MLS New England Revolution

Undefeated Revs off this weekend

Published on April 6, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Unbeaten after three matches and currently tied atop the Eastern Conference standings, the New England Revolution (2-0-1, 7 pts.) will train in Foxborough three times this week before a weekend off from MLS action. The Revolution's next match will be on Friday, April 17, when the club travels to face D.C. United at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

NEWS & NOTES

ASSENGUE SET TO JOIN THE REVS ON TUESDAY

New signing Stephane Assengue (steh-FAHN ah-SENG-gay) has arrived in the United States after receiving his U.S. P-1 Visa and has now officially been added to the Revolution's roster ... Assengue completed his entrance physical this morning and will take part in his first training session with the Revolution tomorrow (Tuesday, April 7) ... the 18-year-old Cameroonian forward will be available for selection when the Revolution plays its next match against D.C. United on Friday, April 17.

SPECIAL NOTE: New signing Stephane Assengue had previously been referred to as Stephane Assengue Ombiogno ... going forward, he will be referred to solely as Stephane Assengue.

REVOLUTION EQUALS CLUB-BEST MARK THROUGH THREE GAMES

With the club's 2-1 victory over FC Dallas in the 2009 home opener on Saturday night (April 4), the Revolution remained undefeated (2-0-1), marking just the second time in club history that the Revs have started a season unbeaten through three matches ... with seven points from their first three games, the Revs have equaled the best start in club history ... the Revolution also began the 2005 campaign with a record of 2-0-1, en route to an 11-game unbeaten run to start the season (7-0-4) and a spot in the MLS Cup Final.

FAMILIAR FOES TIED ATOP THE EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

With identical records of 2-0-1, the New England Revolution and Chicago Fire are currently tied for first place in the Eastern Conference ... both clubs have climbed to the top in similar fashion, each opening the season with one win and one draw in a pair of road matches before securing a victory in their home openers this past weekend ... the Revs and Fire are very familiar foes, having met in six of the last seven postseasons, including each of the last four years ... New England ended Chicago's postseason runs in 2005, 2006 and 2007, but the Fire gained a measure of revenge last season when it eliminated the Revolution in the Eastern Conference Semifinals ... the rivals will meet for the first time this season on Saturday, May 9, at Toyota Park.

BREAKING POINT

After earning a 2-1 victory over FC Dallas in Saturday night's home opener (April 4), the Revs will have 12 days to recover ahead of their next match against D.C. United (April 17 on ESPN2) ... with the introduction of the expansion Seattle Sounders FC this season, the league includes 15 teams ... therefore - because of the odd number of clubs - at least one team will be off each weekend, and it will be the Revolution's turn in the season's third week ... in 2008, the Revolution's longest break all season was nine days in between the SuperLiga group stage (July 20) and semifinal round (July 30).

THROUGH INJURIES, NEW ENGLAND PERSEVERES ...

It's not unusual to see the New England Revolution atop the Eastern Conference standings, but it is certainly remarkable for any club to climb into first place while missing more than half of its starting lineup ... as many as eight possible starters have missed time just three games into the season, yet the Revs are still undefeated and have matched the best start in club history ... all-time leading scorer Taylor Twellman (neck pain), Mauricio Castro (L hamstring strain) and Gabriel Badilla (lower back pain/R achilles tendinitis) have yet to play a minute this season, while Steve Ralston (R quad strain), Matt Reis (R knee inflammation) and Chris Albright (suspension/R ankle inflammation) have only seen action in one match ... additionally, Kevin Alston (R hamstring strain) missed the Revs' home opener against FC Dallas (April 4), while Sainey Nyassi (L hamstring strain) was removed at halftime of the match at New York (March 28).

... AS THE REVOLUTION'S DEPTH PROVES PARAMOUNT

New England currently occupies first place in the Eastern Conference due in large part to the contributions of many unheralded youngsters, who have stepped up in place of the Revolution's injured veterans ... 24-year-old goalkeeper Brad Knighton has gone 1-0-1 and allowed just two goals in the first two starts of his career in place of the injured Matt Reis ... along the backline, rookie defenders Darrius Barnes (22) and Kevin Alston (20), and second-year defender Chris Tierney (23) have been critical in the Revs' allowing only two goals in three games ... meanwhile, forwards Kenny Mansally (20) and Kheli Dube (25), along with midfielder Sainey Nyassi (20), have been pivotal in the Revolution's attack, as all three have found the back of the net early in the season.

RALSTON WASTES LITTLE TIME RETURNING TO HIS OLD TRICKS

It took captain Steve Ralston just 35 minutes to put his name on the scoresheet in Saturday night's 2-1 victory over FC Dallas (April 4), but the veteran playmaker's presence was apparent long before he found the back of the net ... after missing the first two games of the season with a right quad strain, the 34-year-old midfielder made his 2009 debut as a halftime substitute against the Hoops and allowed the Revs to switch from a 4-4-2 formation to a more attack-oriented 3-5-2 setup - the alignment that the club used for the majority of the past four seasons ... with an attacking focus, the Revolution erased a halftime deficit and earned the win, capped by Ralston's 80th-minute penalty kick - his first game-winning goal of the season after tying for the league-lead in the category in 2008 with four.

NEW ENGLAND SIGNS GHANAIAN DEFENDER EMMANUEL OSEI ...

The Revolution announced on March 31 that the club has signed Emmanuel Osei, a central defender from Ghana, to a Major League Soccer contract to play for the Revs ... Osei, who will occupy an international roster spot, will join the team pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate ... the 26-year-old most recently played for Liberty Professionals in Ghana's top league, while he's also spent time with ASV Cham (Germany), AS Livorno (Italy), FC Timisoara (Romania) and Hearts of Oak (Ghana) ... a member of Ghana's 2004 Olympic Team, Osei has been capped by Ghana's senior national team.

... TO CONTINUE THE AFRICAN REVOLUTION

With the recent signings of Cameroonian forward Stephane Assengue and Ghanaian defender Emmanuel Osei, the Revolution now has five African players on the club's roster, as the duo joins Kenny Mansally (Gambia), Sainey Nyassi (Gambia) and Kheli Dube (Zimbabwe) ... New England's coaching staff has made a concerted effort to look for African talent in recent years, including a pair of scouting trips to Ghana this past offseason.

REVS TO HOST TEAM-SPONSORED AWAY GAME VIEWING PARTIES

Throughout the 2009 season, the Revolution will host a series of away game viewing parties at local establishments in New England, and the first event of the series is set for the club's next match at D.C. United on Friday, April 17 ... the viewing party will take place at McGreevy's (911 Boylston Street, Boston) with coverage of the match set to begin at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 ... there will be no cover charge to enter McGreevy's, and the Rev Girls and team representatives will be on hand with giveaways and prizes for all those in attendance.

U.S. AMONG TEAMS AT GILLETTE STADIUM FOR GOLD CUP

The United States Men's National Team will play a first-round game of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, July 11, while the national teams of Haiti, Honduras and Grenada will also visit Foxborough for the regional championship ... the U.S., the two-time defending Gold Cup champion, will face Haiti at 7 p.m. in the second match of a soccer tripleheader that day ... the second Gold Cup game will feature Honduras and Grenada at 9 p.m., while the day's events will kick off with a Major League Soccer tilt with the host New England Revolution facing the Kansas City Wizards at 4 p.m ... the U.S. National Team has played seven previous Gold Cup matches at Gillette Stadium and has racked up an undefeated 6-0-1 record.

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