Revs Hand Fire First Loss
Published on May 17, 2003 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release
FOXBORO, Mass. - Forward Taylor Twellman netted his League-leading fifth goal of the season as the New England Revolution defeated the Chicago Fire 3-0 at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night. Twellman, the MLS Man of the Match and last year's Budweiser Scoring Champion, opened the scoring in the first half with Jay Heaps and Steve Ralston both adding a tally in the second. The contest was the eighth match in 13 months between the two teams.
In spite of having played an overtime match Wednesday night, the Revolution came out firing on all cylinders, creating several chances for forwards Twellman and Joe-Max Moore in the first 15 minutes. Twellman broke the deadlock in the 18th minute when he headed home a rebound shot. Moore came in on the right side and had his shot saved by Chicago goalkeeper Zach Thornton. The deflection by Thornton bounced toward Twellman, who dove forward to head the ball into the back of the net.
Though New England continued to create several chances, the Fire missed two key opportunities to tie the match. In the 27th minute, Chicago forward Rodrigo Faria sent a pass in from the left flank which fell to a wide open Evan Whitfield. With no one in front of him, the Chicago defender fired it over the bar. The second Chicago chance was stifled by New England goalkeeper Adin Brown in the 43rd minute. Faria found himself with a free header in the box which was stopped by the right arm of Brown as he dove to the ground to scoop away what looked like a sure goal.
The momentum in favor of New England continued early in the second half. The Revolution's Joe Franchino sent a corner inside the box in the 49th minute which was met by the foot of Jay Heaps, who placed a one-time shot into the opposite left corner, floating over Thornton. Heaps was unmarked, arriving late from defense to score New England's second goal and his first of the campaign.
The third goal came minutes later when a Shalrie Joseph through pass found Ralston alone at the top of the Chicago penalty area in the 56th minute. Ralston blasted a one-time, right-footed diagonal shot into the far left corner past a diving Thornton.
The situation for Chicago did not improve when defender C.J. Brown was sent off after receiving his second yellow card in the 62nd minute for obstructing a Twellman run. The comfortable lead and short-handed opposition allowed New England to manage the rest of the match while creating the occasional scoring chance.
New England will travel to Columbus next Saturday, May 24 at 7:30PM ET in an Eastern Conference showdown. Chicago will host the Colorado Rapids next Sunday, May 25 at 8:30PM ET.
MLS Man of the Match: Taylor Twellman (Revolution)
Major League Soccer Stories from May 17, 2003
- Burn, Galaxy End in 1-1 Draw - MLS
- Wizards Battle D.C. United to 1-1 Tie, Remain Unbeaten on the Road - Sporting Kansas City
- United, Wizards End in a Draw - MLS
- Revs Hand Fire First Loss - MLS
- Mathis, MetroStars Take 2-0 Win - MLS
- Fire Fall for First Time in 2003 - Chicago Fire FC
- Mathis, Magee Lead MetroStars Over Colorado 2-0 - Red Bull New York
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