4-1-1): Matt Reis - James Riley, Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Joe Franchino - Andy Dorman, Daniel Hernandez (Khano Smith 71), Shalrie Joseph, Marshall Leonard (Luke Vercollone 83) - Jose Cancela (Doug Warren 84) - Clint Dempsey
"If we take our chances, then it is a different game. We had a great chance in the second half, and they had some chances, but they took their chance and put us under some pressure. We had a tough stretch playing at high altitude and we weren't surprised that the last half of the game would be hard and if we would have taken our chances before that then the game would've been completely different."TEAM NEWS
It was a completely new-look tactical system for Nicol. Dempsey was all alone up top, with José Cancela pulling the strings from the top of a five-man midfield. Nicol also reverted from his back three that has been a regular formation this year to a back four.
"Well we can't play 3-5-2 all the time. It is far too much for the two-way players. We have to get box to box which is not easy to do coming off a game down in Dallas," Nicol said. "It was fairly straightforward. There wasn't much that we had to think about."
Said Dempsey: "Yeah it was different, but it was the formation the coach wanted us to be put in. He told me just to hold the ball up and try to wait for people to come up and play it to them. So that is what I tried to do."
Doug Warren hadn't played a second in a league match this year - until he had to come in to face the penalty kick from Peguero after Matt Reis was sent off. His first touch of the ball was to pick it out of the back of the net.
"It was obviously a PK and you just have to try to come in and read it well and have to stop it. I thought Peguero disguised it very well and he fooled me to my right. Nothing else to do. Right now I am just looking forward to next week. Should be a good game and that is what I am focusing on."
Warren's first MLS start this year will come against D.C. United, where he started last season before being picked up by New England midway through the campaign.
"It is coincidence that works that way that I will be playing the next game against my former team D.C. United," he said. "But I am looking forward to the game regardless if it is against D.C. or any other team. I am just happy to be going and have a good game next week. ... It is tough (being a backup 'keeper). You have to go to practice every day with a positive attitude and I think I have done that. Hopefully that positive attitude pays off next week when you know you are getting in the game."D.C. UNITED
D.C. United saw their four-game winning streak and six-game unbeaten streak come to a crashing halt, falling 3-2 to the Los Angeles Galaxy last Saturday night at RFK Stadium. United fell to fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 38 points from 23 matches, now a point behind third-place Chicago Fire, three behind second-place Kansas City and four behind division leader New England.
Landon Donovan scored two second-half goals to give the Los Angeles Galaxy a 3-2 victory against D.C. United for the club's first victory outside of southern California since June 27, 2004 while also putting an end to United's four-game winning streak.
The Galaxy were gifted the opener after 28 minutes when a low cross from Cobi Jones on the right flank was turned into his own goal by United rookie center back Bobby Boswell. But defender Bryan Namoff pulled the home side level just nine minutes later, getting on the end of a Christian Gomez freekick with the slightest of touches to head over Galaxy 'keeper Kevin Hartman.
Yet just eight minutes after the break, Donovan gave the Galaxy the lead after they won a free kick nearly on the edge of the United area. The U.S. international whipped the ball over the wall and off the underside of the crossbar to again nose Los Angeles in front.
United again answered, from the spot through Jaime Moreno, converting his own penalty after he was bundled over by rookie central defender Ugo Ihemelu (66).
Yet Donovan and the Galaxy answered again not a minute later, Jones curling a cross from the left flank over the United defense to the back post where Donovan snuck in to power home a header. The Galaxy then survived a last-second effort from Moreno on the rebound that somehow came back off the face of the bar from close range.
United boss Peter Nowak made one change to the team that knocked off Chivas USA 3-0 the previous Saturday at RFK Stadium, as Jaime Moreno returned from suspension, coming into attack for Jamil Walker.
Here's Nowak's team (3-4-1-2): Nick Rimando - Bryan Namoff, Bobby Boswell, Brandon Prideaux - Dema Kovalenko, Brian Carroll, Clyde Simms (John Wilson 46), Joshua Gros (Jamil Walker 58) - Christian Gomez - Santino Quaranta, Jaime Moreno
"This was no D.C. United I know," said Nowak, "and I'm going to blame myself because this is my job, to prepare this team, and I think tonight I did a bad job. L.A. didn't win the game tonight, we lost this game. Because we didn't fight, we didn't run, we were too predictable and not creative enough."TEAM NEWS
There was some worrying injury news out of the MLS Select match against Real Madrid on Tuesday at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Jaime Moreno started in attack for the MLS team, but was forced off after just 24 minutes.
While United's attack lacked its normal incisiveness, there were also problems at the other end as all three of D.C.'s defenders made costly mistakes that led to Galaxy goals. Bobby Boswell knocked a Cobi Jones cross into his own net, while Bryan Namoff's foul on Herculez Gomez at the edge of the penalty box gave Donovan the chance to bend home his wicked free kick. And though United fought back to level, the Galaxy pushed forward from the ensuing kickoff and another Jones cross eluded Brandon Prideaux as Donovan stole in to head home the game winner.
"L.A. didn't win the game tonight; we lost the game because we didn't fight and we didn't run and we were too predictable and we're not creating enough," Nowak said. "I think the goals we had tonight from set pieces, but there wasn't movement and we didn't create as many chances as we're supposed to do. I don't think it was overconfidence, except we weren't hungry tonight to score for this three points.U.S. OPEN CUP
On Wednesday, United were dumped out of the U.S. Open Cup at the quarterfinal stage when they were defeated by FC Dallas in a penalty kick shootout after a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes.
United opened the scoring in the 47th minute when the Hoops found themselves pressed deep into their own box by United's combination play and Dema Kovalenko set up Christian Gomez to roll a simple finish under Scott Garlick from close range.
But Kovalenko was sent off for a second bookable offense in the 72nd minute, then four minutes deep into stoppage time Carlos Ruiz took possession 25 yards out and turned to goal, boldly running at Bobby Boswell and cutting left past Facundo Erpen before stroking a cool finish past Troy Perkins to level the match.
In the penalty shootout, FC Dallas made their first three efforts, while John Wilson pushed his wide right and Josh Gros had his saved by Garlick. Local boy Abe Thompson then strolled up and emphatically sent FCD into the semifinals.
Dallas had defeated United in the 1997 U.S. Open Cup Final on penalty kicks; in 1996, United advanced with to the final with a victory against Dallas - those are the only times Dallas has reached the final four.
Here's Nowak's team: Troy Perkins, Facundo Erpen, Bobby Boswell, Brandon Prideaux, Dema Kovalenko, Brian Carroll, Christian Gomez (Bryan Namoff 77), Ben Olsen (Clyde Simms 87), Joshua Gros, Santino Quaranta (John Wilson 90), Jamil Walker (Freddy Adu 65).
