Revolution Recap Blog

Season Wrap-up Podcast

2009-11-13T16:57:00.002-05:00

Hank Alexandre and Sean Donahue are joined by New England Soccer News' Brian O'Connell to discuss the Revs early play-off exit and the end of the 2009 season.

The show is available now on our iTunes' feed as well as the Midnight Ride's feed.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Revolution Recap and Midnight Ride Week 3

2009-10-24T19:49:00.002-04:00

Hank Alexandre and Sean Donahue's take on the New England Revolution's performance against Chicago, break down play-off scenarios, and discuss the upcoming game with Columbus. Also features post-game commentary.

The show is available now on our iTunes' feed as well as the Midnight Ride's feed.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Revolution Recap and Midnight Ride Week 2

2009-10-17T15:18:00.001-04:00

I got together with Hank Alexandre again to discuss the Revolution's performance against Columbus and upcoming match with Chicago.

The show is available now on our iTunes' feed as well as the Midnight Ride's feed.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Revolution Recap and Midnight Ride Collaboration

2009-10-07T22:53:00.001-04:00

I got together with Hank Alexandre of the Midnight Ride podcast to produce a show. A few technical difficulties in the first one, but something to build on for future collaborations.

The show is available now on our iTunes' feed as well as the Midnight Ride's feed.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Revs Salvage Draw with New York

2009-03-29T03:21:00.000-04:00

Kenny Mansally scored a 90th minute equalizer to help the Revolution leave Giants Stadium with a point after a back-and-forth match against New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

A Jay Heaps own goal created by former Rev Khano Smith in the 35th minute left the team in an early hole, but despite missing six starters the Revs fought hard for an equalizer the rest of the way until Mansally finally found the back of the net to earn the 1-1 draw.

Click here to read the rest at Soccer New England

Revs Top Quakes in Season Opener

2009-03-22T03:17:00.000-04:00

Despite missing five potential starters, the New England Revolution went into San Jose and managed to come away with three points to kick off the 2009 season with a 1-0 win over the Earthquakes.

Injuries to Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman, Gabriel Badilla, and Mauricio Castro - as well as Chris Albright’s suspension - forced the Revs to start the season with a makeshift lineup that included rookies Darrius Barnes and Kevin Alston in defense. San Jose created several dangerous chances throughout the match but were unable to finish, and second year forward Kheli Dube’s 55th minute goal proved the game-winner for the Revs.

Click here to read the rest at Soccer New England

Roller-Coaster Season Leaves Questions

2008-11-25T18:31:00.001-05:00

Following another heartbreaking loss in MLS Cup 2007, the Revs entered the 2008 season having lost a few key contributors and replacing them with promising, but unproven foreign talent. The team started the season off very well and controlled first place through most of the season. After adding bringing the SuperLiga Championship, the Revs finished off the season in dreadful form and crashed out of the playoffs in the first round.

In the wake of Columbus’ 3-1 victory in the MLS Cup Sunday, it’s worth revisiting a Revs’ season that initially showed promise, but ultimately lacked the strong finish that vaulted past New England clubs to the championship game.

Things started off brightly for the Revs, with a dominating 3-0 victory over the 2007 MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo. The game saw the emergence of Gambian teenager Sainey Nyassi, who capped an impressive performance in his first start with a remarkable run and finish in the 93rd minute to put the result beyond doubt. Missing starters Taylor Twellman and Khano Smith, the match seemed to show the Revs had found new depth, despite losing midfielder Andy Dorman and defenders Avery John and James Riley in the offseason.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Season Over for Revolution

2008-11-07T07:29:00.001-05:00

The New England Revolution fell, 3-0, to the Chicago Fire on Thursday night, ending the team's faint postseason hopes and closing the door on a marathon 2008 season that ended more in a stagger than a sprint.

Missing Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman, Adam Cristman and Khano Smith going into the match, the Revs suffered a huge blow in the first half when Jeff Larentowicz was forced to leave the field with a possible broken ankle.

