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MLS New England Revolution

Early D.C. goal, injury sinks New England, 1-0

June 3, 2006 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


Washington, D.C. - Jaime Moreno's early goal staked D.C. to a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute and United held on under a late New England attacking siege as D.C. United made the lone tally hold up against the Revolution at RFK Stadium on Saturday evening.

Moreno's goal was the 101st of his career and was enough to hold off the Revolution (3-4-2, 11 pts.) as United (7-1-3, 24 pts.) built on its MLS-best record with the victory.

New England came out and attacked in the game's opening minutes, controlling the run of play through the first 10 minutes of the game. Starting a match with a 3-5-2 formation for the first time in 2006, the Revs strung together series of crisp passes to create good combination play in the middle and attacking thirds of the field. However, an early injury to Pat Noonan altered the Revs' game plan and forced head coach Steve Nicol to change his tactics.

In the opening minute, the Revs earned an attacking throw-in on the far, right touchline where Steve Ralston picked up Noonan for quick give-and-go along the wing. Ralston got the ball back and sent a cross into the goal area with forward Taylor Twellman close, but United keeper Troy Perkins scooped up the ball to cancel the threat.

On the Revs' following trip down the field, midfielder Shalrie Joseph came down the center channel and dropped the ball for Andy Dorman, who ripped a shot towards goal only to see it deflected by the D.C. defense over the end line.

D.C.'s vaunted attack - which after Saturday night leads MLS with 24 goals - got its first serious chance in the seventh minute when Alecko Eskandarian corralled a pass from Brian Carroll and sent a hard shot in, which was blocked by Revs captain Joe Franchino and sent back toward midfield.

The Revs' already lengthy injury list grew just 11 minutes into the contest when Noonan, who was playing in his third game after returning from a right hamstring strain, re-aggravated the injury and had to come off the field, replaced by Jeff Larentowicz.

Moreno, who scored his 100th career goal on Wednesday evening against Columbus and entered Saturday's game in second place on MLS' career goal-scoring chart, put United up 1-0 in the 14th minute. Christian Gomez collected the ball in the middle third of the field and sent a lob in over the Revs' midfield and back line, connecting with Moreno in the left center channel of the penalty area. Although Moreno appeared on several replay angles to be in an offside position, the assistant referee's flag stayed down and Matt Reis came off his line, but Moreno dribbled him and put a shot on net. New England defender Michael Parkhurst got to goal line in an attempt to stop the ball, but his back-footed stab at the ball was not hard enough and the ball clipped off the bottom corner of the right post and into the net.

Two minutes later, in the 16th, Andy Dorman sprang José Cancela down right wing where he was open with several United defenders backing off him. With Perkins appeared to be beaten, however, Cancela sent a through ball to Dorman coming down the center channel. Dorman had to dribble to the left side of the penalty area to get a clear shot off, which was blocked to give New England a corner kick. On the corner kick, Cancela's initial service was punched out by Perkins but it went back out to midfielder Tony Lochhead, who was 15 yards outside the area. Lochhead sent a shot in that was blocked, but that attempt kicked back to Larentowicz, who sent a shot on the run in over the net high from 16 yards out.

In the 24th minute, United threatened again when Eskandarian launched screaming shot from the top of the area that Reis saved on the far post.

Ralston set up a sequence that nearly evened the contest in the 32nd minute. He raced through the middle third of the field and found Dorman coming down on the right wing. Dorman sent an angled, waist-high cross in to the goal area, where Twellman connected for a left-footed volley on the half turn. However, his shot went high of the goal and out of play.

Moreno created problems for the Revs' defense again in the 36th minute when he came down the center of the field unopposed before Franchino slide-tackled the ball away, which went directly to Eskandarian at the far corner of the penalty area. Revs defender Jay Heaps then tackled the ball away, but Eskandarian recovered and was able to send a low cross back away from the goal toward Moreno, who charging down the right center channel but Joseph cleared the ball out over the endline to prevent the potential challenge.

On the ensuring corner, Gomez's long pass attempt was picked off by Cancela who backheeled the ball, but overran it with an open midfield ahead of him. Gomez recollected the ball and sent a cross to the far corner of penalty area, where Joseph rose up and tried to clear the ball, but it went straight to United midfielder Joshua Gros, who launched a shot toward the far post which Reis saved diving to his left.

In the 45th minute, Lochhead collected a United cross outside the penalty area and headed to open space near the near touchline, where Franchino sprinted past three United players and advanced the ball to Dorman. Dorman came all the way through the middle third of the field and got a cross off to the center of the area, however, the D.C. defenders converged on Twellman, who was alone in the box, and cleared the ball.

Despite an increased attack in the first half the Revolution were unable to put a shot on goal, trailing United in the category, 4-0.

D.C. defender Facundo Erpen was whistled for a caution after a hard tackle on Joseph in the 52nd minute. Dorman took the restart, and from 12 yards off the edge of the area, sent a long lob pass into the goal area where Twellman and Cancela cleared the United back line and were marked together by one defender, who managed to rise above both players and head the ball out.

Dorman appeared to tie the game in the 61st minute, when he collected a chested ball from Twellman and tapped in past a diving Perkins. However, Dorman was judged to be in an offside position and the goal was taken off the scoreboard. Heaps set up the play with a long pass into the area to Twellman, who had slipped his defender and was one-on-one with Perkins on the near post. Twellman, however, was unable to get a clean shot on goal and the ball fell to Dorman in the offside position.

In the 73rd minute, Eskandarian threatened down the left side. Freddy Adu took the ball in the midfield, turned away from his defender and sent a long through ball toward the near side of the area, where Eskandarian dribbled around Heaps for a clear shot, but with Reis cutting down the angle, sent the ball wide of the near post.

In the 77th minute, Twellman appeared to be taken down in the area as a cross and D.C. cleared the ball out over the near touchline. Ralston took the throw and collected a pass back from Joseph before streaking close to the net. He passed off to Twellman, who was marked by his defender, but the ball went to Cancela, who passed back to Larentowicz whose shot was blocked, allowing United to restart its attack.

Adu nearly put United ahead 2-0 in the 80th minute when his rising shot from the left clipped the crossbar, coming back into play for Domenic Mediate, who chipped the ball wide. Mediate set up Adu with a diagonal, floated cross from the right and Adu did well to hit a first-time volley.

New England had a pair of headed shots fly high over the goal in the 81st and 82nd minutes, as Dorman put a head on a ball that went high, and a Joseph attempt went high on the next trip down the field.

New England threatened again in the 89th minute when Joseph sent another shot high. Dorman dribbled on near touchline back to Heaps whose pass in found Joseph on the far post, but his header went wide right of net.

In the second minute of stoppage time, the Revolution had one last change to knot the score. After Cancela was fouled outside the area sent his free kick around the six-man United wall and on the frame of goal, but Perkins held his ground to make an easy save.

The Revolution returns to action on Sunday, June 11, when they travel to Bridgeview, Ill., to face the Chicago Fire. The teams will kick off at 7 p.m. and the match will be broadcast live by Fox Sports Net. WRKO 680 AM (English) and WJDA 1300 AM (Spanish) will also carry the game live. The game will mark the first contest at the Fire's new Bridgeview Stadium.

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