The New England Revolution defeated Houston Dynamo 1-0 on Saturday night at Robertson Stadium in a rematch of MLS Cup 2006. The win marks the third consecutive victory for the Revolution, and extends the team's unbeaten streak to seven games.
Revolution forward Taylor Twellman might be the one receiving all of the headlines for his league-leading six goals on the season, but New England's defense and goalkeeper Matt Reis were the stars Saturday night. Reis had four saves and New England's back line kept the Dynamo attack off-balance despite almost constant pressure.
New England midfielder Shalrie Joseph scored the game's only goal on a quick strike in the ninth minute. Twellman took possession in the midfield and tried a give-and-go with midfielder Steve Ralston, but Ralston's return pass deflected off of the heel of Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark. Joseph collected the rebound at the top of the box and fired in a low shot that Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad didn't even see until it was by him and in the net.
Joseph's scoring strike proved to be the only New England shot of the half, as Houston pressed the attack. Central defender Michael Parkhurst anchored the Revolution defense, harassing Dynamo forwards Brian Ching and Joseph Ngwenya throughout the half.
Parkhurst also stopped one of the more dangerous Dynamo attacks by lunging in front of what appeared to be a clear shot for Houston midfielder Brian Mullan and deflecting the ball away, and later dove to clear what would have been a dangerous cross by Ching.
As the half progressed, both sides began to be visibly frustrated with the pace of the game and the number of fouls being called. Revolution midfielder Khano Smith drew a yellow card in the 29th minute for a hard foul on Mullan. Ching was booked in the 43rd minute for venting his frustration after being called for a foul on Parkhurst, and Houston midfielder Dwayne De Rosario also received a caution for tripping up Joseph during first-half injury time.
The second half continued much the same as the first, with Houston pressing the attack, but New England's defense refusing to allow the ball to find the back of the net.
Twellman fired his first shot of the night in the 65th minute, a long strike that sailed well over the bar. The shot was New England's second attempt in the game, and Revolution managed only one more, another shot by Twellman in the 89th minute.
Reis preserved the one-goal lead with a tough save in the 67th minute, stretching up to deflect Clark's header just enough to prevent it from sailing cleanly into the goal, and then twisting around to smother the ball in front of the goal before Clark could recover for the easy tap-in.
New England had a scary moment in the 82nd minute, when Revolution defender Jay Heaps went up for the ball on a free kick lobbed into the box and was forced into the goalpost in the melee. Heaps appeared to have the breath knocked out of him by the hard hit, but was able to continue playing.
As the match drew to a close, Houston's attack became even more frenzied. In the 84th minute, Reis dove forward to intercept an almost perfectly placed ball from Mullan, meant for an onrushing Ching.
The Revolution finished out the game content to protect their one-goal lead and gain at least a small measure of revenge for last November's MLS Cup Final.
Lucas Ogden-Davis is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