Chicago took the lead just before half time and continued to build on it in the second half while the Revs tried to claw their way back. The loss marks the first time the Revs were eliminated before the Eastern Conference Final since Steve Nicol was in charge.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Revs Limp into Chicago for Second Game

2008-11-06T16:47:00.000-05:00

Who: Real Salt Lake at New England Revolution
What: MLS Eastern Conference Semifinal - Leg 2
Where: Toyota Park, Bridgeview, Ill.
When:Thursday, 8:45 p.m. (ESPN2)

The New England Revolution put in a good performance in Game One last Thursday at Gillette Stadium, but couldn't do enough to get a win. Now the Revs travel to Chicago for the final leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series with the Fire tied at 0-0 on aggregate goals.

Again without several key players due to injury, the Revs' offense will have to find a way through Chicago's backline if they are to advance to the Eastern Conference Final.

The Revs top three leading scorers, Taylor Twellman (8 goals, 2 assists), Steve Ralston (8 goals, 7 assists), and Adam Cristman (6 goals, 1 assist), are all out injured. Combined with the suspended Khano Smith (2 goals, 3 assists), the Revs will be without four players who combined to score 24 of the team’s 40 goals this season.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Chicago and Revs fit for Draw

2008-10-31T07:40:00.000-04:00

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Revolution put on their best performance in over a month, but couldn't find the back of the net and had to settle for a 0-0 draw against the Chicago Fire to kick off the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Thursday.

The Revs got off to a quick start and often had the Fire pinned back, but the home side extended their winless streak to seven games in front of just over 5,000 fans at Gillette Stadium.

"I think we deserved to win," said Revolution coach Steve Nicol. "It was a real rough tough game. Plenty of commitment [and there] probably should have been a couple of penalties for us on Sainey [Nyassi] and [Bakary] Soumare is trying to head the ball clear and headed it straight onto his arm. We finished the season over thinking when we were playing, basically. We decided to get rid of that and just go and play. Be committed, when you get the chance to pass the ball, pass the ball, and when you have to be strong, be strong."

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Depleted Revs Stagger into Playoffs

2008-10-30T16:36:00.000-04:00

Who: Chicago Fire at New England Revolution
What: MLS Eastern Conference Semifinal Leg 1
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.
When: Thursday, 8:00 p.m. (ESPN2)

The once first place Revolution head into Thursday night's Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Chicago Fire as the third seed and underdog. Heading into the match, the Fire, who were a perfect 3-0 against the Revolution in the regular season, were already the favorites and injuries to key players and needless suspensions have made the Revs heavy underdogs.

"We expect the battle that it always is," said defender Michael Parkhurst. "We've got quite the rivalry with Chicago. Obviously they have had some success against us this year, but we don't really concentrate on those games now. They are in the past. We really need to focus on who we are and guys stepping up and taking some leadership and younger guys stepping up now. They had a chance early on in the season with a bunch of injuries to step up and get some playing time and they got the job done then. Hopefully we can use that experience here in the playoffs now that we need it."

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Men Down in Loss to Wizards

2008-10-26T16:33:00.000-04:00

The Revolution lost, 3-1, to the Kansas City Wizards Saturday, but more importantly lost both Gabriel Badilla and Khano Smith for Thursday’s playoff opener after both received red card ejections.

The Revs fell down a man and a goal 26 minutes in when Badilla fouled Claudio Lopez in the box and then destroyed any realistic hope of a comeback 16 minutes later when Smith committed a reckless foul on Herculez Gomez to earn himself a red card. Kansas City put its advantage to good use, tallying two more goals before Jeff Larentowicz scored a last minute consolation goal. The loss leaves the Revs winless in their last six matches and with only one win in their last 10.

The Revolution started off with a 4-4-2 formation for the second week in a row, keeping the starting line-up unchanged. The team remains winless since April when using a four-man backline.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Revs Trying to Build Some Momentum

2008-10-25T16:30:00.000-04:00

Who: Kansas City Wizard at New England Revolution
What: MLS Regular Season
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (TV38, Cox 3 [R.I.])

