MLS New England Revolution

Revs face arch-rival Chicago Fire in Eastern Conference Semifinal Series starting Saturday

Published on October 26, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Clinching the last remaining berth in the 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs on the final day of the season, the New England Revolution (11-10-9, 42 pts.) will now face the arch-rival Chicago Fire (11-7-12, 45 pts.) in an Eastern Conference Semifinal Series starting this weekend at Gillette Stadium. Game 1 of the two-game, total-goals series will kick off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, with Fox Soccer Channel carrying the game live from Gillette Stadium.

NEW ENGLAND VS. CHICAGO SERIES INFORMATION

Chicago owns a slight edge in the all-time, all-competitions series between the two teams, 24-19-9 ... the Fire has the advantage in regular-season (15-13-8), U.S. Open Cup (2-0-0) and SuperLiga (1-0-0) meetings, while the clubs have split 13 postseason matches (6-6-1).

The Revs are 15-9-3 against the Fire at home in all competitions ... that record includes a 9-7-2 mark in regular-season games, a 6-0-1 record in the MLS Cup Playoffs, a 0-1-0 mark in the U.S. Open Cup and a 0-1-0 record in SuperLiga ... New England is 12-7-2 against Chicago in all competitions at Gillette Stadium since the facility opened in 2002.

New England and Chicago played to a pair of draws in the 2009 regular-season series: 1-1 at Toyota Park on May 9, and 0-0 at Gillette Stadium on Oct. 17 ... it was the first time the Fire didn't win the regular-season series since 2005.

In addition to two regular-season meetings, the clubs also played in the semifinal round of SuperLiga 2009 on July 15 ... the Fire won that match at Gillette Stadium, 2-1, and advanced to the tournament's title match.

The Revs are 0-5-3 in eight meetings with the Fire in all competitions dating back to the start of the 2008 season, including 0-3-2 in the regular season, 0-1-1 in the MLS Cup Playoffs and 0-1-0 in SuperLiga ... New England last beat Chicago in the 2007 Eastern Conference championship game, 1-0, on Nov. 8, 2007 at Gillette Stadium.

New England is winless (0-3-2) in its last five home games against the Fire in all competitions, including 0-2-1 in the regular season, 0-0-1 in the postseason and 0-1-0 in SuperLiga.

PLAYOFF NOTES

With this year's meeting, the Revs and Fire will have met in seven of the last eight postseasons (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) and the last five overall ... in total, the teams will have met in the playoffs eight times, all since 2000.

New England leads the all-time playoff series, 4-3 ... the Revs ended the Fire's season for three consecutive years from 2005-07 before Chicago snapped that skid with a victory over New England in the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

This will be the second straight year in which the Revs and Fire meet in the Eastern Conference Semifinals with Chicago as the No. 2 seed and New England as the No. 3 seed ... last year, the teams played to a 0-0 draw in the first leg at Gillette Stadium before the Fire claimed a 3-0 win at Toyota Park to advance to the Eastern Conference championship game.

Each team is undefeated against the other on its home field in the playoffs ... New England is 6-0-1 and Chicago is 6-0-0.

The winner of the previous New England-Chicago postseason matchups has advanced to MLS Cup seven out of eight times ... the only year in which the winner didn't ultimately reach the title match was 2008, when the Fire was eliminated in the Eastern Conference championship game by the Columbus Crew.

PLAYER NOTES VS. CHICAGO

Taylor Twellman is the Revolution's all-time leading scorer against the Fire with 12 goals, while he has added five assists in 23 career regular-season appearances ... four of his 10 career postseason goals have also been scored against Chicago, including the dramatic bicycle kick which won the 2007 Eastern Conference championship.

Jeff Larentowicz has two goals and two assists in 11 career regular-season appearances against the Fire, marking his best offensive output against any team ... the only other club against which Larentowicz has multiple career goals is Columbus (2), while he does not have multiple career assists against any other team.

Shalrie Joseph has one goal and four assists in 19 career regular-season appearances against Chicago ... Joseph's lone goal against the Fire was scored in the clubs' 1-1 draw on May 9 at Toyota Park.

Matt Reis is 7-10-4 with a 1.43 goals against average and four shutouts in his regular-season Revolution career against the Fire ... Reis also has three career postseason shutouts in six appearances against Chicago.

2009 REGULAR-SEASON MEETINGS

New England 1, Chicago 1

May 9, 2009 - Toyota Park (Bridgeview, Ill.)

Shalrie Joseph scored the game-tying goal in the 49th minute to end the Revolution's fourth-longest scoreless streak in club history at 269 minutes, as the visiting Revs earned a 1-1 draw with the Fire ... defender Wilman Conde gave Chicago the lead in the 36th minute with his third career goal - all of which had been scored against the Revolution - finishing a loose ball in the box following Cuauhtemoc Blanco's corner kick ... Joseph leveled the score at 1-1 just four minutes into the second half, however, firing home from close range after Jeff Larentowicz's initial cross was deflected to the back post.

