MLS New England Revolution

Revolution Update: August 17th

Published on August 17, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - After enjoying its first off weekend since mid-April, the New England Revolution (6-6-6, 24 pts.) will resume its schedule this week with a pair of games against Western Conference opponents. First, the Revs will make their first-ever visit to the Pacific Northwest to battle expansion club Seattle Sounders FC at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 20, in a game that will be nationally televised on ESPN2. Just three days later on Sunday, Aug. 23, the Revolution will welcome Real Salt Lake to Gillette Stadium at 6 p.m.

The Revolution will train on the Lower Practice Field at Gillette Stadium on Monday and Saturday, with both sessions scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The club will also train at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash., on Wednesday. A full schedule for the week is below.

Media wishing to attend any Revolution training session on the Gillette Stadium grounds must notify the Revolution Communications office (media@revolutionsoccer.net) by 5 p.m. the day before to RSVP and guarantee admittance. Media availability usually begins between 11 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. for 10 a.m. sessions, although the length of training sessions can and will vary.

All media who plan on attending Sunday's match against Real Salt Lake must submit their requests to the Revolution Communications office (media@revolutionsoccer.net) by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20, to be considered.

SPECIAL NOTE: Because of the special events taking place at Gillette Stadium throughout the summer, Lot 6 is not currently open for media parking. All media visiting Gillette Stadium are asked to park in Lot 5C, adjacent to Lot 6.

Please note that the schedule is subject to change.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION SCHEDULE: Aug. 17-23

Monday, Aug. 17 - Training on Lower Practice Field (Gillette Stadium), 10 a.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 18 - Travel to Seattle

Wednesday, Aug. 19 - Training at Starfire Sports Complex (Field #5), 6 p.m. ET

Thursday, Aug. 20 - at Seattle Sounders FC (Qwest Field, Seattle, Wash.), 10 p.m. ET ... TV: ESPN2 (English) and ESPN Deportes (Spanish) ... Radio: WEEI Radio Network (English) and ESPN Deportes Radio (Spanish)

Friday, Aug. 21 - Return to Boston

Saturday, Aug. 22 - Training on Lower Practice Field (Gillette Stadium), 10 a.m.

Sunday, Aug. 23 - vs. Real Salt Lake (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.), 6 p.m. ... TV: TV38 ... Radio: WEEI Radio Network (Taped Delay at 8 p.m.)

NEW ENGLAND VS. SEATTLE SERIES INFORMATION

* Thursday night's match will be the first-ever meeting between the New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders FC.

* This will be the first of two regular-season meetings between New England and Seattle this season ... the Revolution will host the Sounders at Gillette Stadium for the first time on Sept. 26, 2009, to conclude the season series.

* In the 2008 MLS Expansion Draft conducted last November, Seattle selected Revs midfielder Khano Smith with one of its 10 selections ... Smith was traded to the New York Red Bulls for allocation money before the season started, and was later waived by New York on July 30.

* The Revs are 7-7-3 all-time against expansion teams in their inaugural seasons ... that record includes two draws with the Houston Dynamo, which was considered an expansion team after relocating from San Jose in 2006.

* Since 2005, New England is 6-2-3 against expansion teams in their inaugural seasons ... the Revs went 1-5-0 against the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion in 1998, just two years after MLS's inaugural season.

PLAYER NOTES VS. SEATTLE

* Kheli Dube scored his first career goal against the expansion San Jose Earthquakes on May 17, 2008.

* Steve Ralston has recorded four assists in five appearances against expansion teams (Toronto FC - 2007, San Jose Earthquakes - 2008) in the last two seasons.

* Matt Reis is 6-2-3 in his Revolution career against expansion teams, posting an 0.66 goals against average and five shutouts.

NEW ENGLAND - SEATTLE CONNECTIONS

* Revolution midfielder Sainey Nyassi's identical twin brother, Sanna, plays midfield for the Sounders ... Sanna Nyassi was the third player ever signed by Seattle following Sebastien Le Toux and Kasey Keller.

