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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Shalrie Joseph has waited for this match since the New England Revolution dealt Jeff Larentowicz to the Colorado Rapids during the offseason.
Saturday's game will be Joseph’s first encounter opposite Larentowicz, as the Grenadian midfielder missed the first meeting between the Rapids and Revolution on April 24 while away on a leave of absence.
“I played alongside him for four years now and he's been one of my good friends,” Joseph told MLSsoccer.com on Thursday. “[I'm looking forward to] play and finally get a chance to go against him, see how he's doing and finally talk about soccer.”
While Joseph and Larentowicz will likely engage in some friendly banter on the field, the Revolution captain discussed the importance of the Rapids' new-look central tandem to their playoff hopes prior to the match. Larentowicz has paired with veteran Pablo Mastroeni to form one of the league's most formidable central midfield duos.
“They can definitely be in love with what they've got going on in the middle there with Jeff and Pablo,” Joseph said. “Pablo's been a mainstay in this league for so many years and Jeff is starting to find his groove.”
“It's going to be a challenge for me and [midfielder partner Pat Phelan],” Joseph said. “I think Pat's looking forward to it having stepped into Jeff's role this year and being so good for us. We'll definitely have a great challenge with us four in the middle this weekend.”
