MLS New England Revolution

Revs host bitter Eastern Conference rival D.C. United on Wednesday

Published on August 17, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution will train in Foxborough twice this week in preparation for a pair of crucial Eastern Conference battles with D.C. United and Toronto FC. On Wednesday, Aug. 20, the Revs will host a pivotal match against long-time rival D.C. at 7:30 p.m. at Gillette Stadium. New England will then travel north of the border to face off against Toronto FC at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 23, at BMO Field.

NEW ENGLAND VS. D.C. SERIES INFORMATION

D.C. leads the all-time, regular-season series between the two clubs, 24-17-7.

New England is 11-9-4 all-time at home against D.C., including a 5-3-4 mark at Gillette Stadium, but the Revs haven't defeated United in Foxborough since Aug. 27, 2005 (a 2-1 victory) ... the Revolution is 0-1-3 in its last four home matches against D.C. ... New England is 6-15-3 all-time on the road against United.

United holds the edge in all competitions, including MLS Cup Playoffs and U.S. Open Cup matches, 27-19-8.

The Revs and United have already met once this season at Gillette Stadium, as the clubs played to a 2-2 draw on May 29 ... D.C. took a 2-0 lead early in the second half, but New England scored two late goals to earn the draw.

When the two clubs meet on Wednesday night, they will be facing each other for the second time in eight days, as they played a U.S. Open Cup semifinal on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at RFK Stadium ... D.C. won that match, 3-1, against a New England side lacking many of its normal starters.

Wednesday night's match will be the 55th all-time meeting between New England and D.C. in all competitions, marking the most matches the Revs have played against any team ... it will be the 49th regular-season meeting, which also represents the Revs' greatest total against any opponent.

D.C. won the 2007 regular-season series, 2-0-1, for its first regular-season series victory over the Revs since 2004 ... United shut out New England, 3-0, in the only meeting between the two teams at Gillette Stadium (Aug. 5), while the club earned a 1-1 draw (April 19) and a 4-2 win (Sept. 9) in a pair of matches at RFK Stadium.

The teams have met in three postseason series, with D.C. owning a 2-1-1 edge in those matches ... however, the Revs defeated United, 1-0, in the most recent playoff meeting on Nov. 5, 2006, to win the Eastern Conference Championship and earn a berth in MLS Cup.

PLAYER NOTES VS. D.C.

Taylor Twellman leads New England with 13 career regular-season goals against United, marking his second-highest total against any MLS team (Twellman has 14 career goals against FC Dallas) ... four of Twellman's goals have been game-winners ... Twellman has recorded three multiple-goal games against D.C., including one of his three career hat tricks in a 3-0 win on Sept. 7, 2002.

Steve Ralston leads the Revs with 12 career assists against D.C., including six during his time with the Revolution ... Ralston has also recorded seven career goals against United, two of which have been scored with New England.

Adam Cristman and Kheli Dube scored New England's goals in the club's 2-2 draw with D.C. earlier this season.

Jay Heaps has two goals and six assists in his career against D.C., marking his highest offensive output against any MLS team.

Matt Reis is 3-8-6 in his Revolution career against United, maintaining a 1.65 goals against average and recording two shutouts.

LAST MEETING

New England 2, D.C. 2

May 29, 2008 - Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Adam Cristman and Kheli Dube scored second-half goals to help the Revs battle back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 draw ... D.C. took the lead in the 15th minute, when Luciano Emilio headed home a rebound after Matt Reis had saved Clyde Simms' initial shot ... the visitors extended their lead in the 53rd minute through Fred, who beat Reis with a low shot after the Revs keeper had saved efforts from Emilio and Jaime Moreno ... New England cut the deficit in half just six minutes later, as Cristman swept his shot past D.C. 'keeper Zach Wells after Dube's initial shot was deflected ... Dube then put his name on the score sheet with the equalizer in the 72nd minute on a well-worked set piece ... Steve Ralston's free kick from the right wing found Jeff Larentowicz at the back post, and the midfielder rose to head a pass back across the face of goal for Dube, who buried his header into the back of the net.

NEW ENGLAND VS. TORONTO SERIES INFORMATION

The Revs have never lost to Toronto FC in the brief four-game series, going 3-0-1.

New England and Toronto played to a 2-2 draw in the only meeting between the clubs at BMO Field ... the Revs are 3-0-0 against TFC at Gillette Stadium and have out-scored the Reds, 9-1, in those three matches.

The two clubs have already met once this season, as New England earned a 2-1 win on June 28 at Gillette Stadium ... a pair of goals by Steve Ralston staked the Revs to a two-goal lead, and they held on despite a late charge by Toronto.

With New England's win over Toronto earlier this season, the Revs' coaching staff clinched the right to lead the MLS All-Stars by virtue of having the highest points-per-game average as of June 29 ... Steve Nicol and company led MLS' best to a 3-2 victory over West Ham United on July 24, coincidentally at Toronto's BMO Field.