New England 0, Chicago 0

October 17, 2009 - Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

The Revs and Fire combined to register a total of 25 shots, but neither team could find the back of the net as the game finished in a scoreless draw ... Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis made four saves to record his seventh shutout of the season, while the Fire's Jon Busch stopped seven shots to earn his ninth clean sheet ... Chicago had a claim for a penalty kick waved away in the 62nd minute when Chris Rolfe attempted to round Reis on a clear breakaway, as referee Jorge Gonzalez cautioned Rolfe for simulation rather than pointing to the spot.

2009 OUTSIDE COMPETITION MEETINGS

Chicago 2, New England 1

SuperLiga 2009 Semifinal

July 15, 2009 - Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Edgaras Jankauskas scored his first goal for the Revolution just two weeks after signing with the club, but Cuauhtemoc Blanco led the Fire to a 2-1 win en route to a spot in the SuperLiga 2009 title game ... Blanco assisted on Brian McBride's opening goal midway through the first half before scoring the game-winner on a free kick in the 63rd minute ... Jankauskas scored late in the first half to level the score entering the halftime break, while Sainey Nyassi, Kenny Mansally and Kheli Dube all hit the woodwork for the Revolution, which outshot Chicago, 23-11, including 17-3 in the second half.

NEWS & NOTES

PLAYOFF TICKETS ON SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC STARTING WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28

The Revolution will host the arch-rival Chicago Fire at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series at Gillette Stadium ... tickets to the match start at $20 and will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, Oct. 28 ... Revolution Season Ticket Holders can purchase tickets now at a discounted rate, while Four-Pack purchasers have a special pre-sale window on Monday and Tuesday, also with a discount ... call 1-877-GET-REVS or visit revolutionsoccer.net for more information.

PLAYOFF BERTH COMES IN DRAMATIC FASHION

Entering the weekend, it looked as if it would take a minor miracle for the Revs to extend their season beyond Sunday, but a series of remarkable results - capped by a Revolution victory over 2009 Supporters' Shield winner Columbus last night - vaulted New England into the playoffs for the eighth straight season ... this will be the Revolution's 10th appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs in the league's 14th year of existence (1997, 2000, 2002-present) ... the Revs' current streak of eight straight postseason appearances is the longest active playoff appearance streak in MLS, while head coach Steve Nicol is the first coach in MLS history to lead a team to the playoffs for eight straight years.

REVS KEEP BOSTON'S LONGEST CURRENT PLAYOFF STREAK ALIVE

Boston is known as a sports-mad city with a rich history of championship success, and never more so than in recent years ... however, of Boston's five major professional sports teams - Revolution, Patriots, Bruins, Celtics and Red Sox - the Revs hold the longest current streak of postseason appearances ... having secured their eighth straight playoff appearance, the Revs have topped the city's other pro outfits for recent postseason success ... the Revolution has been in the postseason every year since 2002, while the Sox have reached the playoffs each of the last three seasons ... both the Bruins and Celtics have qualified for the postseason for two straight years, while the Patriots had a string of five consecutive playoff appearances snapped last year.

REGULAR SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE

The Revolution concluded the 2009 regular season with a 1-0 win over the Columbus Crew last night at Crew Stadium, bringing an end to the club's 14th year of regular-season play ... New England finished in third place in the Eastern Conference with an 11-10-9 record (42 pts.), marking the fifth straight year that the club finished with a record above .500 ... this is also the fifth straight year in which the Revs broke the 40-point barrier.

REVS AND FIRE TO SQUARE OFF IN THE POSTSEASON ... AGAIN

For the fifth straight year, the New England Revolution and Chicago Fire will meet in the MLS Cup Playoffs, beginning with Game 1 of an Eastern Conference Semifinal Series on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium ... an intense rivalry has developed between the clubs, stoked by repeated postseason encounters ... this will be the seventh time in the last eight years - and the eighth time overall - that the Revs and Fire meet in the postseason ... the clubs have previously met in the 2000, 2002-03, and 2005-08 playoffs ... New England owns the edge in overall playoff series victories, having advanced past Chicago four times in the previous seven encounters - including three straight years from 2005-07 on the way to the MLS Cup Final.

DÉJÀ VU IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

The Revolution and Fire have become familiar playoff foes in recent years, but this season's playoff matchup goes even further into the realm of déjà vu ... for the second straight year, the Fire will occupy the second seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Revs once again represent the third seed ... just as it did last year, the series will open in New England and will conclude in Chicago one week later ... the clubs point totals are even remarkably similar to last year, as the Fire has gone from 46 points (2008) to 45 points (2009), and the Revs have gone from 43 points (2008) to 42 points (2009).

