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NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION vs HOUSTON DYNAMO
GILLETTE STADIUM, Foxborough, Mass.
7:30 p.m. ET (HDNet; FSN-NE)May 27, 2006 (WEEK 9) / MLS Game #50
A pair of teams that saw unbeaten streaks end in disappointing fashion last weekend meet for the first time ever, as the New England Revolution play host to Houston Dynamo in the Bay State. The Revolution come into the game coming off their heaviest defeat in nearly five years, a 4-0 defeat by FC Dallas, after winning their previous two games in dominating fashion. Dynamo saw their four-match unbeaten streak come to an end in their second home loss on the campaign, a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire.
REFEREE: Shane Moody. SAR (bench): Rob Fereday; JAR (opposite): Rick Eddy; 4th: Gus St. Silva
MLS Career: first game
MLS 2006: first game
Games involving Revolution: first game
Games involving Dynamo: first game
INJURY REPORT: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION - OUT: DF Marshall Leonard (L Achilles tendon repair); DOUBTFUL: MF Khano Smith (L knee surgery); QUESTIONABLE: MF Daniel Hernandez (L ankle sprain); MF Leandro De Oliveira (R knee sprain); MF Jani Galik (R hamstring strain); PROBABLE: MF Ryan Latham (abdominal strain); FW Pat Noonan (R hamstring strain) ... HOUSTON DYNAMO - OUT: MF Aaron Lanes (R fifth metatarsal fracture); DOUBTFUL: DF Adrian Serioux (L big toe fracture); MF Brad Davis (L knee MCL sprain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: NE: Clint Dempsey (USA; 2006 World Cup); Avery John (Trinidad & Tobago; 2006 World Cup) ... HOU: Brian Ching (USA; World Cup 2006)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS: NE: Shalrie Joseph (suspended next yellow card)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME: first meeting
This is the first of two league meetings between the clubs this season, the only one set for Gillette Stadium. Their lone meeting at Robertson Stadium is set for July 22.
Coaches record: Steve Nicol vs. HOU: first meeting ... Dominic Kinnear v NE: P5 W3 L0 D2
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution saw their two-game winning streak come to an abrupt halt, suffering their biggest loss in nearly five seasons in a 4-0 defeat by FC Dallas last Saturday at Pizza Hut Park. The Revolution are now tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 10 points from seven matches, level with the Chicago Fire, one point behind third-place Columbus Crew and just five behind division leader D.C. United.
LAST MATCH
The Revolution came into the game with seven goals in their last two games as they looked to have regained the form that earned them a trip to Frisco for last year's MLS Cup Final, while FC Dallas were still unbeaten at home as they held the league's best record.
But the Frisco stadium continued to be a house of horrors for New England, as the Hoops hit for four goals in the first 19 minutes to race away with the victory. Kenny Cooper got FCD off to a dream start, as he stormed in to knock a sliding header home from a Chris Gbandi cross after just four minutes.
Then Carlos Ruiz scored twice in nine minutes. His first was remarkable: Simo Valakari knocked the ball away in a tackle in the center circle, and Ruiz collected some 45 yards from the Revolution. He turned and let fly, the ball sailing over New England 'keeper Matt Reis and into the right-hand corner of the goal (7). His second was less dramatic, Reis punching out a cross headed back into the goalmouth, but only as far as Ruiz, who slotted home into the unguarded goal.
It was 4-0 in the 19th minute as Ruiz played provider. He received the ball in the left corner and laid it back to the top of the area where Ramon Nunez raced it to pound it home and send the Hoops on their way. Taylor Twellman twice seemed to have answered for New England after the break, but both times the flag went up for offside after he found the back of the net.
Revolution head coach Steve Nicol made one change to the team that defeated Chivas USA 3-1 at Gillette Stadium the weekend before. Willie Sims came into the team for Tony Lochhead in making his first MLS start.
Here's Nicol's team (3-4-2-1): Matt Reis - Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, James Riley - Steve Ralston, Andy Dorman, Shalrie Joseph (Tony Lochhead 82), Joe Franchino - Willie Sims (Jeff Larentowicz 47), Jose Cancela (Pat Noonan 72) - Taylor Twellman. [Substitutes Not Used: Kyle Brown, Pat Haggerty, T.J. Tomasso, Doug Warren]
"We gave them the first three goals," he said. "We were clearly slow to begin the game. It's two things. It's either one of those aberrations that you have during the year - we had one at New York last year. But we have to look at preparation as well."
