Download the game guide >NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION v METROSTARS
Sat., Oct. 29, Gillette Stadium
8 p.m. ET; FSC; WB-56
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD: NE 18 wins, 73 goals; MET 16 wins, 75 goals; 5 ties
2005 HEAD-TO-HEAD: NE 2 wins, 11 goals; MET 1 wins, 9 goals; 1 ties
AT GILLETTE STADIUM:
6/25: NE 4 - MET 2 (Cancela 1; Heaps 72, Ralston 86; Noonan 91+ - Djorkaeff 67 pen, Galvan Rey 69)
9/24: NE 1 - MET 0 (Riley 85)
MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: NE 2 wins, 11 goals; MET 2 wins, 10 goals; 1 tie
REFEREE: Brian Hall. SAR (bench): Chris Strickland; JAR (opposite): Kermit Quisenberry; 4th: TBA
MLS Career: 103 games; FC/gm: 29.3; Y/gm: 3.3; R: 27; pens: 33
2005: 15 games; FC/gm: 26.1; Y/gm: 2.6; R: 4; pens: 3
INJURY REPORT: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION - DOUBTFUL: MF Andy Dorman (L hamstring strain); PROBABLE: MF Shalrie Joseph (R foot bone bruise); DF Joe Franchino (costochondritis); MF Daniel Hernandez (R plantar fascitis) ... METROSTARS - OUT: MF Ramon Bailey (season ending IR); DF Danilo da Silva (post-surgery recovery); MF Daniel Garipe (L calf strain); FW Abbe Ibrahim (season ending IR); GK Mike Ueltschey (season ending IR); QUESTIONABLE: DFJeff Agoos (L calf strain)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS: NE: Shalrie Joseph (5 CP) ... MET: Seth Stammler (3 CP); Youri Djorkaeff (5 CP)
REVOLUTION TEAM NEWS
After rolling through much of the MLS league campaign, the Revolution once again find themselves in a must-win situation to move on. The last few years that situation has come in needing just to make the postseason; this time, it's to reach the Eastern Conference Championship for a second year running. "We have had our backs against the wall many times and we know what we have to do," striker Taylor Twellman said to The Providence Journal.
If there is a home-field advantage in having the second leg on their home ground - as has been a major source of debate this year - now's the time the Revs will find out if that holds true. "It is halftime in the whole scheme of things," goalkeeper Matt Reis said. "Now comes the fun part. It's crunch time, and we will see what we are made of. We all know if we are bounced in the first round, we will be disappointed and view the season as a loss. We have to make sure that doesn't happen." ...
Still, the Revs know they need to find their rhythm for the return leg at home. "I think the way we played all year, compared to coming out (Saturday) and playing how we did, was nothing like we played all year," Reis said. "I do not know if it is credit to them or bad on our part, but we did not do the things that brought us success all year."
The wet conditions and FieldTurf at Giants Stadium didn't help the Revolution's cause, but New England also didn't create a shot on goal after the MetroStars took the lead. "There is no home-field advantage in the first round," Steve Ralston said. "They were able to sneak one in and then pack it in. I don't see the advantage in that. Now, we need to come out flying and get on them early. Our first touch wasn't quite right and we were sloppy at times and, especially on this field, the ball will run away from you."METROSTARS TEAM NEWS
The main talking point after the first leg was Mo Johnston's tactical shift. After admitting he was looking for someone to play on the left flank, especially after changing to a 3-5-2 scheme, he gave the job to nominal defender Seth Stammler, who shut down Steve Ralston on the Revolution right. "You're always worried about Steve Ralston," Johnston said. "The supply that Twellman gets and Noonan from Ralston, if you look through the whole team and the goals this year, it's a lot. I watched their last four games and they're predominantly a right-sided team."
There was also little guile involved with Stammler's orders from Johnston: "I wanted to get a foul under my belt early and just set the tone for the game," Stammler said. "You've got to be using anticipation with him. He's going to try to lure you in close, knock the ball, and get around you as quickly as possible. My thing is just to be always on my toes. You can't approach him thinking that he's just going to hold onto the ball."
Johnston made no apologies. "Right now I don't care if we get yellow cards," Johnston said. "As I said in (the locker room), I want us to be nasty as a team because sometimes we're too soft. Tonight I had a feeling on the sideline that New England kept bitching at the referee and that was a good sign because we were playing tough." Added Youri Djorkaeff: "You can't play nice soccer and think you can win a game. There's no friendly games. You learn from playing on the national team, there's no friendly games, there's no easy games."
After his performance in the season finale, Amado Guevara chose not to speak with reporters who criticized his effort. But he showed his skill in hitting for the only goal of the match. "We all know what Amado has, he possesses skills that other guys in this league don't have," Johnston said. "He can do that every game. You need to challenge him every game. The way he uses the ball, he's just a quality player. I'm delighted for him because he really wants to win this championship."
The MetroStars last won in Foxborough on June 29, 2002 - a span of eight games (0-4-4).DISCIPLINARY INFORMATION:
All players will start the Playoffs with zero caution points. A players who then accumulates EIGHT (8) or more caution points in the first TWO (2) Playoff Games in which he appears will be suspended for his team's next Playoff Game (Conference Championship game or MLS Cup) and fined $250. Any suspension for caution points received in a player's last Playoff Game will not carry over into the next League Season. A player who receives a yellow card in THREE (3) consecutive Playoff Games in which he appears, where the caution points attributable to such yellow cards equal TEN (10) or more caution points, shall be suspended for his team's next Playoff Game (MLS Cup) and fined $250. A player who receives yellow cards during the playoffs (including MLS Cup), where the caution points attributable to such yellow cards equal TWELVE (12) or more caution points shall not be suspended from his team's next regular season game in the upcoming year. However, a player accumulating TWELVE (12) points throughout the playoffs shall be fined $250. The only way to accumulate TWELVE (12) or more caution points in the playoffs would be by being awarded a caution in MLS Cup.