A 5-2 win by the Chicago Fire against the New York Red Bulls on Thursday assured the New England Revolution's final regular season game on Saturday would have no bearing on the team's playoff seeding.

The Revs, who were sitting atop the MLS standings on Aug. 23, before a nine-game string of poor play left the team in third place, will enter the postseason with the third seed. While a win on Saturday would put the Revs tied for second with Chicago, the Fire hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Revs opponents, the Kansas City Wizards, meanwhile, have already secured a wildcard playoff spot, though they could drop down a seed with a loss combined with other unfavorable results throughout the league.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Revolution Recap (10/19) show info

2008-10-19T15:32:00.000-04:00

Live tonight on WNRI AM 1380 and www.RevolutionRecap.com from 7:05 till 8PM ET tune in to Revolution Recap for discussion of the Revs loss at D.C. United on Thursday as well as the recent Boston Globe article about a potential stadium in Somerville.

Tonight's Guests (Oct. 19th)
Joyce Furia (in studio) - Soccer New England Photographer/Writer
Kyle McCarthy - Goal.com and MLSNet.com Writer
Eric Moskowitz - Boston Globe Writer

Please e-mail questions, comments, etc. to
revolutionrecap@gmail.com or post them in the comments section here.

Revs Can't Handle United

2008-10-17T16:28:00.000-04:00

Taylor Twellman scored his 99th career MLS goal to give the Revolution a second half lead, but D.C. United, fighting for its playoff life, battled back and won, 2-1, behind two goals by Francis Doe.

The loss leaves the Revs winless in their last five games and their record at 12-10-7. With one game remaining, the Revs will need lots of help from other results if they are to take the second seed going into the playoffs.

With Steve Ralston out to injury, the Revs started the match in a 4-4-2 formation. Gabriel Badilla got the start at center back and Mauricio Castro again got the start at right midfield.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Revs Lose Game, Ralston

2008-10-12T16:25:00.001-04:00

The New England Revolution lost Steve Ralston and Mauricio Castro to injury en route to falling 1-0 to the Kansas City Wizards.

Ralston broke his leg on a rough Herculez Gomez tackle in the 12th minute and Castro left limping late in the second half. Ralston’s loss is the more significant. He suffered a broken right fibula and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, putting the remainder of his season in jeopardy.

A 61st minute Jimmy Conrad goal was all the Wizards needed to keep their playoff hopes alive and hand the Revolution their ninth loss of the season. The loss drops the Revs into a tie in second place with Chicago with 43 points each.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Revs Look to Build Momentum

2008-10-11T16:18:00.001-04:00

Who: New England Revolution at Kansas City Wizards
What: MLS Regular Season
Where: Community America Ballpark, Kansas City, Kansas
When: Saturday, 8:00 p.m. (TV38, Cox 3 [R.I.])

Despite only managing a draw last weekend at Gillette Stadium against Salt Lake, the New England Revolution secured their seventh straight playoff appearance thanks to other favorable results from around the league.

With just three games left, however, the Revs do not want to head into the postseason in bad form. Those three matches, starting with a trip to Kansas City on Saturday, are all against teams still fighting for a playoff spot, which almost certainly guarantees the Revs won't have it easy in any of them.

"We don't want to crawl into the playoffs," said Revolution captain Steve Ralston. "We want to go in on a high note and play well and get some good results."

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Revolution Battle for Draw

2008-10-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

The New England Revolution got off to another slow start at home, going down 2-0 in the 73rd minute and giving the 18,893 fans at Gillette Stadium the feeling that the club was again squandering a chance to solidify its grip on second place.

But then the Revs scored twice in quick succession to salvage a point in a 2-2 draw with Real Salt Lake Saturday night.

After falling behind in just the 14th minute, the Revs rarely threatened to score and Salt Lake seemed to be working hard to defend their one goal lead. When RSL took a two goal lead late in the match, the home team's offense seemed to come alive and goals by Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman gave the Revs a draw as the team moved to 12-8-7 on the season.

