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Amaechi Igwe and the Revs face a familier foe on Tuesday. (Photo credit: Joyce Furia) |
Defeating Mexico's Santos Laguna, Pachuca, and Atlante, the Revs outclassed some unknown opponents on their way to the final. Things change on Tuesday when the Revs face an all too familiar foe in the Houston Dynamo. Not only have the teams met regularly in league play, but the Dynamo have defeated the Revs in each of the past two MLS Cup finals.
The Revs have emerged victorious twice against Houston this season, 3-0 at home and 2-0 on the road. Since then, however, Houston has gained form and is a lot healthier than the last time the two met. Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario are back to full health and Nate Jaqua has returned after a short stint in Europe.
Meanwhile, while Houston sees the return of their top attackers, the Revs will be without two of their top defenders. Michael Parkhurst, who also missed the semifinal, is away with the Olympic team, while Jay Heaps is suspended for a red card he received in the aftermath of Wednesday's 1-0 semifinal win over Atlante. Jeff Larentowicz moved into the backline and filled it almost flawlessly for Parkhurst, but his task will be harder without the experience Heaps by his side.
Revs’ coach Steve Nicol has a few options, including reverting back to the 3-5-2 formation that he has preferred over the years in MLS play, instead of continuing the 4-4-2 he has used throughout the SuperLiga. The most likely, as Nicol implied on Monday, would be to slide Amaechi Igwe into the center of the defense and start Chris Tierney, who had a couple of starts in the group stages, at left back.
On the positive side, all-time leading scorer Taylor Twellman is ready to return to action, as is Adam Cristman, the team's top scoring forward this season. Midfielders Pat Phelan and Gary Flood are both close to returning as well and either could slot into the midfield of a 3-5-2 or the backline in a 4-4-2 if called upon.
The Revs also have a key edge with home field advantage. The Revs are 3-0-0 at home in the SuperLiga and 7-2-2 through all competitions at Gillette Stadium this season. Houston is only 2-3-5 on the road in MLS play, though they won their only SuperLiga away match 3-1 at D.C. United.
"They beat us twice in MLS Cup,"Shalrie Joseph told MLSNet.com. "You could say they are up 2-0 in terms of titles. We know what we're going to have to do to beat a good team. It's going to be a tough game. We're up to the challenge. We're at home, hopefully in front of a good crowd. That will energize us. We'll be ready from the starting whistle."
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