Revs Ready to Come Home

New England Kicks Off Stretch of 4 Home Games in 6 Days Against Houston

May 1, 2009

Who: New England Revolution vs. Houston Dynamo
What: MLS Regular Season
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.
When: Sunday, 3 p.m.

After playing four of their first five matches on the road, the New England Revolution will finally get a bit of home-cooking as they play four of their next six games at Gillette Stadium.

Matt Reis could see his first game action since March 21. (Photo by CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com)

That stretch begins when the Revolution host the Houston Dynamo on this Sunday before the club returns to the road to face the Chicago Fire on Saturday, May 9. A home game against the Colorado Rapids (May 16) follows before another road trip to face Toronto FC (May 23)

The Revs will then finally play their first back-to-back home games of the season against D.C. United (May 30) and the New York Red Bulls (June 7).

Time to move on
The Revs will be eager to return to the field as soon as possible this week as they aim to recover from Saturday night�s 6-0 loss to Real Salt Lake, which matched the worst loss in club history.

In some sense history might actually be on the Revolution�s side for Sunday afternoon�s meeting with the Houston Dynamo (May 3). The last time New England conceded six goals in one game (a 6-1 loss to the Columbus Crew on Aug. 8, 1998), the Revs responded with a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Mutiny in their next match.

Revs hope to continue a trend
The Revolution has never lost to the Dynamo in the regular season, boasting a record of 3-0-3 in six previous meetings while outscoring Houston, 11-5.

New England is 1-0-2 in three regular-season games against Houston at Gillette Stadium, including a 3-0 win in the 2008 season opener.

Rematch
Sunday�s game will mark the first meeting between the two inter-conference rivals since the SuperLiga 2008 final on Aug. 5, 2008, at Gillette Stadium. After losing to the Dynamo in both the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cup finals in heartbreaking fashion, the Revolution gained a measure of revenge by claiming the title of North American champions with a 6-5 victory in a thrilling penalty shootout after regulation and extra time finished tied at 2-2.

Nate Jaqua and Kei Kamara gave Houston the lead on two separate occasions � once in regulation and once in extra time � but Steve Ralston and Shalrie Joseph scored equalizers for New England on both occasions to send the match to penalty kicks. A winner wasn�t decided until the eighth round of the shootout, when Revs defender Chris Albright buried his penalty kick and Dynamo midfielder Corey Ashe sent his effort off the crossbar.

In MLS Cup 2006, the Dynamo won in a penalty shootout to claim the title in its first year after relocating from San Jose. The clubs met again in the 2007 MLS Cup title match, and Houston was once again victorious, coming from behind to earn a 2-1 victory and back-to-back championships.

Good news on the injury front
While Kevin Alston and Mauricio Castro are currently listed as �Out� with hamstring injuries, the pair was very active in training last week, returning to the field for agility drills, passing and even some shooting. Meanwhile, Taylor Twellman � who has been out all season with neck pain � has also ramped up his participation in training recently, playing as the neutral player in possession games and a small-sided scrimmage last week.

The other two players currently listed as �Out� � Chris Albright (lateral meniscus tear) and Gabriel Badilla (lower back sprain) � are dealing with long-term injuries but are also on their way to recovery.

Keeper Matt Reis, meanwhile, could see his first action since the March 21 season-opening win in San Jose.

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