The next stop for the Sporting Kansas City season-opening road show is an Eastern Conference test against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution have lost two in a row after a bright start, last weekend falling 1- 0 in Houston on a late goal. Sporting were knocked off 1-0 at Columbus last weekend as their 10-game trip continues while their new stadium is being completed.
REFEREE: Edvin Jurisevic. SAR (bench): Rob Fereday; JAR (opposite): James Conlee; 4th: Mark Kadlecik MLS Career: 28 games; FC/gm: 21.3; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 2; pens: 3
INJURY REPORT:NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION – DOUBTFUL: MF Andrew Sousa (R quadriceps strain); QUESTIONABLE: MF Ousmane Dabo (R quadriceps strain); DF Didier Domi (L hamstring strain); PROBABLE: FW Rajko Lekic (L hip flexor strain) … SPORTING KANSAS CITY – OUT: FW Konrad Warzycha (R knee surgery); FW Omar Bravo (sports hernia); MF Luke Sassano (L ankle sprain); PROBABLE: DF Chance Myers (L adductor strain); MF Ryan Smith (L knee inflamation); DF Matt Besler (L knee contusion)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: KC: Jon Kempin (U.S. U-18)
SUSPENDED: KC: Julio Cesar (through April 23)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (40 meetings): Revolution 12 wins (1 shootout), 50 goals … Sporting 20 wins (1 shootout), 64 goals … Ties 8
AT NEW ENGLAND (21 meetings): Revolution 6 wins (1 shootout), 28 goals … Sporting 10 wins (0 shootout), 36 goals … Ties 5
RETURN MATCH: 7/30: Sporting Kansas City vs. New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m. CT
LAST YEAR (MLS):
8/21: KC 4, NE 1 (Diop 16, 27; Kamara 65; Jewsbury 69 – Mansally 37)
10/16: NE 1, KC 0 (Joseph 31)
- New England’s 1-0 win last Oct. 16 snapped a three-game home winless streak against Kansas City. Kansas City had won two of three games at Gillette Stadium since a 2-0 Revolution win, Aug. 2, 2007.
- Kansas City will leave CommunityAmerica Ballpark with a three-game winning streak there against the Revolution. New England’s last win at KC came April 9, 2008.
- Coaches record: Steve Nicol vs. KC: P26 W6 L12 D8 … Peter Vermes v NE: P3 W2 L1 D0
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
- The New England Revolution lost for the second time in as many weeks, falling 1-0 to a late goal by the Houston Dynamo on Sunday afternoon at Robertson Stadium. The Revolution have 6 points from 6 matches, in a tie for sixthplace in the Eastern Conference.
LAST MATCH
- The talking points began early in the second half, when Bobby Boswell redirected a corner kick goalward. It was cleared from the line by Zack Schilawski and referee Alex Prus did not give the goal, though the Dynamo felt it had crossed the line.
- Then in the 86th minute, there was more. Cam Weaver hammered a header from another corner, the ball ricocheting straight up off the crossbar. Hunter Freeman got between Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis and the goal line, and the ball bounced off his arm and into the goal for the winner.
- Revolution head coach Steve Nicol made six changes to the team that fell 2-0 to Real Salt Lake at Gillette Stadium. Matt Reis came in between the posts for Bobby Shuttleworth, and A.J. Soares, Darrius Barnes, Zak Boggs and Chris Tierney came back into the side while Rajko Lekic made his first start, with Shalrie Joseph and Pat Phelan suspended, Didier Domi injured and Ryan Cochrane and Kenny Mansally on the substitutes’ bench.
- NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-3-2-1): Matt Reis - Kevin Alston, Franco Coria (Ryan Cochrane 79), A.J. Soares, Darrius Barnes - Zak Boggs, Stephen McCarthy, Chris Tierney - Marko Perovic, Zack Schilawski (Kenny Mansally 79) – Rajko Lekic
TEAM NEWS
- With the absence of Shalrie Joseph and Pat Phelan to suspension, Steve Nicol started out his side with athree-pronged, giving his MLS debut to Danish striker Rajko Lekic at the spearhead of the attack.
- “We didn’t use the ball well enough to get forward. We had to make a lot of changes and it’s hard to have cohesion when you’re making changes, Nicol said to The Boston Globe. “But we feel we deserved a point after what we put into it. It’s disappointing the way it ended up. Had it been a good play, good passing, a good finish, you would feel better about it.’’