2007 marked Toronto's first season in MLS, and the Revs won the inaugural season series, 2-0-1 ... New England earned shutout victories in the first two matches, both played at Gillette Stadium (4-0 on April 14; 3-0 on June 23) ... TFC erased a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 and earn its first-ever point against the Revs in the final match of the regular season at BMO Field on Oct. 20.

The Revs have out-scored Toronto 11-3, in the four-game series ... New England's scoring has been spread out against the Reds, as the club has registered six goals in the first half and five in the second half ... all three of Toronto's goals have been scored in the second half.

Only one TFC player (Carl Robinson) has played in all four games against New England ... by comparison, six Revs have appeared in all four games against Toronto ... those players are Matt Reis, Jay Heaps, Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Adam Cristman and Wells Thompson (NOTE: Taylor Twellman, Steve Ralston and Michael Parkhurst were unavailable to play against Toronto on June 23, 2007, as they were with the U.S. National Team as it played in the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Chicago).

PLAYER NOTES VS. TORONTO

Taylor Twellman is New England's leading scorer against Toronto, having notched three goals in just three appearances (two starts).

Steve Ralston has struck for two goals and a team-leading three assists in just three appearances against TFC ... both of Ralston's goals came in the Revs' 2-1 win on June 28, earning him Player of the Week honors for Week 14.

Michael Parkhurst scored the only goal of his career in spectacular fashion at BMO Field on Oct. 20, 2007 ... the central defender launched a 65-yard shot from his own half that beat TFC goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopoulos, who was off his line ... it was the first shot of Parkhurst's career in his 87th appearance ... the goal was one of three finalists for Sierra Mist Goal of the Year.

Pat Phelan was originally drafted by Toronto in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft (10th overall), but was traded to New England on June 4 before making a first-team appearance for the Reds.

Two of Adam Cristman's four career assists have come against TFC.

Matt Reis is 3-0-1 with a 0.75 goals against average and two shutouts in four career games against Toronto.

LAST MEETING

New England 2, Toronto 1

June 28, 2008 - Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Steve Ralston scored a pair of goals and Michael Parkhurst made a crucial save off the goal line late in the game, as the Revs held off TFC, 2-1, to remain undefeated all-time against the Eastern Conference foe ... Ralston, who won Player of the Week for his multi-goal performance, opened the scoring in the 12th minute ... Kheli Dube's right-wing cross found Adam Cristman, who rose above his defender and sent a glancing header off the far post ... with TFC 'keeper Brian Edwards out of position, Ralston was first to the rebound and tapped into the open net from close range ... Ralston scored his second in the 59th minute, again corralling a shot off the woodwork, this time after Dube's shot struck the crossbar ... the veteran midfielder calmly faked two shots to elude a pair of defenders before hooking a left-footed shot off the far post and into the net ... Toronto cut the deficit in half in the 78th minute as Shalrie Joseph directed a header into his own net while defending an Amado Guevara free kick, but Parkhurst cleared Jarrod Smith's goal-bound header off the line in the 88th minute to preserve the victory for New England.

NEWS & NOTES

REVS OUT OF TOP SPOT FOR FIRST TIME SINCE MID-MAY ...

The Revolution's 4-0 loss to San Jose on Saturday night, coupled with Columbus' 2-1 victory over FC Dallas, dropped New England out of first place in the Eastern Conference standings for the first time since May 17 ... the Revs (10-6-3, 33 pts.), who have lost back-to-back league games for the first time this season, now trail Columbus (10-6-4, 34 pts.) by one point ... New England jumped into a tie for first place with a 1-0 win at Columbus on May 24, and the club maintained its position atop the table for nearly three months, until Saturday night's loss to San Jose (Aug. 16).

... BUT STILL MAINTAIN POINTS PER GAME ADVANTAGE

Despite dropping to second in the overall MLS standings behind Columbus, the Revolution still maintains the best points per game average in the league, as the club has a game in hand on the Crew ... the Revs have earned 33 points from 19 games (1.74 points per game), while Columbus has earned 34 points from 20 games (1.70 points per game) ... D.C. is third, with a points per game average of 1.60 (32 points from 20 games).

ENTERING THE HOME STRETCH

Wednesday night's match against D.C. will be the Revolution's 20th game of the regular season, which means the club will have completed two-thirds of the 30-game schedule ... the Revs have historically been very strong in the final months of the season, and they'll need to be once again this season as they push to return to the top of the standings ... this year, New England will have to be even more focused in the final months, as the club is set to begin play in the CONCACAF Champions League next week.

REIS' RECORD STREAK COMES TO AN END ...