HISTORY NEEDS TO CHANGE

One of Major League Soccer's most bitter rivalries has been surprisingly one-sided in recent years, as the Revs are winless (0-5-3) against the Fire in all competitions since the start of the 2008 season ... that record includes a 0-3-2 mark in the regular season, a 0-1-1 record in the MLS Cup Playoffs and a 0-1-0 mark in SuperLiga ... the Revolution's last victory over the Fire came on Nov. 8, 2007, when Taylor Twellman's memorable bicycle kick goal earned New England its third straight Eastern Conference title and sent the club to yet another MLS Cup.

PERFECT PAIRING

Never has home-field advantage been so evident as it is in the postseason history between the Revs and Fire ... in 13 all-time postseason matches between the two clubs, the home team has an almost spotless record of 12-0-1 ... the Revs have gone 6-0-1 in seven postseason meetings in Foxborough, while the Fire has won all six matches played in the Windy City ... the only playoff meeting not to be won by the home team was a 0-0 draw at Gillette Stadium in Game One of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinal Series.

FSC TO TELEVISE BOTH GAMES OF THE REVS-FIRE SERIES

For the second straight year, the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series featuring the Revolution and Fire will be watched by a national television audience ... Fox Soccer Channel will televise Game 1 of the series at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct. 31, live from Gillette Stadium ... the soccer-only network will also broadcast Game 2 of the series at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Toyota Park.

REVS UNDEFEATED AT HOME IN THE POSTSEASON

Through nine previous postseason appearances and 14 designated home matches in the playoffs, the Revolution has never lost a home playoff game ... the Revs are an undefeated 9-0-5 at home in their postseason history - but they're just 3-8-3 away from home and 0-3-1 at neutral sites ... the only playoff match that New England has ever lost at Gillette Stadium was the 2002 MLS Cup Final, in which the club fell, 1-0, in extra time to the LA Galaxy ... however, because that match was the MLS Cup Final and the venue was pre-determined, it was officially a neutral site.

IT'S ALMOST A GIVEN: WIN AND YOU'RE OFF TO MLS CUP

Seven times the Revolution and Fire have met in the MLS Cup Playoffs, and six times the winner of the series has gone on to represent the Eastern Conference in the MLS Cup Final ... the Revs have gone through the Fire in each of their four trips to the league's championship match (2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007), while the Fire defeated the Revolution in 2000 and 2003 on its way to the MLS Cup Final ... however, while the winner of the Revs-Fire series has reached the championship match all but once, that club has never taken home the title that season, losing on all six occasions ... the only year in which the winner of the Revs-Fire series didn't reach MLS Cup was last year in 2008, when the Fire was defeated by the Crew in the Eastern Conference Championship.

BARNES MAKES ROOKIE HISTORY

When rookie defender Darrius Barnes was chosen as the 40th overall selection at the 2009 MLS SuperDraft in January, he only hoped to make the Revolution's opening day roster ... nine months later, he's etched his name into the MLS record books, as he became only the second rookie in league history to play every minute of his rookie season with yet another 90-minute performance against the Crew last night ... ironically, the only other player to accomplish that feat in his rookie season is the player Barnes essentially replaced in the Revolution backline - Michael Parkhurst, who played every minute of his first year with the Revs in 2005 on his way to rookie of the year honors ... amazingly, Barnes was the only field player in the league to play every minute this season, joining goalkeepers Jon Busch, Kevin Hartman and Pat Onstad.

JOSEPH'S INFLUENCE LIFTS REVS TO POSTSEASON

While it undoubtedly took the contributions of every player to help the Revolution reach the postseason for an eighth straight season, much of the credit must go to MLS MVP candidate Shalrie Joseph ... with the club's all-time leading goal scorer (Taylor Twellman) and all-time assist leader (Steve Ralston) both on the shelf with season-ending injuries, Joseph stepped up to wear the captain's armband and lead the team with career high marks in both goals (8) and assists (8) ... the versatile 31-year-old either scored or assisted on 16 of the Revolution's 33 goals this season, meaning that he had a hand in almost half of the club's offensive production.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING FOR LARENTOWICZ

Fifth-year midfielder Jeff Larentowicz picked the perfect time to score his first goal of the season, firing home a free kick in the 79th minute of last night's 1-0 win over Columbus to lead the Revs to their eighth straight postseason berth ... Larentowicz struck from 20 yards out, blazing his shot straight through the wall and past Crew goalkeeper Kenny Schoeni before he had a chance to react ... the goal was the ninth career regular-season tally for Larentowicz, who did also score a pair of goals in the U.S. Open Cup and SuperLiga earlier this season.

REIS QUIETLY HAS A CAREER YEAR

Although he hasn't received quite as much league-wide attention this season as he has in years past, goalkeeper Matt Reis quietly had yet another stellar season for the Revolution ... Reis led the league in saves (114) and save percentage (.814), and was fourth with a career-best 0.96 goals against average ... this marks the first time in Reis' 12 year career in which he finished the season with a goals against average under 1.00 ... his previous career-best GAA was 1.09, which he established in 2006.

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