Revs Ready to Roll

Rematch With Houston One for the Ages

November 17, 2007

By Sean Donahue

The New England Revolution are headed to their third consecutive MLS Cup Final with a chance for revenge against a Houston Dynamo side that snatched away what looked to be a long-awaited victory for the Revs in last year's final.

Taylor Twellman scored with seven minutes remaining in extra time to give the Revs a 1-0 lead, but Brian Ching equalized seconds later and the Dynamo went on to win their first championship on penalty kicks. This year the Revs will be hoping for a different score line and will have good reason to be confident going into the rematch on Sunday.

Heading into the final, the Revs seem to have solved the defensive problems that plagued the team ending the regular season. Goalkeeper Matt Reis kept a shutout in both matches against the Red Bulls and then put up a clean sheet against the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference Final. Equally deserving of the credit are the three men in front of him: MLS Defender of the Year Michael Parkhurst, and veteran defenders Jay Heaps and Avery John, who have both made some huge plays this postseason.

"I think we just lost a bit of focus at the end of the regular season," said Revolution head coach Steve Nicol. "We lost a chance to win the [Supporter's] Shield, and then you have games which our position was never going to chance as far as the play offs were concerned, so there is a fine line between having something to play for and just playing. I think on the one hand there was disappointment that we actually did do that, but maybe on the other hand it's kind of worked in our favor. It's given us a kick in the backside and it's actually maybe helped us focus more as far as when we lose the ball.

“The guys in the back have done a great job, we've got plenty of experience and really they have been clearing the lines. So I think maybe in a strange way, giving up some goals late in the regular season helped us."

"I think us giving up zero goals is a credit to Matt and the back three in general," said defensive midfielder Shalrie Joseph. "These guys have been solid for us all year, especially Michael Parkhurst, Jay Heaps, Avery John, and James Riley a little bit too. We know when the playoffs come, it is probably only going to take one goal and we wanted to stay strong defensively and not give up any goals. That's what we have been doing."

Meanwhile Taylor Twellman has been finding some timely goals for the Revolution. Against New York, his shot in the second half of Game Two just trickled over the line after goalie Jon Conway got a hand on it to give the Revs the series win. In the Chicago game, an incredible bicycle kick goal by the Revs all-time leading scorer sent his team back to the MLS Cup. Even with fewer chances in the postseason, the US International is still finding the back of the net.

But possibly the most important factor for this match is the health of the Revolution. Last year the team went into the Cup without Khano Smith and with key midfielders Shalrie Joseph and Clint Dempsey at well under 100 percent because of injuries. This year the Revs have everyone healthy and with over nine full days rest between the Eastern Conference Final and now, the team should be in excellent shape for the game.

"I think the biggest difference that we have, is we are healthy," Nicol said. "You know previous finals we have gone in with players carrying injuries. A couple of years ago Shalrie was limping when he was walking, never mind running. Last year we had Clint Dempsey who we could only bring off the bench, and they are key players for any team.The biggest thing for us is that we are in good shape and that we are healthy."

On the flip side, the Houston Dynamo will be without midfielder Ricardo Clark, as they have been throughout the entire playoffs, due to suspension. Possibly a bigger blow to the team is the left calf strain star striker Brian Ching picked up in the Western Conference Final against Kansas City. The target forward, barring a surprise recovery, will not be ready to start the final and will likely miss the match entirely.

Offensively, Houston has looked unstoppable, with six goals over the last two matches. Four of them however, came when the team had a man-advantage against FC Dallas. The Dynamo, despite having the best regular season defensive record, also showed a few defensively holes in the series against Dallas, giving up two goals before an ejection gave them the edge. In the Western Conference Final, however, the defending MLS Cup Champions completely shut down the Kansas City Wizards.

While their styles of play may be different, both teams have had similar paths to continued success. Though Dempsey may be gone from the Revs, each team has kept nearly the same lineup that brought them to the Cup last year, while making a few key additions.

"I think if you look around the different teams of the world, the teams that have had consistent lineups and consistent coaches, and everything about the places have been consistent then you will see a lot of success," Nicol said. "I think when you chop and change all the time you are losing that atmosphere where everybody knows exactly what is going on. When you chop and change you end up with players, coaches, upper management, and everybody's going in a different direction."

"We have both been able to add some players, one or two players every year over the last two or three years, particularly in our case young guys who have just come into the system that is of a high standard, that's enjoyable, and that have great pros to learn from. So you are really looking at both teams that have really done that."

For the Revs those young players have been rookies Wells Thompson and Adam Cristman. Thompson has had a great example to learn from in Captain Steve Ralston and earned a starting spot going into the playoffs. Cristman, meanwhile, has been an understudy of Twellman and Pat Noonan, and has become one of Nicol's first options off the bench.

The two teams have met twice this season, with the Revs winning the first battle 1-1 in Houston, and the two teams finishing in a wild 3-3 draw in Foxboro.

Match coverage begins at noon on Sunday on ABC and in Spanish on Telefutura, as the Revs look to win their first MLS Cup in their fourth final appearance.