FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - After a convincing 3-1 victory in Columbus midweek, New England Revolution manager Steve Nicol will once again field an unchanged side for Saturday's home match against the MetroStars.
Revolution striker Taylor Twellman is likely to make the substitutes' bench at the weekend. Short of match fitness after recovering from a left hamstring strain, Nicol is unlikely to risk his star striker, especially with the imminent departures of Clint Dempsey, Steve Ralston, and Pat Noonan to U.S. national team duty.
"I played soccer tennis for a half an hour [at training on Friday]," said Twellman. "I have had 10 days of fitness work. I'll be ready for July 4. I don't think I will [play on Saturday] because we're being smart."
Nicol was pleased with his side's form during midweek, as a Pat Noonan brace propelled the Revolution to their eighth victory of the season.
"We were away from home and grabbed three goals," said Nicol. "We kept tight when we needed to. They had a couple of flashes, but we had some at their end as well. We gave them too much time and space to be honest."
The MetroStars defeated Columbus last weekend with the aid of an Ante Razov brace. The former Fire star spent much of the season riding the Columbus pine, but Razov looks rejuvenated under former head coach Bob Bradley. He moved to the Metros in exchange for striker John Wolyniec barely a week before the teams met last weekend.
"Wolyniec did a lot of the unselfish work," said Nicol. "Razov's a different type of player. He has a better touch and he works better with other players. Wolyniec was a bit of an unsung hero."
"Ante's a dangerous player," said Noonan. "They do not have [Abbe] Ibrahim (out with a knee injury), but they have depth. We can't focus on what they are doing."
Nicol was adamant that his team needs to tighten up in order to secure the three points. In the first meeting of the season, it took late heroics from Taylor Twellman to secure a share of the points in a 2-2 draw at the Meadowlands on May 21.
"They'll be buoyant after last weekend. We gave them time and space in the first meeting. We have to cut it out. Every game against them is a tough game," said Nicol.
Noonan believes that consistent effort for 90 minutes will ensure a victory for the home side.
"Our focus is to get a win," said Noonan. "We have to play the entire 90 minutes. We'll have the same lineup that we had in Columbus. We need to get in a rhythm and get right at them."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
