New England Revolution head coach Steve Nicol was disappointed that his side only managed a 1-1 draw at home to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.
"It depends on how you look at it," said Nicol. "If you look at Los Angeles' away record, you have to be disappointed."
Attacking soccer was at a premium in the first half, as Los Angeles sat back and looked to counter off New England mistakes.
"In the first half, they sat in [their half]," said Nicol. "We did not help ourselves with our plan in the final third. We could have passed the ball quicker. We didn't create enough, and we had nothing from the wings. We made a bad pass and they're up a goal."
Herculez Gomez's tally in the 16th minute emanated from a sloppy pass at midfield. Galaxy defender Ugo Ihemelu stepped in and fed Landon Donovan. Gomez's run pierced the New England rearguard, and Donovan threaded his pass for Gomez to place past Revs 'keeper Matt Reis.
Shalrie Joseph replied for the Revolution with a 26th-minute penalty after Ihemelu handled a James Riley cross inside the penalty area.
The second half showed a renewed commitment to attack from both sides. Los Angeles created chances through Gomez and Donovan in the first 15-20 minutes of the second half, before the Revs replied with chances from Andy Dorman, Jose Cancela, and Taylor Twellman.
Joseph admits that the game needed a jumpstart after a languid first half.
"The game was slow," said Joseph. "Both teams wanted possession and they wanted to avoid counter attacks.
"Steve told us to push the tempo in the second half and pick up the game. We needed to take more chances. We're disappointed with getting only one point at home."
Galaxy head coach Steve Sampson was pleased with his side's performance after earning a point on the road. Los Angeles had not taken a point in Foxborough since a 5-2 victory on July 11, 1999. But they've still gone this season without a victory away from The Home Depot Center -- and haven't won a league game outside of southern California in more than a year.
"We're happy to come out of here with a draw," said Sampson. "It's been a long time since we've gotten a point here [in Foxborough]."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