* Seattle defender James Riley spent the first three years of his career in New England (2005-07) after being drafted by the Revolution in the second round (21st overall) of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft ... Riley was selected by the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2007 Expansion Draft and spent last season in the Bay Area, but was selected in his second straight Expansion Draft in 2008 by Seattle.

* Sounders midfielder Michael Fucito is a native of Westford, Mass., and a 2008 graduate of Harvard University ... Fucito trained with the Revolution early in the season while completing his degree at Harvard.

* Seattle's Director of Youth Development, Darren Sawatzky, was on original member of the Revolution and spent two seasons (1996-97) with the club ... Sawatzky made 54 appearances (24 starts) with the Revs and recorded five goals and five assists.

NEW ENGLAND VS. REAL SALT LAKE SERIES INFORMATION

* Sunday night's match will be the 10th all-time meeting between the Revolution and Real Salt Lake, which entered the league as an expansion team in 2005 ... the clubs have split the previous nine meetings, 3-3-3.

* Home-field advantage hasn't meant much in the Revolution-Real Salt Lake series, as the Revs are 1-1-2 against RSL at Gillette Stadium and 2-2-1 on the road.

* The Revs and Real Salt Lake will conclude the 2009 regular-season series on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium ... the teams previously met on April 25 at Rio Tinto Stadium, with RSL scoring six second-half goals en route to a 6-0 win.

* New England's 6-0 loss to RSL in the first meeting of the season was the Revolution's worst loss in regular-season history, as the club had previously lost by five goals on three occasions ... the Revs had lost one previous postseason game by a score of 6-0, to the Chicago Fire in the 2000 MLS Cup Playoffs.

* Prior to Real Salt Lake's six-goal, second-half outburst on April 25 at Rio Tinto Stadium, the Revolution had never conceded six goals in one half.

* The Revs are just 1-3-3 in their last seven meetings with Real Salt Lake after winning the first two games of the all-time series ... New England is 0-2-1 against RSL in three meetings since the start of the 2008 season.

* Six of the Revolution's 11 goals against Real Salt Lake have been scored after the 75th minute ... seven of the Revs' 20 total goals in 2009 have been scored after the 75th minute.

* New England and Real Salt Lake have never met outside of the MLS regular season.

PLAYER NOTES VS. REAL SALT LAKE

* Taylor Twellman is the only current member of the Revolution to have scored multiple career goals against Real Salt Lake ... Twellman has three goals and one assist in six appearances against RSL.

* In seven career appearances against RSL, Jeff Larentowicz has one goal and one assist, both of which came in a 2-1 win at Rice-Eccles Stadium on July 28, 2007 ... Larentowicz scored the game-winner on a free kick in the 82nd minute.

* Jay Heaps is the only active member of the Revolution to have recorded multiple career assists against RSL, with two assists in nine career appearances ... Heaps is also the only member of the Revs to have played every minute of every game against RSL in the all-time series (nine games, 810 minutes).

* Matt Reis is 3-2-3 in his career against Real Salt Lake, posting a 1.13 goals against average and three shutouts ... Reis missed the 6-0 loss to RSL on April 25 with inflammation in his right knee.

LAST MEETING

Real Salt Lake 6, New England 0

April 25, 2009 - Rio Tinto Stadium (Sandy, Utah) Six different players scored goals for Real Salt Lake in a remarkable second-half performance, as the Revs suffered their worst loss in club history ... RSL began the outburst with a pair of corner kick goals, first Jamison Olave's header in the 53rd minute and then Clint Mathis with a spectacular volley in the 56th minute ... Yura Movsisyan made it 3-0 in the 70th minute, while Luis Miguel Escalada scored his first career goal in the 81st minute to extend the lead to four ... former Revs midfielder Andy Williams scored RSL's fifth in the 85th minute, curling a free kick into the far upper corner, while Robbie Findley rounded out the scoring with a breakaway in the 89th minute.

NEWS & NOTES

REVS FULLY RESTED FOLLOWING 11-DAY LAYOFF ...

