MLS New England Revolution

Revs fall on the road after losing captain Steve Ralston to broken right fibula early in the first h

Published on October 11, 2008 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The Kansas City Wizards earned a 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday evening at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, using a Jimmy Conrad goal to leap into playoff contention with the win.

The Revolution played the final 78 minutes of the game without captain and MLS most valuable player candidate Steve Ralston, who suffered a broken right fibula early in the first half.

New England (12-9-7, 43 pts.) entered the game tied with Chicago and Columbus with MLS' best road record, but failed to secure a victory on the road for the fifth straight league contest. With the win, Kansas City (9-10-9, 36 pts.) jumped into a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards are tied with New York, against whom KC holds the tie-breaker should it be needed to decide playoff participants.

Conrad scored off a corner kick in the 61st minute, heading in a Jack Jewsbury service to give the Wizards the victory.

Despite a scoreless first half, both teams had chances to take a lead early. The Revs saw Kheli Dube's flicked-on header in the sixth minute go wide, while Mauricio Castro's blast from just outside the penalty area in the 10th minute forced Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman to make a diving save.

After the early Revolution flourish, KC's Kevin Souter found himself unmarked at the top of the area after receiving the ball, but his 17-yard shot was inches high of target in the 15th minute.

In the 12th minute, Herculez Gomez clipped Ralston from behind near midfield, and the Revs' captain left the field with a lower-leg injury. Ralston was unable to continue and the Revs played with 10 men for four minutes before Gabriel Badilla came on in the defensive midfield in the 17th minute, pushing Shalrie Joseph into more of an attacking role.

Kansas City was strong to end the first half and nearly broke through for the game's first goal. Jack Jewsbury was left unmarked in the 41st minute and launched a shot from 25 yards out, but his strike was high and wide. In the final minute of regulation, Revs defender Chris Albright slid in the goal box to block Abe Thompson's eight-yard attempt in the 45th minute.

Kansas City continued to pressure the Revolution defense as the second half started, and in the 59th minute, Thompson again had a chance to put the Wizards ahead. Davy Arnaud got around Revs defender Jay Heaps and sent a low cross in front of the face of the goal where Thompson met it two yards out, but he managed to sky his redirection over the cross bar.

The Wizards capitalized and finally took the lead on a corner kick minutes later when Conrad's header off a corner kick deflected off a Revs defender and found the back of the net. Jewsbury's inswinging corner kick met Conrad at the six-yard box in the 61st minute.

Dube threatened to equalize on the Revs' next trip down the field after picking up Taylor Twellman's deflection off a corner kick. Dube took the ball out wide to the right and sent a bending shot in toward upper left corner of the goal, forcing Hartman to make another acrobatic save to prevent the goal.

Although New England had a pair of late chances in stoppage time - from Badilla and Heaps - the team couldn't find the tying goal and Kansas City moved into a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with the 1-0 victory.

The Revolution return to action on Thursday, Oct. 16, when they travel to face rival D.C. United on ESPN2's MLS Primetime Thursday. The network's coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. with a 30-minute pregame show, while kickoff is slated for 8 p.m.

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Major League Soccer Stories from October 11, 2008


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