Goalkeeper Matt Reis suffered a right adductor strain and was replaced by Doug Warren in the 55th minute of Saturday night's match at San Jose, ending Reis' MLS record streak for consecutive minutes played ... Reis' streak ended at 7,975 minutes, a mark that spanned 89 regular-season matches and dated back to Sept. 3, 2005 ... including postseason matches, Reis played 9,145 consecutive minutes (spanning 101 matches), though MLS does not recognize that record.

... TO PAVE THE WAY FOR WARREN

When Doug Warren replaced Matt Reis between the pipes in the 55th minute on Saturday night at San Jose, it marked Warren's first MLS action for the Revs since Aug. 27, 2005, when he earned his only career MLS victory in a 2-1 win over D.C. ... Warren - who allowed three goals in 35 minutes of action against San Jose - made three appearances for New England in the U.S. Open Cup this season, going 1-1-1 with a 1.20 goals against average and one shutout.

REVS AND UNITED MEET FOR SECOND TIME IN EIGHT DAYS

When New England and D.C. kickoff on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium, it will be the second time in just over a week that the two Eastern Conference rivals have matched up ... there will be a span of just eight days in between games featuring the two clubs, as the Revs and United met in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at RFK Stadium ... D.C. won that match, 3-1, to advance to the U.S. Open Cup final.

OPEN CUP TITLE DEFENSE COMES TO AN END IN NATION'S CAPITAL

The Revs' title defense in the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was brought to an end in the semifinal on Tuesday, Aug. 12, with a 3-1 loss to D.C. United at RFK Stadium ... Luciano Emilio finished a feed from Bryan Namoff in the fourth minute to give United an early lead, before Joe Germanese leveled the score with an unassisted tally in the 34th minute ... Santino Quaranta broke the deadlock with a goal in the 48th minute and Emilio added the insurance with his second goal of the match in the 81st minute, ending New England's hunt for its second consecutive U.S. Open Cup title.

AN OLD RIVALRY CONTINUES ...

Wednesday night's match between New England and D.C. will be the 55th all-time meeting between the two clubs in all competitions - including MLS Playoffs and U.S. Open Cup meetings - marking the greatest number of games the Revolution has played against any opponent ... meanwhile, it will be the 49th regular-season meeting between the sides, which also represents the Revs' greatest total against any opponent ... add in the fact that these teams have twice met in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal round and have squared off in the MLS Cup Playoffs three times and its clear why the Revs-United rivalry has become so intense.

... AND A NEW RIVALRY BEGINS

While the Revolution will open the week with a game against long-time rival D.C., the club will finish with a match against its newest conference foe, Toronto FC ... New England has met Toronto just four times since the Canadian side joined Major League Soccer as an expansion team in 2007, marking the fewest number of games the Revs have played against any MLS team ... however, a rivalry has quickly developed, as Toronto is the third-closest team to the Revs in terms of distance (behind traditional rivals New York and D.C.) ... also stoking the heightened competition between the two teams has been TFC's emergence as a playoff contender this season, as the club had already amassed seven wins entering its match on Sunday (Aug. 17) at New York to surpass its total (6) from 2007.

A ONE-SIDED AFFAIR

With a 2-1 win in the season's first meeting between the two teams on June 28 at Gillette Stadium, New England continued its impressive form against Toronto in the four-game, all-time series ... the Revs are an undefeated 3-0-1 against TFC and have outscored the Reds, 11-3, in those four games ... New England has won all three games against Toronto at Gillette Stadium, while the clubs played to a 2-2 draw in the only previous meeting at BMO Field (Oct. 20, 2007).

PARKHURST RETURNS TO REVS FOLLOWING OLYMPIC JOURNEY

Defender Michael Parkhurst is set to return to the Revolution after his trip to the 2008 Beijing Olympics ended on Wednesday, Aug. 13, as the United States failed to qualify out of a difficult Group B ... Parkhurst played the full 90 minutes in the center of a four-man backline in all three games of the tournament, as the U.S. finished in third place in the group with a 1-1-1 record (4 pts.) ... the competition started well for the Americans, as they secured a 1-0 win over Japan (Aug. 7) in their opener and earned a 2-2 draw with the heavily favored Netherlands (Aug. 10) in their second match ... however, a 2-1 loss to Nigeria (Aug. 13) on the final day meant that Nigeria and the Netherlands qualified for the quarterfinals, while the U.S.' journey ended ... Parkhurst was unavailable for the Revs' 4-0 loss at San Jose on Saturday, but will be available for Wednesday night's match against D.C.

REVOLUTION RECEIVES ALLOCATION MONEY FROM TORONTO

The Revs announced on Friday, Aug. 15, that they received allocation money and the number 13 position in the 2008 allocation table from Toronto FC in exchange for New England's number two position in the 2008 allocation table ... the Revolution had originally acquired its position in the MLS allocation table on Aug. 5 through a trade with the Columbus Crew that sent forward Pat Noonan to Columbus.

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