NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION vs. REAL SALT LAKE
GILLETTE STADIUM, Foxborough, Mass.
Oct. 4, 2008 | 7:30 p.m. ET (TV38; KSL-NBC
WEEK # 28 | GAME # 184
It would take a remarkable series of results coming together, but the New England Revolution could become the second team to clinch a place in the MLS Cup Playoffs when Real Salt Lake come to Gillette Stadium on Saturday. The Revs need a win and for New York to lose at home and D.C. United to lose or tie at home. Real moved back into the MLS Cup Playoffs picture last weekend; they currently hold the second available wild card spot, behind New York. To stay there, they'll have to build off just their second road win of the year, recorded last weekend in San Jose.
REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. SAR (bench): Greg Barkey; JAR (opposite): Craig Lowry; 4th: Shane Moody
MLS Career: 62 games; FC/gm: 27.0; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 24; pens: 24
INJURY REPORT: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION - OUT: FW Adam Cristman (R toe surgery); GK Doug Warren (R elbow sprain); PROBABLE: MF Khano Smith (R hamstring strain); FW Taylor Twellman (illness) ... REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: FW Fabian Espíndola (R severe ankle sprain), MF Dema Kovalenko (L calf strain); DOUBTFUL: DF Tony Beltran (L adductor surgery); QUESTIONABLE: MF Nathan Sturgis (L hamstring strain); PROBABLE: MF Javier Morales (L hip flexor strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: RSL: Jamison Olave (caution accumulation; through Oct. 5)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: NE: Shalrie Joseph ... RSL: Kyle Beckerman, Chris Wingert
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: NE: Jay Heaps, Wells Thompson, Jeff Larentowicz ... RSL: Nat Borchers, Kenny Deuchar, Ian Joy, Dema Kovalenko
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (7 meetings): Revolution 3 wins, 9 goals ... Real Salt Lake 2 wins, 7 goals ... Ties 2
AT FOXBOROUGH (3 meetings): Revolution 1 win, 5 goals ... Real Salt Lake 1 win, 4 goals ... Ties 1
• This is the second of two meetings between the clubs this season, the only one at Gillette Stadium.
• A year ago, the Revolution won the season series for the second time in three years, winning the game in Salt Lake City after the teams played to a scoreless draw in Foxborough.
• RSL's 2-1 victory in the first meeting this season was its first at home against the Revolution in club history. The only previous point Real took in their three meetings in Utah came in a scoreless draw, June 24, 2006.
• RSL's lone win against New England came that season in the Bay State. Real haven't lost in their last two trips to Gillette Stadium.
• Coaches record: Steve Nicol v RSL: P7 W3 L2 D2 ... Jason Kreis vs. NE: P3 W1 L1 D1
LAST MEETING (MLS):
6/21: RSL 2, NE 1 (own goal 11; Nunez 60 - Cristman 8)
• Real Salt Lake came back for a 2-1 win and put an end to the New England Revolution's seven-game unbeaten streak on June 21 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
• The Revolution scored an opportunistic opener in the eighth minute. A long clearance from Matt Reis sailed over everyone, and as RSL defender Nat Borchers and goalkeeper Nick Rimando hesitated as the ball bounced high in the air, Adam Cristman snuck in to head the ball over Rimando from the top of the area.
• But RSL pulled level just three minutes later. Javier Morales whipped in a free kick from outside the left of the area, and in challenging Robbie Findley to win the ball in the goalmouth scrum, New England defender Jay Heaps headed the ball past Reis.