The Revolution will no doubt be eager to return to the field on Thursday night in Seattle, as the club hasn't played since a 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy on Saturday, Aug. 8 ... with 11 days in between games, the break provided the Revs with their longest stretch without a match since mid-April, when the club had 12 days between games against FC Dallas (April 4) and D.C. United (April 17) ... the players and staff took full advantage of the schedule, taking four straight days off from Sunday, Aug. 9 to Wednesday, Aug. 12 to rest and recuperate - both physically and mentally - before beginning preparations for a critical playoff push.

... AS THEY EMBARK ON THEIR FIRST-EVER TRIP TO SEATTLE

Thursday night's nationally-televised game between the Revolution and Sounders FC will be yet another historic moment in Seattle's expansion season, as this will mark the first-ever meeting between the two clubs ... not only will the game provide a new opponent for New England, but most of the Revs will be playing in an unfamiliar environment (Qwest Field) in front of raucous fans (Seattle has more than 20,000 season ticket holders) following a cross-country flight ... to combat those factors, the Revolution will travel to the Pacific Northwest on Tuesday and train in Seattle on Wednesday ahead of Thursday night's contest.

REVS HEAD NORTHWEST FOR THEIR ONLY AUGUST ROAD TRIP

Hopefully the Revolution players and staff haven't forgotten proper travel procedures by the time they depart for Seattle on Tuesday, as the trip represents the club's only road trip in the month of August ... the Revs have already played back-to-back home games against Toronto FC (Aug. 1) and LA (Aug. 8) to begin the month, while they'll close August with home matches against Real Salt Lake (Aug. 23) and San Jose (Aug. 29) ... on top of that, the Revolution opens the month of September at Gillette Stadium with a game against the Kansas City Wizards (Sept. 5) ... New England's last road game was on July 25 against the Houston Dynamo, meaning that it will have been almost a full month in between road trips before the journey to Seattle (Aug. 20).

TWO-THIRDS OF THE WAY THERE

With a pair of games against Seattle Sounders FC (Aug. 20) and Real Salt Lake (Aug. 23) this week, the Revs are set to reach the 20-game mark of the 30-game regular-season schedule ... entering this week's action, the Revs are 6-6-6 (24 pts.) and occupy sole possession of fifth place in the Eastern Conference ... with the number of remaining games in the regular season pushing toward single digits, every game takes on increased importance in the playoff race ... while the Revs are currently six points out of a playoff spot, they do have games in hand on every team ahead of them in the standings ... last year, the Revolution was 11-6-3 two-thirds of the way into the season.

A HISTORY OF EXPANSION

With Major League Soccer expanding its reach on a yearly basis and new clubs popping up across the country, it will not be a new experience for the Revs to face an expansion team on Thursday night in Seattle ... in the club's 14-year history dating back to 1996, the Revolution is 7-7-3 against expansion teams in their first seasons, including two draws in 2006 with the Houston Dynamo, which was considered an expansion team after relocating from San Jose ... the success has been far greater in recent years, however, as the Revs are 6-2-3 against expansion teams since 2005 (Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake - 2005, Houston Dynamo - 2006, Toronto FC - 2007, San Jose Earthquakes - 2008) ... perhaps the reasoning is that the Revolution went 1-5-0 against the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion in 1998, just two years after the league's inaugural season and when virtually every team was still an "expansion" team.

TWIN BILLING: SAINEY AND SANNA NYASSI SET TO SQUARE OFF

While the Revolution and Sounders may be unfamiliar with each other entering Thursday night's meeting, identical twin brothers Sainey and Sanna Nyassi will not have that problem ... Revolution midfielder Sainey and Sounders midfielder Sanna are 20-year-old siblings from Gambia, where they grew up playing for the same club team (Ports Authority) ... Sainey joined New England in August of 2007 along with fellow countryman Kenny Mansally after the pair impressed the Revolution's coaching staff while leading Gambia to the knockout rounds of the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup ... Sanna - who was also part of Gambia's U20 World Cup squad - signed with Seattle in the summer of 2008 ... rumor has it that the brothers had a friendly bet at the beginning of the season as to who would score first, and with his Goal of the Week strike against FC Dallas on April 4, Sainey took home bragging rights.

