I-95 rivalry renewed as Revs visit NY
New England and New York both coming off losses
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GIANTS STADIUM, E. Rutherford, N.J.
April 19, 2008 | 7:30 p.m. ET (HDNet; MSG; TV-38)
WEEK # 4 | GAME # 24
The two bitter I-95 rivals meet for the first time this season as they look to rebound from frustrating losses last weekend. The New York Red Bulls return home after suffering their first loss of the season, at FC Dallas, while the New England Revolution are coming off a 1-0 defeat by the Colorado Rapids at home. The teams have met three of the last five seasons in the MLS Cup Playoffs, with the Revolution advancing on each occasion.
REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar. SAR (bench): Hector Vergara; JAR (opposite): Peter Manikowski; 4th: Steven DePiero
MLS Career: 67 games; FC/gm: 30.6; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 16; pens: 24
INJURY REPORT: NEW YORK RED BULLS - OUT: DF Hunter Freeman (R ankle sprain); MF Dane Richards (R MCL tear); MF David Roth (L knee surgery); QUESTIONABLE: FW Juan Pablo Angel (L hamstring strain); GK Zach Thornton (L hamstring strain) ... NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION - OUT: DF Matt Britner (L knee sprain), MF Steve Ralston (L dislocated shoulder), FW Taylor Twellman (R meniscus surgery); DOUBTFUL: DF Chris Albright (L ankle bone bruise); PROBABLE: MF Jeff Larentowicz (R ankle sprain) INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none SUSPENDED: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (46 meetings): Red Bulls 16 wins (2 shootout), 80 goals ... Revolution 23 wins (3 shootout), 84 goals ... Ties 7
IN NEW ENGLAND (24 meetings): Red Bulls 12 wins (0 shootout), 52 goals ... Revolution 8 wins (2 shootout), 39 goals ... Ties 4
• This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season, the only one set for the Meadowlands. The Red Bulls will make their lone visit to the Bay State on June 18.
LAST YEAR (MLS):
7/14: NY 0, NE 1 (Dorman 38)
8/25: NE 2, NY 1 (Twellman 46; own goal 80 - Altidore 30)
9/22: NY 2, NE 2 (Doe 37; Angel 84 - Twellman 22, 70)
• A year ago, the Revolution claimed the season series, winning once in each stadium before the teams played to a draw in East Rutherford.
• The Revolution had won the previous five league meetings before the season-ending draw last year. New York's last win in the series came Sept. 17, 2005, a wild 5-4 victory at Giants Stadium, a span now of eight games since. The Red Bulls have never beaten the Revolution; that win came while the club was known as the MetroStars.
• The Revolution have a six-game winning streak against New York at Gillette Stadium. The last New York win in Foxborough came June 29, 2002; the Revs have won nine of the 11 games since, with two ties.
• The teams have met in the MLS Cup Playoffs three of the last five seasons, all on odd years (2003, '05, '07). The Revolution won each of those matchups, all coming in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
• Coaches record: Steve Nicol v NY: P23 W13 L4 D6 ... Juan Carlos Osorio vs. NE: P1 W1 L0 D0
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls went on the road for the first time in 2008 and came back with their first defeat, falling 2-0 as FC Dallas won for the first time, Saturday evening at Pizza Hut Park. The Red Bulls have three points from two matches.
LAST MATCH
• FC Dallas were coming into the match looking for a first win on the year after conceding late goals in two successive draws, while the Red Bulls opened the season the week before with a home win against Columbus.
• It took the Hoops just 51 seconds to open the scoring. Andre Rocha swung in a cross from the right flank and Arturo Alvarez got on the end of it, flashing in front of a defender to head home for his second goal on the campaign. It was the second-quickest goal in FCD club history.
• Kenny Cooper salted the game away with his third goal of the season in the 66th minute, pulling him into a tie with Landon Donovan for early Golden Boot honors. A long ball from Adrian Serioux from inside his own half found Cooper racing in alone behind the New York defense and he raced in on goal before slotting inside the right post.
• Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio made two changes to the team that defeated the Columbus Crew 2-0 in the N.Y. season opener. Danleigh Borman came into the first team as Jeff Parke was suspended, as Jozy Altidore saw his first action of 2008, replacing the injured Juan Pablo Angel.
• Here's Osorio's team (4-3-1-2): Jon Conway - Luke Sassano, Chris Leitch, Kevin Goldthwaite, Dave van den Bergh - Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Mike Magee 63), Seth Stammler, Danleigh Borman - Claudio Reyna - Jozy Altidore, Oscar Echeverry (John Wolyniec 72). Substitutes Not Used: Chris Megaloudis, Carlos Mendes, Kevin Mesa, Michael Palacio, Caleb Patterson-Sewell
• "That's my biggest complaint to the team -- any team in the world that wants to be successful cannot concede a goal in the first minute because that has a great impact on the game," Osorio said.
TEAM NEWS
• The Red Bulls did out-shoot FC Dallas 14-7 for the match. However, six of the Hoops' attempts were on target, compared to just two for New York.
• "I think the team showed strong character to come back, play some good football and create good chances," Osorio said. "We did have enough chances to score goals. In the second half, we gave up a soft goal but kept playing and had enough chances, especially in the last five minutes. We didn't deal with the balls over the top enough and I think that cost us."
• Juan Pablo Angel did not make the trip to Dallas, suffering from a left hamstring strain. Jozy Altidore was able to return to the lineup after missing the season opener through injury.