• Real took the lead on the hour. Morales again was the instigator, aiming a shot goalward from outside the area. The ball took a couple of deflections and fell to Tino Nunez inside the box, and the rookie slotted the ball inside the far post for his first professional goal in extending RSL's unbeaten streak to five games, tying the club record.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Chris Wingert - Andy Williams (Matias Cordoba 84), Dema Kovalenko, Kyle Beckerman - Javier Morales - Robbie Findley (Tino Nunez 41), Kenny Deuchar (Kenny Cutler 71). Substitutes Not Used: Ian Joy, Matias Mantilla, Alex Nimo, Kyle Reynish
• Here's Nicol's team (4-4-2): Matt Reis - Chris Albright, Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Amaechi Igwe (Wells Thompson 62) - Steve Ralston, Jeff Larentowicz, Pat Phelan, Sainey Nyassi (Chris Tierney 77) - Kheli Dube, Adam Cristman. Substitutes Not Used: Sam Brill, Argenis Fernandez, Chase Hilgenbrinck, Brad Knighton, Brandon Manzonelli
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution lost for the second time down the stretch to the Columbus Crew, falling 1-0 on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution have 42 points from 26 matches, remaining in second place in the Eastern Conference, now eight points behind the Crew yet still one ahead of the Chicago Fire.
LAST MATCH
• The teams were meeting for the second time in four weeks, after Columbus had won 4-0 at Crew Stadium on Sept. 6. The Crew were unbeaten in their last six and the only team to have secured a playoff spot, while the Revolution had just one win in their last five games.
• The game's lone goal came in the 35th minute. Robbie Rogers swung in a corner kick from the left and Chad Marshall rose unmarked to head home for his fourth goal on the campaign.
• The Crew were left a man down in the 65th minute when Frankie Hejduk was sent off for a second bookable offense, knocking the ball out of Matt Reis' hands as the goalkeeper went to punt the ball upfield. Then in stoppage time, Crew coach Sigi Schmid was also sent off by referee Terry Vaughn.
• Revolution head coach Steve Nicol made two changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids the previous weekend. Kenny Mansally and Mauricio Castro both returned to the starting lineup, in place of Sainey Nyassi and Khano Smith.
• Here's Nicol's team (4-4-2): Matt Reis - Chris Albright, Gabriel Badilla (Sainey Nyassi 59), Michael Parkhurst, Jay Heaps - Steve Ralston, Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Mauricio Castro (Wells Thompson 66) - Kenny Mansally (Kheli Dube 59), Taylor Twellman. Substitutes Not Used: Amaechi Igwe, Brad Knighton, Pat Phelan, Chris Tierney
• "In the first half and for most of the game, we were just dumb," Nicol said. "If you look at how they played, especially in the first half, we tried to make passes in the middle of our own half and they just squeezed us. We tried that and it didn't work. We weren't smart enough to change it. We're trying to stretch out the game and get it wider earlier and we couldn't do it."
TEAM NEWS
• With the dismissal of Frankie Hejduk, the Revolution went to a 3-5-2 scheme with the addition of Wells Thompson and Sainey Nyassi in wide roles and the departure of center back Gabriel Badilla.
• "(T)he formation really has nothing to do with how we played; we were just dumb. We played three in the back and still we played into the middle and Taylor (Twellman) got squeezed. So the formation really doesn't have much to do with it," Nicol said. "We went to three because we had to get more forward. It's the only reason we did it - because we had to try to get people forward ... We were going about it the wrong way and we didn't change it. We have to realize when we do one thing and it's not working, we have to change it."
• If both New England and Chicago fail to win at the weekend, combined with a Houston loss to Colorado, the Crew would clinch the overall standings and Supporters' Shield.
• "It's a disappointing result. At home, we're trying to get three points and catch [Columbus] in the standings for first place and the Supporters' Shield. We let it slide and that pretty much locks that up, so it's disappointing," Michael Parkhurst said.
• Said Shalrie Joseph: "They played like the best team in MLS. We weren't good enough to match them. We put out the effort but it wasn't enough at the end of the day."
• In 2004, the Crew won the Supporters' Shield, along the way winning the season series with New England - taking the first two meetings (one at each ground), before playing to a pair of draws. But in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Revolution advanced 2-1 on aggregate, the 1-1 second-leg draw highlighted by a pair of Matt Reis penalty-kick saves. The Crew won two of the three meetings with New England this year.
