Rapids hope to upset Revolution
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION v COLORADO RAPIDS
GILLETTE STADIUM, Foxborough, Mass.
7:30 p.m. ET (TV38; Altitude)
Sept. 29, 2007 (WEEK 26) / MLS Game #169
A pair of teams who have some ground to make up meet at Gillette Stadium when the Colorado Rapids pay a visit to the New England Revolution. The Rapids are in a tougher spot: they find themselves in 10th place in the overall table, three points behind the Chicago Fire for the final playoff spot with four games left to play. The Revolution have already secured their berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs, but they find themselves four points behind D.C. United in the race for both the Eastern Conference lead as well as the MLS Supporters' Shield, though they could secure home-field advantage for the conference semifinal series by the end of the weekend.
REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar. SAR (bench): Steven Taylor; JAR (opposite): Peter Manikowski; 4th: Michael Kennedy
MLS Career: 63 games; FC/gm: 31.0; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 14; pens: 23
Games involving Revolution: P11 W5 L5 T1; FC/gm: 32.3; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 1; pens: 5
Games involving Rapids: P9 W2 L4 T3; FC/gm: 30.7; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 2; pens: 2
INJURY REPORT: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION - OUT: DF Joe Franchino (peroneal tendon surgery); QUESTIONABLE: DF Avery John (L knee sprain), GK Brad Knighton (L thumb sprain), MF Miguel Gonzalez (R groin strain); PROBABLE: DF Jay Heaps (L calf strain), GK Doug Warren (R thumb sprain), FW Taylor Twellman (R groin strain), MF Shalrie Joseph (L groin strain) ... COLORADO RAPIDS - OUT: DF Dan Gargan (R knee ACL tear); FW Herculez Gomez (R ACL and meniscus tears); DOUBTFUL: FW Conor Casey (R MCL sprain)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: NE: Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Wells Thompson ... COL: Facundo Erpen, Ugo Ihemelu
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: NE: Andy Dorman, Jay Heaps, Avery John, James Riley, Khano Smith ... COL: Mehdi Ballouchy, Bouna Coundoul, Mike Petke, Brandon Prideaux
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (29 meetings): Revolution 10 wins (2 shootout), 42 goals ... Rapids 15 wins (1 shootout), 52 goals ... Draws 4
AT NEW ENGLAND: (14 meetings): Revolution 7 wins (2 shootout), 30 goals ... Rapids 4 wins (0 shootout), 23 goals ... Draws 3
• This is the second of two meetings between the clubs this season, the only one set for Gillette Stadium.
• A year ago, the teams split their season series, each continuing a trend of winning on their home ground. The Rapids won 3-2 at Mile High Stadium in July, then the Revolution won at home in September.
• The Revolution haven't won in their last six trips to the Rocky Mountain State. New England last won at the Rapids on June 15, 2002, a 2-1 victory. Colorado has won five of the last six meetings at home since, with the teams playing a scoreless draw on May 7, 2004.
• For their part, the Rapids haven't won in their last six trips to New England, since a 3-2 win on July 24, 2002. The Revolution have won four of the last six meetings between the clubs in Foxborough, with two scoreless draws.
• Coaches record: Steve Nicol vs. COL: P14 W5 L6 D3 ... Fernando Clavijo vs. NE: P5 W3 L1 D1
2007 (MLS):
8/16: COL 3, NE 0 (Kirovski 10, 41; Cummings 76)
• The Rapids rolled to a 3-0 victory on Aug. 16 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, the second successive week that Colorado defeated a conference leader.
• Colorado picked up right where they had left off, getting the opening goal in the 10th minute. A Terry Cooke cross was headed back across goal by Colin Clark, and while Revs 'keeper Matt Reis smothered the resulting close-range from Conor Casey, Jovan Kirovski came sliding in to bang home the rebound.
• Clark was again at the heart of the second Rapids goal. After skipping past one defender on the left, he cut into the area where he was tripped up by Jay Heaps, and referee Jorge Gonzalez pointed to the spot. Kirovski hammered his shot into the right side of the goal as Reis went the other way for his fifth goal on the season, third from the penalty spot.
• Clark had been dangerous all night and finally had a point to show when he set up the Rapids' third in the 76th minute. His long ball over the top found Omar Cummings racing in alone on goal, and the Jamaica native lashed home a sharp finish from the top of the box for his first MLS goal.
• Clark had two more great chances over the final stretch, including one where Reis made a fine reaction save, but a goal just wasn't going to come for him on the night.
