Late Own Goal Costs Revs

Wizards Get a Point in SuperLiga Clash

By Sean Donahue

June 25, 2009

The New England Revolution were forced to play down a man for nearly an hour after an early red card and almost escaped with a win until an 85th minute own goal gave the visiting Kansas City Wizards a draw in Wednesday�s SuperLiga group stage match at Gillette Stadium.

The Revs, unable to field a full bench due to injuries to Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman, Shalrie Joseph, Kevin Alston, Chris Albright, Gabriel Badilla and Mauricio Castro, were already facing a tough situation with an inexperienced line-up before rookie Michael Videira was ejected on a questionable call in the 34th minute.

Kheli Dube scored his second goal in as many SuperLiga games Wednesday night. (Photo by Joyce Furia)

The Revs still managed to take the lead when Kheli Dube scored just before halftime and kept the Wizards from really threatening until an 85th minute own goal cost them the win.

�I think the way we performed we deserved the three points,� said Revs head coach Steve Nicol. �Certainly before the sending off we had made chances; the goalie made a couple of saves, we hit the post.�

Kenny Mansally had the first chance of the match in the 10th minute, when Dube played a nice through ball down the right flank. Mansally used his speed to outpace the defense, before unleashing a low shot across the face of goal that Wizards keeper Kevin Hartman managed to keep out.

The Revs should have taken the lead in the 14th minute, when Videira got the ball from Sainey Nyassi at the top of the box. Videira nutmegged a Kansas City defender before hitting a powerful shot that beat Hartman but hit the post and came back into play. The ball fell to Nyassi, who had an open net to shoot at, but his effort went wide of the target.

�I think [Kansas City] was a little reluctant to come out,� said Revs midfielder Jeff Larentowicz. �They seemed pretty content to pass the ball around the back. I think they had a couple of new guys in there that maybe hadn�t had a first team game in a while. There were a couple times when they got surprised with the ball under their feet and Mike [Videira], Kheli, and Sainey were good to put pressure on them and we got a couple of chances.�

Videira was red carded in the 34th minute for an unintentional hit on Aaron Hohlbein when challenging for a header.

�He was going for the ball,� said Nicol. �If a player intentionally is throwing elbows, then I�m all for getting them thrown off the field, but he never intentionally did anything. Obviously he caught him, but there has to be a difference between someone just going and [hitting] someone and just an accidental contact.�

Dube gave the Revs the lead just before halftime. A long Darius Barnes throw-in found Mansally in the box and Mansally chipped it over his defender to Dube, who slotted it past Hartman to give the shorthanded Revs a 1-0 lead. The goal was Dube�s second in as many games.

�When the whole team plays good, then we get chances to score goals,� said Dube. �I feel good about it.�

Dube had a chance in the 62nd minute when he chased down a long ball from Emmanuel Osei and stole it from Matt Besler. With Hartman off his line, Dube attempted to chip it into the net, but sent it over the target.

Reis came up big in the 83rd minute when a Claudio Lopez cross from the left flank found Josh Wolff at the near post. Wolff directed a diving header on frame, but Reis was well positioned to make the save.

Kansas City tied the match in the 85th minute, when Herculez Gomez got the ball on the right flank and sent a cross into the box that deflected off Darius Barnes and entered the net for an own goal.

�Davy [Arnaud] put in a good ball out wide and I felt like it was running away from me,� said Gomez. �I just did one of those all-or-nothing lunges and I happened to get enough of it to keep it in front of me. At that point it�s just get it across the face of the goal and be dangerous with it. You are not really trying to pick out a player. You are trying to put it across the face of the goal and either it goes off one of your guys or it goes off one of theirs, just like what happened.�

Wolff nearly gave the Wizards the lead in the 90th minute after Gomez got free down the right flank and sent in a low cross. Wolff got to the ball, but sent his shot just wide of the net.

Wolff had another chance in stoppage time, getting on the end of a long cross and directing a header on frame. Reis did just enough to tip it wide of the net.

Jay Heaps had a late chance for the Revs on a poorly cleared corner kick. The ball fell to Heaps, who unleashed a powerful shot on frame that Hartman managed to punch out.

The Revs, still atop their group with four points, finish off the SuperLiga group stages Sunday with a 4:30 p.m. matchup at Gillette Stadium against Atlas. Any result will guarantee New England a spot in the competition�s semifinals.

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