- Matt Reis made his first appearance since April 2 vs. Portland, after missing two games with a strained right adductor. Reis was called upon to make seven saves as the Dynamo had 27 total attempts at goal.
- Rookie A.J. Soares returned to a spot in central defense after missing the Real Salt Lake match through suspension. Darrius Barnes made his first start since the season opener, in a somewhat unfamiliar spot at left back. Chris Tierney made his first start in the central midfield since May 29, 2010.
- “Every team wants all their players available; unfortunately, we didn’t have that,” Nicol said. “In the first half wetried to generate some stuff at the other end; in the second half we couldn’t get anything going. I thought we defended really well. The real problem we had was set pieces. We challenged really well.”
- After scoring five goals in their opening four games, the Revolution have now been shut out in back-to-back contests.
- “In the second half we didn’t get anything going,’’ Nicol said. “But we’re away from home and you want to be solid and be tight, keep resolute, and we did that. The biggest problem was going to be set pieces and we knew that. They have big guys and you have to try and defend them.
- On Wednesday, the Revolution announced the acquisition of U.S. international Benny Feilhaber. Last with AGF Aarhus in Denmark, Feilhaber has also played for Derby County FC (England) and Hamburger SV (Germany).
- He has made 38 appearances for the U.S. national team and played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY
- Sporting Kansas City made their league return after a weekend off, falling 1-0 to the Columbus Crew on Saturday evening at Crew Stadium. Sporting have 4 points from 4 matches on the season, sitting in a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference.
LAST MATCH
- The game's lone goal came eight minutes after the second-half restart. Kevin Burns sent a service into the penalty area where Dilly Duka flicked the pass back to Robbie Rogers on the left. Rogers chested the ball, then slotted a shot past KC goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen.
- Sporting finished the game a man down when defender Julio Cesar was sent off for a second caution in the 72nd minute.
- SKC boss Peter Vermes made no changes to the team that played to a 3-3 draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Empire Field.
- SPORTING KANSAS CITY (4-2-3-1): Jimmy Nielsen – Michael Harrington, Julio Cesar (sent off 72), Matt Besler, Roger Espinoza - Birahim Diop, Davy Arnaud (Graham Zusi 71) - Kei Kamara (Korede Aiyegbusi 87), Milos Stojcev (Shavar Thomas 75), C.J. Sapong - Teal Bunbury.
TEAM NEWS
- The league’s most prolific attack, with eight goals through three games, Sporting Kansas City were held goalless in the loss at Columbus. SKC has conceded an average of 2.25 goals per game (nine goals in four games) – also leading MLS.
- “I thought we had a good first half and we created some very good chances in the first half. Coming in 0-0 at halftime was good being away from home,” Vermes said. “The goal they [Columbus] scored was a really good finish by Robbie [Rogers]. … Outside of that there was one other big save that our ‘keeper made and that was really it. I thought we had some really good chances but I don’t think we ever really tested [William] Hesmer.”
- With a second match without Omar Bravo in the lineup, out for 4-6 weeks after undergoing sports hernia surgery, Sporting maintained their three-pronged attack with Teal Bunbury at the spearhead and Kei Kamara and C.J. Sapong attacking from wide positions.
- “I thought we didn’t really give them any chances and I thought we had two or three really good chances of our own,” said attacking midfielder Davy Arnaud. “It would’ve been nice to get the goal but we still came in even at halftime."
- Vermes will have a decision to make in central defense after Júlio César was sent off in Columbus – SKC’s second red card in four matches. Bravo was expelled in the 3-2 loss at Chicago, March 26.
- “It completely changed everything because the game is still within reach, and all of a sudden it puts us behind the 8-ball,” Vermes said. “We’re trying to formulate an attack and defend down a man, which is difficult.”
- Just before the close of the transfer signing window, Sporting were able to sign defender Aurélien Collin, last with Vitoria Setubal in Portugal. The club is still awaiting arrival of his international transfer certificate, but he is expected to be available for the New England match.
- “I just think he’s tailor-made for this league with the qualities that he has,” Vermes said. “He can play three positions; central defender, right back and defensive midfield. He is incredibly experienced in the places that he’s been and the number of team’s that he’s played with.”