• Here's Nicol's team (3-4-1-2): Matt Reis, Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Avery John - Wells Thompson (James Riley 46), Jeff Larentowicz (Gary Flood 87), Shalrie Joseph, Khano Smith - Andy Dorman - Pat Noonan (Adam Cristman 26), Taylor Twellman. Substitutes Not Used: Kyle Helton, Marshall Leonard, Doug Warren
• Here's Clavijo's team (4-3-1-2): Bouna Coundoul - Dan Gargan (Tony Sanneh 23), Facundo Erpen, Mike Petke, Brandon Prideaux - Terry Cooke, Pablo Mastroeni, Colin Clark (Jacob Peterson 87) - Mehdi Ballouchy (Omar Cummings 58) - Conor Casey, Jovan Kirovski. Substitutes Not Used: Jose Cancela, Nicolas Hernandez, Daniel Osorno, Zach Thornton
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution weren't able to build upon their recent run of victories as the New York Red Bulls twice came back before the teams settled for a 2-2 draw last Saturday evening at Giants Stadium. The Revolution have 46 points with four matches remaining, four points behind D.C. United in the Eastern Conference but still in the top four in the MLS overall table.
LAST MATCH
• The regional rivals were meeting for the third time in three months with the Revolution having won the last five league meetings between the clubs. New England were already secure of a playoff spot, while the Red Bulls were fairly safe despite having won just once in their last five games.
• The Revolution took the lead in the 22nd minute. Steve Ralston bent in a free kick from well out on the right and Taylor Twellman rose up completely unmarked to head home from the top of the six.
• But the Red Bulls pulled level before halftime. Dane Richards worked himself free in the right corner and hooked in a low cross toward the near post where Francis Doe snuck a leg in front of his marker and turned the ball home, the first MLS goal for the Liberian (37).
• Twellman struck once again 20 minutes from the end. Latching onto a deflection off Red Bulls defender Chris Leitch, he brought the ball down before lashing a low shot inside the right-hand post of New York goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus.
• Yet New York fought back once again, through a familiar hero, in the 84th minute. A long ball out of the back was flicked on by Doe, and Juan Pablo Angel strolled in alone behind the Revolution back line before neatly side-footing home inside the right post for his 16th goal on the campaign, tying the club's single-season record.
• Revolution head coach Steve Nicol made one change to the team that lost to D.C. United 4-2 the previous Sunday at RFK Stadium. Jay Heaps returned to the back three, coming in for James Riley.
• Here's Nicol's team (3-4-1-2): Matt Reis - Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Avery John - Steve Ralston, Jeff Larentowicz, Shalrie Joseph, Khano Smith - Andy Dorman (James Riley 73) - Taylor Twellman (Wells Thompson 92+), Pat Noonan (Adam Cristman 60). Substitutes Not Used: Gary Flood, Marshall Leonard, Sainey Nyassi, Doug Warren
• "It wasn't a particularly great performance. We had some balls where we looked half-decent ... and had some decent movement with the ball on the two goals," Nicol said. "Generally, I don't think we played particularly well. We need points, and we didn't play that well."
TEAM NEWS
• The draw left the Revolution still outside of reaching distance of D.C. United entering the weekend. But they could clinch home-field advantage for the conference semifinal series by the end of the weekend.
• "It's easily two dropped points. As a unit right now, we need to figure out how to keep the lead. Right now, we're not doing it. It's not just the four in the back, it's the four in the midfield, the two up front and the goalie. So we got to figure it out before the playoffs start," Taylor Twellman said.
• Twellman's double put him into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time MLS scoring chart. He now has 89 career strikes, one more than Roy Lassiter.
• "It's bittersweet," said Twellman of the milestone. "As a team, we need to get better holding the lead. That's the frustrating thing, but we are still doing well creating chances and we were fortunate to score two good goals tonight."
• The Revolution had hoped to build off the win against FC Dallas the weekend before as the start of a good run down the stretch into the postseason. While they have scored eight goals over their last three games, they have also allowed eight.
• "I think it's just a mentality. We need to have the right attitude. We need to go out there expecting to win and expecting to get clean sheets and close games out. That's something we're not doing right now and it's something we need to focus on," Michael Parkhurst said.
• It was also the second time in three games New England had failed to hold a second-half lead against a conference rival, on the road. The Revolution were up 2-1 at D.C. United two games previously, and ended up on the wrong end of a 4-2 scoreline.
• "When you're winning 2-1 with a few minutes left in the game, you have to finish the game off. Unfortunately tonight we made one mistake where two guys went for the ball, neither of them won it and we got punished," Steve Ralston said. "It was just some miscommunication there on that play, but I guess if you had told me before the season that we'd take four points in New York, we would have been happy with it."
• The match at Giants Stadium might well have been a playoff preview. The two would face off in the first round if the postseason started this week.
• "It seems like we've always done pretty well against these guys but they are a good team and it's never easy," Ralston said. "They have some guys who can score goals. Their two center backs win everything in the air, and Claudio (Reyna) brings a lot of experience for them. They're a lot more dangerous this year. Obviously, when you can bring Clint Mathis and Jozy Altidore off the bench in the 80th minute, you've got a lot of firepower. I think they finally have the goal-scorers they've been missing in previous years."
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids saw their winless run extended to four games, losing to the game's only goal from Real Salt Lake in the third Rocky Mountain Cup meeting of the season. The Rapids are still outside of the MLS Cup Playoffs picture, with 29 points and in 10th place overall with four games to play, now two points behind the ninth-place Columbus Crew and three behind the Chicago Fire in the last playoff spot.