• "We have to find some positives," Joseph said. "We created some chances but it wasn't good enough. They did what they were supposed to do and got the early goal. They defended for their life and created one or two chances after that as well."
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake moved into a playoff spot, going to Buck Shaw Stadium and coming away with a 3-2 victory against the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday evening. Real now have 34 points from 26 matches, still sitting in a tie for third place in the Western Conference, but now hold eighth place overall in the MLS standings and the second available wild card playoff spot.
LAST MATCH
• The Earthquakes were the league's hottest team, unbeaten in their last nine games, while Real saw their unbeaten home record got by the wayside the week before, their second consecutive loss.
• But it was the visitors who got off to a dream start. Javier Morales stabbed a chip over the San Jose back line and Yura Movsisvan chased it down before cutting back and slotting home a shot inside the left-hand post (3). The Earthquakes pulled even in the 23rd minute. A long pass from Ryan Cochrane sprung Darren Huckerby behind the RSL defense, and he provided a composed finish of his own.
• Two minutes after the restart, Huckerby hit for his second. Running onto a return pass from Arturo Alvarez, a cheeky backheel, Huckerby rifled home from 20 yards for his fifth goal in MLS.
• Yet the lead last all of two minutes, as yet another long ball over the top to Movsisyan sprung him on another breakaway, and he lofted his shot over the advancing Cannon for his second goal of the game, fifth of the season and fourth in the last four games.
• Then 10 minutes later, Morales provided the crowning blow, hooking a freekick over the Earthquakes wall and just inside the left-hand post for his fifth goal on the year.
• RSL head coach Jason Kreis made two changes to the team that lost 1-0 to Chivas USA the previous weekend. Robbie Russell started in midfield in place of Andy Williams, and Clint Mathis started up top, in place of Kenny Deuchar.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Ian Joy - Robbie Russell, Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson - Javier Morales (Andy Williams 76) - Clint Mathis (Robbie Findley 69), Yura Movsisyan (Kenny Deuchar 82). Substitutes Not Used: Kenny Cutler, David Horst, Tino Nunez, Chris Seitz
TEAM NEWS
• Real hadn't won on the road since June 14, a result that followed five consecutive losses on the road to begin the season. Kreis knew his team would have to change that record in one of its three remaining contests outside of Utah to reach the playoffs for the first time.
• "We challenged the players this week," Kreis said. "I kind of took the gloves off a little bit and said it's time for you guys to step up. For me, big games call for big players to make big plays. Our big players showed up today and made big plays."
• Over the second half of the season, Morales has started to pick up the production for RSL. Three of his five goals have come since July 12; he also has four assists during that time, and now rates second in MLS with 11 assists. He has still missed only one game this season - the May 15 game in Colorado, after he was forced off injured the week before.
• "Javier Morales has been fantastic," Kreis said. "There's certainly been some games where I would have thought he could have done a little bit more, and so he was one of the players I was hoping would accept that challenge and he showed tonight that he did, because I thought he was absolutely fantastic. He created that first goal, an unbelievable pass, and then played through what was, I'm sure, a painful injury because he knows how important to our team he is. So for me, my hat's off to him. Fantastic."
• After starting the first game of the season, Movsisyan did not start again until July 12, making just six substitute appearances (totaling just 137 minutes) in the intervening 15 games. He has started eight of the 10 games since and come as a sub in the other two (one outing totaling 81 minutes), and has all five of his goals in that time.
• "I honestly feel that Yura is a player that a lot of people that have been watching him for a while don't quite understand what he's made of, and what he's capable of," Kreis said. "The coaching staff that sees him day in and day out has a full understanding of what he's capable of, and he showed it tonight."
• Combined with D.C. United's loss, Real now hold onto the final wild card place by one point, despite currently losing out on a tiebreaker with Colorado for third place in the West. Those teams will meet in the final game of the regular season is what could likely determine the final playoff spot in the conference - and maybe the league.
• "We're fighting for a playoff spot, and so are they (San Jose)," Movsisyan said. No game is going to be easy from here on out and we need to keep fighting like we did tonight."
