New England Revolution coach Steve Nicol is expected to field an unchanged side for Wednesday night's match against Dallas at the Cotton Bowl.
Rusty Pierce played for the first time since April in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Columbus, entering the match in the 77th minute. Pierce suffered no ill effects from his appearance, but he looks set to continue in a substitute's role in Wednesday's match due to a lack of match fitness.
"He's fine," said Nicol. "He's someone to think about for us. He came on Saturday in did well. Is he capable of 90 minutes at this point? Probably not. He's available for selection."
Injured 'keeper Adin Brown is still ruled out through injury. The giant stopper practiced in Monday's light workout, taking shots from his teammates in order to acquire the sharpness necessary to return to the lineup. Doug Warren will continue to serve as the backup 'keeper.
Brown has also been fitted with a protective headband. The headband is padded in both the front and back of the head, allowing Brown additional protection in between the pipes. The headband is similar to a version recently seen on the head of Los Angeles Galaxy defender Ryan Suarez.
Nicol would not be drawn into an advanced prognosis of his goalkeeper other than to rule him out for the weekend.
"He's not ready to play," said Nicol.
Playmaker Jose Cancela was withdrawn from Saturday's match in the 81st minute with a slight knock. Gesturing to reporters on Monday morning, Cancela pointed to a bone in his left foot as the source of the discomfort. He is expected to play on Wednesday.
The Revolution heads to Dallas on a five-game unbeaten streak. Four draws and a victory have seen the Revolution vault into joint fourth place with Chicago, and tiebreakers would put them into the playoffs if the season ended today.
Nicol's charges succumbed to the Burn 3-1 on June 12, with Eddie Johnson, Toni Nhleko, and Jason Kreis each tallying for the home side. The Revolution manager admits that his side will have to improve if they wish to extend the unbeaten streak to six matches.
"They are capable of scoring goals and doing damage at the offensive end," said Nicol. "The last time we played them, we had a bad defensive performance. We'll need to do better this time."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
