Sports stats



New England Revolution

Revs top Honduran champions in 60-minute scrimmage on Friday night

March 14, 2008 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


NEW ORLEANS - Khano Smith scored two second-half goals and Taylor Twellman scored one goal and added one assist as the New England Revolution defeated the reigning Honduran champions, Marathon, on Friday evening in a 60-minute closed-door scrimmage at Tad Gormley Stadium.

The teams played two 30-minutes halves as they are scheduled to meet in a full 90-minute public match on Sunday. Smith goals were his third and fourth of the preseason, while Twellman scored his second of the preseason.

Newly signed Zimbabwe international Kehli Dube put the Revs up early, striking in the eighth minute to give the Revolution a 1-0 lead. Twellman sent him in at the top of the area, before he eluded Marathon central defender Milton Palacio to put in an 18-yard blast.

Twellman pushed the score to 2-0 in the 12th minute, heading in a Steve Ralston corner kick from six yards out. He rose above his defender to snap in the header from close range to give the Revs a two-goal lead.

At the half, Revolution head coach Steve Nicol almost completely changed the lineup, sending out 10 new players and keeping Smith on the field on the left wing in a 4-4-2 alignment.

Smith pushed the score to 3-0 in the 38th minute, collecting a cross-field Adam Cristman pass and pushing down the left wing. He launched his left-footed blast from 16 yards, and beat Marathon keeper Victor Cuello for the three-goal advantage.

With time winding down the second 30-minute half, Smith struck again in the 53rd minute. From the edge of the half circle, guest player Brandon Tyler put Smith in on the left side, where he again struck with his left foot from 12 yards.

Although neither starting goalkeeper Matt Reis or second-half substitute Doug Warren was tested in the match, Warren made two late saves to help preserve the shutout.

In the final minute of the match, Marathon's Pompilio Mejia was ejected for a two-footed tackle on Tyler at midfield.

Marathon and the Revolution will meet again on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT) at Tad Gormley Stadium in a full public match. It will mark the Revs' final preseason match before beginning preparation for the 2008 MLS season, which begins on Saturday, March 29. New England will host the Houston Dynamo in a rematch of MLS Cup 2007 at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. and Fox Soccer Channel will televise the game live. For tickets or more information, visit www.revolutionsoccer.net or call 1-877-GET-REVS.

Check out the New England Revolution Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Major League Soccer message board...

Major League Soccer Stories from March 14, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central