Rapid Improvement

Colorado Gets First Win in Foxboro Since '02

April 13, 2008

By Sean Donahue

FOXBORO, Mass. – Against a Fernando Clavijo lineup that seemed content to pack it in defensively and leave Foxboro with a draw, the New England Revolution surrendered a second-half goal on a poorly defended free kick and fell to Colorado, 1-0, Saturday night.

The Rapids’ Nick LaBrocca scored off a Jose Burciaga Jr. free kick in the 68th minute to give Colorado its first win at Gillette Stadium since 2002. Burciaga took a free kick from near the corner flag and LaBrocca rose above Adam Cristman, who seemed to have lost his mark, and headed a shot past Matt Reis at the near post for his first career goal.

The Revs, according to coach Steve Nicol, might have been fatigued.

"I guess tonight the new guys found out what the 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," Nicol said. "It's not easy, that was a real problem for us. We didn't have that zip that we've had. 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."

Shalrie Joseph and the Revs couldn't solve Colorado Saturday night. (CHRIS ADUAMA/ aduama.com)

One of those “half chances” came just two minutes in when Khano Smith managed to curl a cross into the box around two defenders and Cristman challenged and rose above both a defender and goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, but saw his header go high of the target.

The Revs dodged a bullet in the 22nd minute when a low cross slipped out of the hands of Reis. Reis got out and stayed between the ball and the net, while two Revolution defenders got back to defend their goal. Colorado’s Cristian Gomez collected the shot and dribbled around Reis, but saw his powerful shot headed off the line by Heaps.

Kenny Mansally threatened the net in the 34th minute when Smith played a through ball to him on a counter attack. The 19-year-old Gambian saw an opening and unleashed a left footed shot from thirty yards out the curled towards the far post. Coundoul made an acrobatic diving save to punch the ball wide of the post.

Argenis Fernandez, who scored twice in the Revs reserves 2-2 draw in Kansas City last Thursday, entered the match Sainey Nyassi to make his debut at halftime. Colorado also handed Scottish stirker Tom McManus his debut, entering the match for Gomez.

Nicol moved Castro to the left flank, Smith to the right and put Fernandez in the middle. Smith, who clearly favors his left foot, looked uncomfortable at times and the Revs attack seemed to focus on the left flank for the next nearly half hour before Smith and Castro switched sides.

"Sometimes I like playing out on the right side," Smith said. "It's a little more difficult in a 3-5-2 because you have to track back more, so my balance was a little thrown off. I don't mind it because I get to cut in and shoot or get in and cross from that side. It's a different type of cross that's coming in."

Smith added that he had practiced on the right "once this week," but that he hadn't expected Nicol to put him there in the match.

After the match both Nyassi and Smith commented on the difficulty both offensively and defensively of going up against a Rapids side that had two men on the flanks in their 4-5-1 formation.

"Always when I get the ball I would have like two or three people surrounding me," said Nyassi. "Maybe they are playing away, that's why they try to play more defensive."

"Their wide guys, they cheat," said Smith. "They don't come back and they don't do any defending at all. You have to chase back and defend someone who is not defending you. Once we make a run and if we lose the ball, they have numbers forward, so it's always harder for us wide guys. But I don't think their wide guys were really a threat to us at all tonight."

Four minutes after the break, Mansally earned a dangerous free kick when he was taken down near the end line, just outside the penalty box by Kosuke Kimura. Mauricio Castro took the free kick with his right foot and sent in a powerful shot on hand. Coundoul got a hand to it and the shot rattled off the crossbar.

Colorado took the lead in the 68th minute on the LaBrocca header on what would prove to be the deciding goal.

The Revs would threaten once again in the 77th minute when a Smith cross was headed powerfully by Mansally on frame, but Coundoul was able to knock the ball into the air and catch it before it crossed the line.

Substitute Kheli Dube had a chance in the 82nd minute, breaking free of two Colorado defenders after receiving a through ball from Jeff Larentowicz. The rookie hit his shot on frame, but saw it saved by Coudoul.

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