REVOLUTION SEEKS REVENGE AGAINST REAL SALT LAKE

Immediately following their 6-0 loss to Real Salt Lake on April 25 at Rio Tinto Stadium, many of the Revolution players must've circled Sunday night's rematch on their calendars as their shot at redemption ... the Revs conceded six second-half goals to RSL that night in Sandy, Utah, en route to the worst regular-season loss in club history ... the sting of that defeat will surely be apparent when New England hosts Salt Lake on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium, as the Revs aim not only to earn a bit of payback, but also a massive three points in the quest for a playoff spot.

HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE? WHAT HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE?

The fact that Sunday night's match is being played at Gillette Stadium means little when looking at the history between the Revolution and Real Salt Lake ... despite the fact that cross-country travel typically magnifies home-field advantage, there has been no such thing in the series between New England and RSL, as the clubs have split four meetings in Foxborough (1-1-2) and five meetings in Utah (2-2-1) ... history doesn't always hold in the present, however, and the statistics this season point to a significant advantage for the Revs on Sunday night ... while the Revolution is 4-2-3 at home in 2009, Real Salt Lake is 1-7-2 on the road, representing the third-worst road record in the league.

PERFECT 10

Sunday night's game between the Revolution and Real Salt Lake will be the 10th all-time meeting in the series, which began when RSL entered the league as an expansion team in 2005 ... the results have been a mixed bag for New England, which has gone 3-3-3 in its previous nine meetings with its Western Conference foe ... the Revolution started well against RSL, winning both matches in 2005 by a combined score of 5-1 ... it's been a different story since then, however, as the Revs are just 1-3-3 in their last seven meetings with Real Salt Lake, including 0-2-1 in three matches since the start of the 2008 season ... RSL has outscored New England, 10-3, in that three-match span, although that figure is inflated by Real Salt Lake's 6-0 win over the Revolution earlier this season.

REVOLUTION READY FOR QUICK TURNAROUND

After going eleven days between matches against the LA Galaxy (Aug. 8) and Seattle Sounders FC (Aug. 20), the Revs will have one of their quickest turnarounds of the season as they have just two days to prepare for Real Salt Lake (Aug. 23) ... what's more, the Revolution will have a cross-country flight to deal with during that turnaround, as the club will travel from Seattle to Foxborough on Friday before training on Saturday and playing on Sunday ... it will be New England's quickest turnaround between MLS games since the Revs played on the exact same dates in 2008 - against D.C. United (Aug. 20) and Toronto FC (Aug. 23) ... the Revolution did have one such turnaround in SuperLiga 2009 action earlier this season, playing Santos Laguna (June 21) and the Kansas City Wizards (June 24) with just two days of rest, while the club had just one day in between a SuperLiga contest against Atlas (June 28) and a U.S. Open Cup game against the Harrisburg City Islanders (June 30).

MLS FURTHER SANCTIONS NICOL; WILL BE SUSPENDED FOR SOUNDERS FC GAME

The Major League Soccer Disciplinary Committee fined and suspended Revolution head coach Steve Nicol $1,000 and one game for conduct that led to his dismissal from New England's game against Toronto FC on Aug. 1 ... the $1,000 fine and suspension are in addition to the automatic $500 fine and one-game suspension received for a coach's dismissal, bringing the total to two games and $1,500 ... Nicol already missed the Revolution's 2-1 loss to the LA Galaxy (Aug. 8) and will conclude the suspension during New England's trip to face Seattle Sounders FC on Aug. 20 ... in his place, assistant coach Paul Mariner leads the team from the bench with the help of goalkeepers coach Gwynne Williams.

TIME, LOCATION, TV CHANGED FOR REVS' SEPT. 30 MATCH AGAINST FC DALLAS

The Revolution's match against FC Dallas scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 30 in Frisco, Texas, has been moved to the historic Cotton Bowl in downtown Dallas and will now be the first game of a special soccer doubleheader featuring the national teams of Mexico and Colombia as part of Hispanic Heritage Month and the annual Texas State Fair ... kickoff for the MLS match is now scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (originally 8:30 p.m. ET) and the game will be televised live locally on Comcast Sports Net New England ... the Mexico-Colombia match will follow at 9:30 p.m. ET on Telemundo.

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