LAST MATCH
• Real Salt Lake were winless in their last four games, though were coming off a dramatic midweek 2-2 with the Los Angeles Galaxy, while the Colorado Rapids were winless in their last three after hauling themselves back into the playoff picture with three wins on the trot.
• In a driving rain on the Wasatch Front, Real took the lead at the half-hour mark as one of the players who made the Rocky Mountain competition a true rivalry played his part.
• Kyle Beckerman, reviled by the RSL fans in his days with the Rapids before his trade to the Utah club earlier this year, found Chris Brown free on the left. Brown took a shot that Colorado 'keeper Bouna Coundoul was able to get down and parry, but the rebound came straight out to Kyle Brown, and he knocked it back home for the eventual winner.
• The Rapids came close in the dying minutes when Jose Cancela sent a long free kick on goal that RSL 'keeper Nick Rimando couldn't hold. But with a pair of Rapids attackers swinging, he was able to knock it away. The RSL win leveled the season series for the Rocky Mountain Cup with the teams set to meet in the regular season finale.
• Rapids head coach Fernando Clavijo made four changes to the team that came back to claim a 1-1 draw with Chivas USA the previous Sunday. With Mike Petke injured and Facundo Erpen suspended, Stephen Keel and Kosuke Kimura made their first MLS starts, in the back four. Brandon Prideaux also came back into the team, as Pablo Mastroeni was also suspended, while Conor Casey was injured, meaning there was again a place for Jacob Peterson.
• Here's Clavijo's team (4-3-1-2): Bouna Coundoul - Kosuke Kimura, Ugo Ihemelu, Stephen Keel, Brandon Prideaux - Terry Cooke (Omar Cummings 66), Tony Sanneh, Colin Clark - Mehdi Ballouchy (Jose Cancela 63) - Jacob Peterson (Daniel Osorno 74), Jovan Kirovski. Substitutes Not Used: Nicolas Hernandez, Nick LaBrocca, Mike Petke, Zach Thornton
• "A very sloppy game. We couldn't find (the game) ourselves. There in the second half we tried, but it was never clean enough. We could never connect, we could never string more than three passes together," Clavijo said. "That's the name of the game. I think the sense of urgency came out in the last 30 minutes of the game, and I told them we need to find that urgency at the beginning."
TEAM NEWS
• In a waterlogged affair, where heavy rain fell hard for most of the match, the game's lone goal came from a rebound that came off the hand of Rapids goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul and was then put in by RSL's Kyle Brown.
• "That guy was just lucky," said Coundoul of Kyle Brown. "He was wide open to follow the rebound. [Chris Brown] took a hot shot - I dove for it and saved it. Right from the ground I had to get up and save it again, but there was someone standing there who had a golden chance. And that's the only thing they got. They shot on goal, a rebound, and they scored just like that. That ain't much."
• It shows the rivalry is still intense between the two clubs, and the Rocky Mountain Cup will be decided when the teams meet in the regular season finale at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
• "It's two teams that try to win, no matter what," said Clavijo. "Every 50-50 ball they go at it. We couldn't connect, we couldn't possess the ball well. Throughout the year we are a team who possesses the ball well. If we haven't been able to find the net, we can still possess the ball well. Today we didn't do that."
• However, by then, the Rapids hope they have taken care of the larger goal. They are still three points out of the final playoff spot with four games to go, but they could have the easier schedule of the teams they are scrapping with - Chicago and Columbus. It could help coming into the final game, against their regional rival, needing the points to secure a postseason place.
• "For me, my biggest motivation is getting my team into the playoffs," said Coundoul. "Of course I want to win the trophy for the fans of Colorado, so they have something to hold on to. But, it would be a lot better to take them to the playoffs and go for the MLS Cup."
• Clavijo was pleased with the effort of the two youngsters inserted into the backline for their first professional starts - Kosuke Kimura and Stephen Keel. "I thought [Kimura] did very well," said Clavijo. "We have younger players, Keel had an opportunity -- first start for him. And Kimura had his first game ever. Overall, I thought they did well."
• Said Kimura: "It's just totally different. I've been in reserve games a couple of times, but this is a completely different game. Everything's so fast, and especially today with the rain, the ball was skipping and I had a hard time dealing with the ball. But it was a great experience ... Defensively I think I played OK, but when it comes to attacking, supporting [Terry Cooke] and Colin (Clark), I didn't do too much. I want to work on my game more when it comes to attacking."
• It was the first match for midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy against the club where the former first-round pick began his professional career, before being dealt by RSL to the Rapids for Kyle Beckerman just before the All-Star break.
• "The conditions were hard out there. I'd say it took us the first 45 minutes to start connecting passes and getting forward. We kind of had chances in the second half and it just came down to the finish," he said. " ... It's nice to come back but it's not that nice to lose. We definitely wanted to get the three points, but hopefully we can still win some games and get into the playoffs."
