New England Revolution vs. Chivas USA | MLS Match Preview

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION vs CHIVAS USA
GILLETTE STADIUM, Foxborough, Mass.
Aug. 23, 2014 (WEEK 24, MLS Game #225)
7:30 p.m. ET (CSN-NE; KDOC/TWCD)

Two clubs looking for victories to pull themselves back into the playoff places meet in an interconference matchup as the New England Revolution play host to Chivas USA on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution are just a point outside the top five in the Eastern Conference, following their 1-1 home draw with the Portland Timbers last weekend. Chivas USA saw their winless and goalless streaks continued last weekend in a scoreless draw with Vancouver at StubHub Center, now nine points behind the final playoff spot in the West.

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REFEREE: David Gantar. SAR (bench): C.J. Morgante; JAR (opposite): Gianni Facchini; 4th: Daniel Radford
MLS Career: 31 games; FC/gm: 25.4; Y/gm: 2.7; R: 11; pens: 4

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: NE: Scott Caldwell, Chris Tierney ? CHV: Bobby Burling, Tony Lochhead, Agustin Pelletieri, Mauro Rosales
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: NE: Lee Nguyen, A.J. Soares ? CHV: Marky Delgado, Donny Toia, Erick Torres, Nathan Sturgis, Oswaldo Minda, Leandro Barrera
DISABLED LIST: NE: Andy Dorman ? CHV: Thomas McNamara
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (16 meetings): Revolution 5 wins, 20 goals ? Chivas USA 7 wins, 25 goals ? Ties 4
AT NEW ENGLAND (8 meetings): Revolution 4 wins, 16 goals ? Chivas USA 2 wins, 12 goals ? Ties 2

LAST YEAR (MLS)
6/29: CHV 1, NE 1 (Courtois 18 ? Barrett 88)

• The teams are meeting for the only time this season in league play.
• Chivas USA have a seven-game undefeated streak alive vs. the Revolution. The teams played to a 1-1 draw in their only meeting last season, June 29 at StubHub Center, a second consecutive draw following five Chivas wins in a row in the series.
• The goal scored by the Revs last year in Carson was their first road goal vs. Chivas USA since 2008. The Revolution's last win came July 19, 2009 in Foxborough; their only win in Carson came in 2008.
• Coaches record: Jay Heaps vs. CHV: P2 W0 L0 T2 | Wilmer Cabrera vs. NE: first game

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution took a second result from their last three games, gaining a 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution are in a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 26 points from 22 games.

LAST MATCH

• New England struck first in the 27th minute. Charlie Davies ran onto a Diego Fagundez through ball in the left side of the area, hitting a first-time left-footer past a diving Donovan Ricketts in the Portland goal and inside the far post.
• But the Timbers drew level in the 65th minute. Liam Ridgewell intercepted a pass just inside midfield and charged past a slew of New England defenders, weaving his way into the left side of the box before firing a low-left footed shot inside the far post to level the score at 1-1.
• Revolution head coach Jay Heaps made one change to the team that suffered a 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. Diego Fagundez came back into the team in place of Steve Neumann.
• NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-1-4-1): Bobby Shuttleworth - Andrew Farrell, Jose Goncalves, A.J. Soares, Kevin Alston (Darrius Barnes 28) - Scott Caldwell - Teal Bunbury, Lee Nguyen (Daigo Kobayashi 57), Kelyn Rowe, Diego Fagundez  - Charlie Davies (Patrick Mullins 75).

TEAM NEWS

• The draw was just the Revolution?s second result over their last 11 games, having gone 1-9-1 since May 24.
• The Revolution allowed one goal, the third time over the 11-game span that they?ve not allowed multiple goals in a game.
• "I thought the game was a little bit of a tale of two halves. I thought we were there in the first half with the right way we played," said Revolution head coach Jay Heaps. "Then the second half we let them back and that's disappointing because when you have a team you think you can put away, we've got to start putting them away and we had the chance in the first half."
• After scoring his first goal in any league, for club or country, since Sept. 10, 2011, the week before, Revolution striker Charlie Davies made it two goals in two games in the 1-1 draw with Portland.
• "Charlie has been playing really well," midfielder Kelyn Rowe said. "He's holding the ball well, winning balls, working hard, and he's in the right spot at the right time. All of these positive attributes are helping him finish balls."
• Said Davies: "On the wing it's a little bit different and once I was able to get the chance to play in the center, things have been much easier for me. It's been an easier transition with the guys. I think most of the team knows the way I like to play and where I'm most dangerous and playing that center position. it's easier for me to be in those positions; and I think it's easier for the guys to get me those balls in the positions that I'm most dangerous in."
• Diego Fagundez collected his fourth assist of the season, the first time he?s been involved in a goal in a league game since netting a goal and adding an assist in the 2-1 win vs. D.C. United on May 24.
• After playing every minute in the previous five matches, Lee Nguyen came off just before the hour mark in favor of Daigo Kobayashi, who was making a fourth consecutive appearance off the substitutes' bench.
• "I think Lee was getting absolutely just kicked all over the place and actually, I thought Daigo went in and did a nice job and the space opened up. And the game actually started to flow and we had a couple chances right after that. You don't like taking Lee off the field, but at the same time it was 1-0, we needed to change up just one little dynamic," said Heaps. "I felt like we weren't playing well enough and I wanted to just open the space a little bit and I thought Daigo did a nice job sliding in there. You don't like taking Lee off. It's not routine that we take Lee off but we just wanted to shake it up a little bit."
• The Chivas USA is the second of back-to-back games at Gillette Stadium, in a stretch of five out of six home games for the Revolution.
• "We just have to pick up that sense of urgency. It's coming on here until the last stretch.  We have to know that losses and ties aren't going to be good enough. We got to start getting three points," said defender Darrius Barnes.
• The Revolution obtained forward Tony Taylor via a weighted lottery. After playing collegiately at South Florida and Jacksonville, he has spent four seasons abroad, most recently in Cyprus with Omonia Nikosia.
• "Tony is a younger player who will come in and add to the competition already on our team," Revolution general manager Michael Burns said. "He has some speed and is versatile in that he can play up top or out wide on the right. We'll look forward to get him in as soon as possible and integrated into the team."

CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA put an end to their losing slide but still saw their winless and goalless streaks continue, playing to a scoreless draw with Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday evening at StubHub Center. Chivas USA sit in ninth place in the Western Conference with 24 points from 23 games.

LAST MATCH

• There weren't many golden opportunities for either side, as Vancouver recorded their third straight shutout and Chivas USA were blanked for a fourth straight match.
• Whitecaps FC goalkeeper David Ousted was called upon to make four saves, while Chivas USA goalkeeper Dan Kennedy was credited with three stops.
• Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera made four changes to the team that fell 2-0 to the Portland Timbers at Providence Park. Andrew Jean-Baptiste came into the back four in place of Eriq Zavaleta, Marky Delgado and Eric Avila started in the midfield in place of Mauro Rosales and Oswaldo Minda, and Felix Borja started up top for Marvin Chavez.
• CHIVAS USA (4-4-2): Dan Kennedy - Akira Kaji, Tony Lochhead, Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Donny Toia - Marky Delgado (Mauro Rosales 46), Agustin Pelletieri, Nathan Sturgis, Eric Avila (Leandro Barrera 59) - Felix Borja, Erick Torres (Ryan Finley 81).

TEAM NEWS

• Chivas USA saw their goalscoring drought extended to 366 minutes - the second-longest in MLS this season - in the scoreless draw with Vancouver. The Houston Dynamo went 480 minutes without hitting the back of the net from May 17-July 4.
• "We had some guys bringing in fresh legs and a better offensive mentality. Overall the plan was executed the way we wanted," said Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera. "Obviously we missed the goal, the most important aspect, but [the coaching staff] and the players believe that it was a good and solid performance, and that we are moving forward from what we have done in the past four games."
• Chivas USA also had their overall winless streak extended to five games, following a club-record four-game winning streak from June 28-July 12.
• "I think we had a much better game overall. We were more solid defensively, and we finished with a clean sheet against a very good team ... After four consecutive losses we needed this game to be sure that we are still in good shape, that we are better organized and that we continue applying our philosophy of working hard as a group. We defended well and then tried to attack and create possibilities,? said Cabrera.
• Chivas USA did keep a clean sheet for a fourth time this season, all coming over the last nine games, the first since recording three in a row from June 28-July 5 (which were all 1-0 victories).
• "It was nice to just get some type of result," goalkeeper Dan Kennedy said. "Obviously we had a tough four-game stretch, so now it's about continuing to get the guys that are hurt healthy. That was a good performance by the backline [Saturday], so we can build on this."
• Felix Borja made his Chivas USA and MLS debut following his acquisition from Ecuadorian side Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito, starting up top alongside Erick Torres and playing the full 90 minutes.
• "Borja is a guy who battles right there with the central defenders. He helps Erick 'Cubo' Torres, because 'Cubo' has been doing it all by himself," said Cabrera. "Felix is a different type of player, he's more athletic, stronger and experienced. He's very good in the air. He's going to let 'Cubo' be a little bit more open, and maybe between the two of them they can expose the opposing defense."
• Said Kennedy: "He's a beast and he can hold the ball and he should take a little of the weight off [Erick Torres'] shoulders. I'm excited for him to get his feet on the ground in this league. I think he is going to be a real handful."
• Andrew Jean-Baptiste returned to central defense following a two-match absence, as Carlos Bocanegra missed his fourth consecutive game with concussion. Eriq Zavaleta did not feature for the first time in six games, suffering from right hamstring irritation.
• "When [Bocanegra is] 100 percent, he's the first one to want to be on the field and, in that aspect, we feel comfortable," Cabrera said. "He wants to be on the field, but needs to be 100 percent."