E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The New York Red Bulls aren't leaking in goals like they did last month. Now, they're not scoring any.
For the third time in the past four games, the Red Bulls were shut out, losing to the New England Revolution 1-0 in a top-of-the-table Eastern Conference clash at Giants Stadium on Saturday night.
Andy Dorman scored the lone goal for the Revs, who have dominated their I-95 rivals of late, owning a 10-2-5 record in the last 17 regular season meetings, dating back to Sept. 21, 2002.
After two near misses early, Dorman deservedly scored his seventh goal of the year on 38 minutes. Ralston, who became the MLS all-time leader in assists, surpassing Carlos Valderrama with his 115th career assist, fed Shalrie Joseph, who freed Dorman to goal with a sublime through ball.
Dorman took a touch and beat Conway with a low shot inside the far post to give the Revs a 1-0 lead.
The Red Bulls returned home after three road games in a span of eight days, but their injury woes continued. Dema Kovalenko missed his fifth consecutive game with a right groin strain and Carlos Mendes was kept out of the lineup for the first time this season after suffering a right calf contusion early in the second half of last Sunday's 1-0 win at Colorado.
And for the fourth consecutive game they were without Jozy Altidore, who scored his fourth goal of the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in a 2-1 quarterfinal loss to Austria earlier in the day.
As was the case against the Rapids, Seth Stammler played centrally in the back with Jeff Parke and Joe Vide teamed with Claudio Reyna in the middle of the park. Goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus, though, was a late scratch after picking up a left ankle injury during warmups. He was replaced by Jon Conway, who made his sixth start of the year.
Conway was tested early as he came off his line to stop Dorman four minutes into the match. Dorman had another quality scoring chance, beating Conway in the 11th minute. But the ball took a deflection off Stammler, who then cleared it off the line.
Clint Mathis had the Red Bulls' first quality scoring chance when he latched onto Hunter Freeman's deflected cross and put the ball off the post. The rebound bounced back to Mathis, but his header was saved by Matt Reis in the 16th minute.
Juan Pablo Angel also hit the woodwork in the 28th minute after cutting inside of Jay Heaps and unleashing a bullet from just outside the box. On a Mathis free kick in the 35th minute, Jeff Parke had his header saved by Reis.
The top-of-the-table clash between the two rivals was heated from the start and it was the Red Bulls who played the part of aggressor early. Jeff Larentowicz, who missed the Revs last two games with an eye injury, was clipped by Angel in the 14th minute in midfield and a minute later, Steve Ralston went down in his own box, clutching his knee.
Larentowicz, wearing Edgar Davids-like glasses to protect his eye, got a piece of Mathis in midfield in the 59th minute.
In the 62nd minute, Freeman sent a cross to the far post, but Angel's looping header missed its mark. Seconds later, Bruce Arena made his first change, bringing on Dave van den Bergh for Mathis, who was largely ineffective in his relatively unfamiliar role as a left-sided midfielder.
Adam Cristman, who came on for Pat Noonan in the 78th minute, nearly added an insurance goal for the Revs in the 83rd minute. But his shot was stopped by Conway. Four minutes later, Cristman took a right-footed rocket from the edge of the box, but Conway got a touch on it.
Angel's frustrating day came to an early end in the first of three minutes of stoppage time when he was sent off with a straight red card by referee Ramon Hernandez for an elbow to Joseph's face. He'll be suspended for the Red Bulls next game, against D.C. United on Aug. 22.
With the win, the Revs moved ahead of the Red Bulls into first place in the East. But New York ended the night in fourth place after D.C. United took a point out of its match against FC Dallas and Kansas City beat Real Salt Lake.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