TEAM NEWS
It was the worst loss for the Revolution since a 5-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on Aug. 8, 2001. The club's largest-ever defeat is five goals, last also in 2001, vs. D.C. United (May 9). It was the worst loss in any competition since a quarterfinal loss in the 2003 CONCACAF Champions Cup to Costa Rican outfit LD Alajuelense.
It was also the most goals allowed in a game by the Revs since a 5-4 loss to the MetroStars last Sept. 17.
"All around, we weren't good. The first one I'm a step late to. From there it just kind of snowballed. As a team we didn't pick it up until we got in the locker room," goalkeeper Matt Reis said. "These things happen when we don't come out very well. We haven't been doing it all season, haven't been starting off games well. And when you go to another team's home and you don't come with the right mindset from the beginning you're going to get lit up and that's what happened tonight."
It also quickly quelled the optimism the Revolution had rebounded after a poor start in defense of their Eastern Conference title won last year.
"We're a good team - we just didn't play like that tonight. A lot of the goals came off turnovers, guys not following runners, things like that," Ralston said. "They had a couple of good goals, but we were terrible. We weren't ready to play."
''When you start the way we did, everything tends to go against you, and that is exactly what happened," Nicol said. "A lot of it was self-inflicted, but give them credit, they were hungrier than we were."
Pat Noonan returned to action for the first time since April 15. He has been suffering from a hamstring strain since February, and against FC Dallas, came on as a substitute for the final 18 minutes.
''It was a good start [to recovery] in bad circumstances," said Noonan. ''I'll see how it feels [today]."
HOUSTON DYNAMO
Houston Dynamo saw their four-match unbeaten run come to an end in their second home defeat already this season, falling 1-0 to the Chicago Fire on Saturday afternoon at Robertson Stadium. Dynamo are still in second place in the Western Conference with 13 points from eight matches, five behind FC Dallas who hold the league's best overall record.
LAST MATCH
The Fire were in the seventh game of their nine-game road trip to begin the season, but hadn't lost since the season opener, while Dynamo were unbeaten in four games.
On a hot, steamy afternoon, it would be just one bit of brilliance to decide the match, and it came from the Fire's Brazilian-born midfielder Thiago in the 50th minute. Taking the ball just inside the midfield stripe, he set off on a surging run through the heart of the Houston defense, nutmegging Eddie Robinson at full gallop before slamming the ball home from outside the area for the game's only goal.
Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made one change to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas the weekend before. Adrian Serioux was still bothered by his toe injury, meaning Ryan Cochrane returned to the back four in central defense.
Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Craig Waibel (Kelly Gray 86), Ryan Cochrane (Kevin Goldthwaite 77), Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett - Brian Mullan, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis - Dwayne De Rosario - Alejandro Moreno, Ronald Cerritos (Julian Nash 77). [Substitutes Not Used: Stuart Holden, Patrick Ianni, Zach Wells, Chris Wondolowski]
"In a day like this, when bodies are fatigued, there's that one little extra piece of effort that'll put you on top," Kinnear said. "Shame on us for not stepping up a little bit earlier."
TEAM NEWS
Dynamo were playing for a second consecutive weekend in Texas heat, and after coming from behind to claim a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas the previous weekend at Pizza Hut Park, there were no such late heroics at home against the Fire.
"(The heat) messes up everybody's game," Kinnear said. "Let's be honest, it's hot out there, you have the humidity, you only have three subs, guys can't come off to take a breather and get a cup of water and go back on the field. Whoever schedules these games, I want to have him come down to Houston and run on the field for 60 minutes and tell me if he thinks it's such a great idea."
While he was able to start and play the entire match despite suffering a sprained left ankle in the FC Dallas match, Dwayne De Rosario was hampered by the injury. "(The injury) definitely limited me, both mentally and physically," he said to the Houston Chronicle.
A year ago, the San Jose Earthquakes went the entire season without losing at home - the first team in MLS history to perform the feat. Dynamo have lost twice in their new home this season.
"Dom said it best. He said we can't have one or two guys who are on and four or five who are off," winger Brad Davis said. "We have to have all of our team show up on the field."