• "I think we dominated most of the play but at the end of the day, it comes down to who scores on more of their chances," said Altidore. "We didn't do that today and need to make sure that we're more clinical in future games or we'll have more results like this."
• Said Dave van den Bergh: "It was a tough loss. I think we outplayed FC Dallas for most of the game. I think that first goal came back to haunt us in the end. We had to give up the space for the second goal, which I thought was offside. I felt that we dominated this game. We had plenty of chances to score. It was just a matter of putting them away, something we didn't do tonight. We got punished for a sloppy first goal we gave up."
• That lack of a cutting edge in the final third was a concern to the Red Bulls boss. "If it was a criticism to my team, it was their ineffectiveness in and around the box," he said. "We went into the attacking third plenty of times plenty of different ways with combination plays and great diagonal balls. But the final pass, cutback and cross let us down today."
• After playing installing a 3-4-1-2 formation and using it for the season opener, Osorio went to a back four for the Dallas match.
• "In the past, when we played at home I would try my hardest to play a 3-4-1-2," Osorio said to BigApple Soccer. "But the fact we didn't have Jeff and I decided the offensive threat that Dallas brings into the field, I decided the best thing was to play with four in the back."
• Adding into that decision was the suspension of center back Jeff Parke. Dave van den Bergh returned to left back, where he played much of last season. Two players who have spent much of their MLS careers as fullbacks, Kevin Goldthwaite and Chris Leitch, moved centrally with Luke Sassano on the right.
• "I don't think that Chris Leitch is new to playing that position," Osorio said. "He has done that in the past. Luke Sassano, he played basically his whole college career as a fullback. So they were not asked to do anything different."
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution followed their second victory on the season with their second loss, as the Colorado Rapids came away from Gillette Stadium with a 1-0 victory on Saturday night. The Revolution have six points from their four matches on the season.
LAST MATCH
• The Revolution were returning home after winning for the second time on the season at midweek, coming away from Kansas City with a 3-1 win against the Wizards, while the Rapids had also played in a visit to Kansas City, a 3-2 loss there the weekend previous.
• A rain-lashed night saw the goalkeepers at both ends make a series of fine stops and the game's only goal came in the 68th minute. From a freekick near the left corner, Jose Burciaga Jr. whipped in the service and Nick LaBrocca rose up unmarked at the far post to snap home a header for his first professional goal and give the Rapids the victory.
• Revolution head coach Steve Nicol made one change to the team that defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3-1 on the road at midweek. Jeff Larentowicz returned from suspension, coming back into the center of midfield in place of Gary Flood.
• Here's Nicol's team (3-4-1-2): Matt Reis - Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Amaechi Igwe - Sainey Nyassi (Argenis Fernandez 46), Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Khano Smith - Mauricio Castro - Adam Cristman (Kheli Dube 76), Kenny Mansally. Substitutes Not Used: Gary Flood, Joe Franchino, Chase Hilgenbrinck, Wells Thompson, Doug Warren
• "We still didn't deserve to lose the game; the only way they were going to win the game was on a set piece, albeit a free kick that shouldn't have been a free kick. We had some half chances and could've scored, but we certainly didn't deserve to lose the game," Nicol said.
TEAM NEWS
• Playing for a third time in a week at this stage in the season finally caught up with the Revs, Nicol said. "I guess tonight the new guys found out what MLS is all about -- three games in a week, play away on Wednesday, travel all day on Thursday and then you have to go again on Saturday. It's not easy, that was a real problem for us. We didn't have that zip that we've had," he said.
• The Revolution out-shot the Rapids 17-4 on the night, and put nine efforts on target compared to Colorado's one. But that one for Colorado was the only one to find the back of the net.
• "It's just the way the game goes. On Wednesday night, we didn't really dominate, but we got three goals. Tonight, we dominated but couldn't get anything," Jay Heaps said. " ... We definitely played well enough to win, but give Colorado credit: they came in and did exactly what they drew up on the board -- sit in and wait for their opportunity and kill the time. They were delaying in the first half -- they didn't want to go. You have to give them credit for executing their game plan like that."
• The lone Colorado goal came on a free kick crossed from the left flank. Of the six goals the Revolution have allowed this season, two have come from penalties, two from crosses in the run of the play, and one from a deadball situations.
• "So far this year, we've given up quite a few goals on set plays. Teams are going to see that and are going to try to come in here and when they have set plays, that's what they're going to try to capitalize on, said goalkeeper Matt Reis. "We have to be better. We have to defend better."
• While Jeff Larentowicz was able to return to the lineup following his suspension, despite an ankle injury, Chris Albright was unable to overcome an ankle bruise in a late fitness test. Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston missed their fourth and third full matches respectively.
• "Maybe it's a little bit of our youth and experience that we didn't adapt tonight," Reis said. "Any major game, any league game we're playing, they'll get more experience."
• At halftime, 19-year-old Sainey Nyassi was replaced by Costa Rican Argenis Fernandez, making his MLS debut. "We didn't create enough chances until late in the game, when we were able to get the ball wide and open the game up a little bit," Reis said to The Boston Globe. "We were forcing everything down the middle of the park and they defended well. We didn't find a rhythm until the very end."
• Reis became the all-time MLS leader in consecutive minutes played late in the match, passing the mark set by Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad (6,648 minutes from 2005-07). In all league competition (regular season and MLS Cup Playoffs), Reis has played in 82 consecutive matches; he has started 73 in a row in regular-season matches.
