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MLS New England Revolution

Early Chicago Goal Drops Revolution in Season Opener

April 7, 2007 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - An early fourth-minute goal was all the Chicago Fire needed to take a 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution in the teams' 2007 MLS season opener on Saturday evening at Toyota Park.

The game-winning goal was credited to the Fire's Logan Pause off a Justin Mapp cross, but appeared to deflect past Revs goalkeeper Matt Reis off one of the Revolution defenders.

Chicago (1-0-0, 3 pts.) earned its first-ever season-opening victory under head coach Dave Sarachan, while the Revs (0-1-0, 0 pts.) dropped their season opener for the first time since 2004.

Chicago came out flying to open the game as the Fire's midfielders controlled the pace and tempo of the play. However, after conceding an early goal, the Revs settled and gradually assumed control of the midfield and the attack. By the end of the first half, the Revs were maintaining play in their attacking half and dictating the flow of the match. The Revs finished the match out-shooting Chicago, 18-11.

Mapp's cross which led to the goal came from the right touchline, and to the edge of the six-yard box, five yards from the net. With James Riley marking Pause facing the pass, the ball deflected off the pair and found the back of the net, kicking off the left post and in behind Reis.

After weathering the Fire's early frenzy, the Revolution had a chance for the equalizer in the 13th minute when Andy Dorman's cross - which he whipped in from the right wing - found Taylor Twellman unmarked just off the edge of the goal box. However, Twellman's flicked on header was just wide left. The Revs again went close in the 45th minute when, after a corner kick, Dorman sent across a low pass along the ground from the endline with both Twellman and Adam Cristman crashing into the goal box. The ball, however, continued through to the left side of the field as the pass skipped under the legs of both forwards as they slid in to try to convert.

The Revs continued to put pressure on the Fire defense as the second half opened, and Twellman was inches from scoring the equalizer in the 52nd minute. After working around three defenders at the edge of the penalty area, his right-footed rising shot clipped the crossbar past Chicago keeper Matt Pickens' extended arm and bounced back into play, where Cristman's attempt off the rebound was wide left.

In the 58th minute, Twellman backheel-flicked a Jay Heaps pass to Dorman rushing onto the play from the left side, and his half-volley shot from eight yards out had eyes for the upper right corner of the net. However, Pickens made a leaping stab at the ball for the save, and the Fire cleared the ensuing corner kick to again preserve the 1-0 lead.

Pat Noonan, 16 days post sports-hernia repair surgery, entered the game in the 71st minute - replacing Cristman - and almost immediately had a hand in the potential equalizer for the Revs. After Wells Thompson worked into the left corner, he dropped a pass back to Noonan several yards off the endline in the center of the area. Noonan then redirected the pass back further to the edge of the penalty arc, where Dorman ran onto the ball and rocketed a shot high of frame by inches.

Referee Baldomero Toledo whistled a rare six-second-delay decision against Pickens in the 81st minute after he took too long to take his goal kick. With a free kick just off the 18-yard line, Twellman ripped a hard shot around the Fire's seven-man wall, but it was right at Pickens who dove low to make the save. In the 86th minute as full time approached, Dorman again had a long-range first-time shot stopped by Pickens when he met the 19-yard shot at the right post.

The Revolution opens its 2007 home schedule against expansion club Toronto FC at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, in the second game of a special soccer event doubleheader that also sees the U.S. Women's National Team take on Mexico's Women's National Team at Gillette Stadium at 5 p.m. For ticket information, call 1-877-GET-REVS.

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