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MLS New England Revolution

Rapids defeat Revolution, 3-2, after lightning delay in Denver

July 5, 2006 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


Denver, Colo. - Colorado's Nicolas Hernandez scored two goals, including the game-winner in the 69th minute, as the Rapids defeated the New England Revolution, 3-2, on Tuesday evening at Invesco Field at Mile High. Clint Dempsey scored his third goal in his last two games and Taylor Twellman connected for a stoppage-time score, but it wasn't enough as the Revs saw their six-game undefeated and two-game winning streaks snapped.

Dempsey's goal was his fourth of the season, while Twellman netted his team-best seventh. Andy Dorman matched his career high with two assists, pushing his season total to seven.

Colorado forced the flow of play in the game's opening minutes as the Revs didn't work into their own zone until the 10th minute of the game. Colorado used crisp passing to move the ball through the midfield and attacking third, holding the Revs under pressure until they were able to organize. However, once the Revs settled, they controlled the midfield and began to dictate the play.

Colorado had the game's first chance in the ninth minute when Hernandez dribbled into the left side of the area, but with Jay Heaps defending, Hernandez fell down without getting off a shot after Heaps fell on the wet playing surface.

Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute when Hernandez headed in an outswinging corner kick from Terry Cook. Serving from the right side, Cook delivered the ball into the near post on the right side of the goal area, where an unmarked Hernandez elevated above Revs keeper Matt Reis and headed the ball in toward the far post, where the ball caromed off defender Tony Lochhead's shoulder and into the net.

About one and a half minutes later, the teams were sent to their locker rooms after severe thunderstorms with lightning moved into the area. The storms forced a 50-minute delay in the action before play resumed at 8:43 p.m. MT.

Dempsey scored the equalizer in the 26th minute when finished a give-and-go with Dorman with a great bit of skill. After Dempsey, running down the center channel, found Dorman on the right wing, Dempsey made a run into the box where Dorman lobbed a perfectly-flighted ball to Dempsey, who then took a quick step and lofted a shot to the far post over the outstretched arms of Rapids keeper Joe Cannon to tie the score.

With the Revs pushing the attack after the tying goal, New England earned a corner kick in the 28th minute. Dorman's service from the left side came all the way around the penalty area and back out to Steve Ralston, who sent an angled cross to Twellman at the far post, where he headed it on frame to Cannon for the save.

The Revs had another chance in the 33rd minute when Dorman, Dempsey and Twellman ran at the goal. Dempsey, dribbling down the center channel, passed to Dorman on the right wing, who took several steps before sending an angled pass through the box to Twellman coming down the left center channel. However, Dorman's pass was steps ahead of Twellman and rolled out over the endline.

Though signal had been given for no stoppage time to be added to the first half, referee Ramon Hernandez allowed play to continue over a minute past the 45-minute mark. Against the run of play, Colorado scored the go-ahead goal when Hernandez backheel flickeded the ball to Kyle Beckerman, who was running down the center channel behind the Revs defenders. Beckerman broke in on Reis alone and rounded the keeper coming off his line before burying a left-footed chip shot inside the right post.

In the 60th minute, Dempsey nearly scored another equalizer when Twellman picked him out off the left touchline and sent him in with Dorman running down the right center channel. Dempsey cut across the edge of the penalty area and launched a shot from 18 yards out, only to see it clip the outside of the far right post and go out of play.

Twellman then nearly sent Joseph in alone on Cannon in the 63rd minute. After Lochhead found Dempsey out of the back, he passed to Twellman with Joseph cutting in through the Rapids' defense at the top of the area. Twellman's backheeled pass, however, was just a touch too hard and beyond Joseph's reach as he would have been in alone behind the defenders and one-on-one with Cannon.

In the 69th minute, Hernandez struck again when he picked up a failed clearance at the top of the area and put a shot in to the upper right corner. Substitute midfielder Jacob Peterson sent a cross in, which nicked Revs defender James Riley on its way to Hernandez, and Hernandez took the rising shot for the 3-1 lead.

The Revs shifted from a four-man backline to a 3-4-3 in the closing minutes of the game after José Cancela came on for Lochhead in the 67th minute. Cancela was able to hold the ball and thread passes through the Rapids' back line, but the Revs were unable to put away another goal before the end of 90 minutes.

As stoppage time began, the Revs continued to push the attack and had several chances to make another dramatic stoppage time comeback.

Twellman did pull the Revs within one goal in stoppage time when he headed in a quick Dorman pass. Heaps sent an angled crossfield pass from the right flank to Dorman, three yards off the touchline on the left side of the area. Dorman found Twellman, who was even with him in front of the net, with a quick pass before Twellman sent a diving header in past Cannon, who was also converging on the ball, for the goal, his third in the last three games. However, Cannon landed on Twellman, and when they got up, Twellman fell to the ground and had to be stretchered off the field with a right wrist injury. X-rays on Twellman's wrist after the game proved to be negative.

Willie Sims entered the game for Twellman as the Revs continued to press for an equalizer. Dorman had a chance when he latched on to the end of a Cancela pass in the box, but Cannon made himself big at the near post to thwart the effort. On New England's next trip downfield, Sims had a chance when he got a flick-on header to a long clearance out of the back, but his shot went wide left.

The Rapids had one final chance when Cannon's goal kick found Clint Mathis streaking down the right center channel with only Reis and one defender back. Mathis cut around the defender and took a shot, but Reis leapt to save the ball on its upward path and knocked it wide.

With his start in the back field, Heaps moved into a first-place tie with club captain Joe Franchino on the New England career appearances list with 145.

The Revolution returns to action on Saturday, July 8 when they travel to face Chicago at the Fire's brand-new Toyota Park. The game will be broadcast live by WB56 at 8:30 p.m. ET. The Revs helped Chicago open the stadium on June 11, pulling out a dramatic 3-3 draw behind two stoppage-time goals after Twellman got the team on the board in the 87th minute.

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