"At two-nil, it was absolutely a point gained," said Revolution coach Steve Nicol. "The goals we gave away were horrendous. We can't give goals away like that. We tried to pass it and we tried to do the right things, but we were just off. We tried to do the right things, but the pass was just a half-yard short, or a yard too far in front or behind. We just weren't quite at it. But you see the character of the team, though. Two-nil down at home, 20 minutes to go, and they don't give up. We end up with a point and nearly steal it. So we can't be too disappointed from being two-nil down."

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Revs Playing for Second

2008-10-04T09:09:00.001-04:00

Who: Real Salt Lake at New England Revolution
What: MLS Regular Season
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (TV38, Cox 3 [R.I.])

The Revs blew a big chance last weekend to gain ground on the first place Columbus Crew and will now likely have to work hard just to hang onto second with four games remaining before the playoffs.

While on paper the Revs should be the favorites in their last four games, none of them will be easy. For the Revs, clinching a playoff spot at this point is all but a formality, while their opponents in their next four games are all fighting for their postseason lives.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Revs Drop Decision to Crew

2008-09-28T23:59:00.000-04:00

The New England Revolution's hopes of claiming the supporter's shield took a huge blow on Saturday when the Revs fell, 1-0, to the Columbus Crew at Gillette Stadium to drop eight points out of first with only four games remaining.

Chad Marshall headed in a corner kick in the 35th minute to give the Crew a lead, and despite having a man advantage for the last 25 minutes when Frankie Hejduk was ejected, the Revs were unable to come back.

The Revs started the match in a 4-4-2 formation instead of the usual 3-5-2 they use at home and at times the backline looked out of sync. The offense, meanwhile, struggled to create chances.

"In the first half, if not for most of the game, we were just dumb," said Revolution coach Steve Nicol. "If you look at how they played and how we played particularly first half, we tried to make passes in the middle of our own half and they just squeezed us. And that's ok. We know there are times when you have to play the game ugly. But today, there wasn't a need for playing pretty passes and getting through people, because we did that and we tried that and it didn't work but we weren't smart enough to change it."

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Rested Revs Ready for Crew

2008-09-27T16:50:00.001-04:00

Who: Columbus Crew at New England Revolution
What: MLS Regular Season
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (TV38, Cox 3 [R.I.])

The New England Revolution, now well-rested and on a more MLS-like one game a week schedule, return home to Foxboro on Saturday to face off against the league-leading Columbus Crew.

With only five games remaining in the regular season, the Revs sit in second place, five points behind the Crew. A loss would all but mathematically eliminate the Revs from contention for the Supporter's Shield and the top spot in the east. A win and the Revs are right back in the hunt for the best regular season record in MLS for the first time in club history.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Point Just Fine with Revs

2008-09-21T22:38:00.001-04:00

The Revolution earned their first point in Colorado since 2004 with a 1-1 draw against the Rapids on Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.

Nineteen-year-old Gambian International Kenny Mansally came on at halftime with the Revs trailing 1-0 and less than five minutes later potted his first goal since May 11 to equalize for the Revs. Goalkeeper Matt Reis made several huge saves to help New England improve to 12-7-6 on the season with five games left in the regular season.

Reis came up huge in the 17th minute when Nick Labrocca unleashed a powerful shot towards the far corner from about 30 yards out. Reis managed to make an acrobatic save, tipping the shot over the net.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Ralston Keys Big Revs' Win

2008-09-12T14:45:00.000-04:00

Steve Ralston's return to the starting lineup after being sidelined with back spasms proved just the spark the Revolution needed to end their run of bad form.

Ralston assisted on two goals and scored one of his own and the Revolution scored four goals for the first time this season in a 4-0 home walloping of Chivas USA during primetime Thursday.

After failing to convert on numerous chances in the first half Taylor Twellman scored to open the second half before Jeff Larentowicz, Khano Smith, and Ralston all added late goals to put the game out of reach.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Banged Up Revs Try to End Slide

2008-09-11T15:35:00.000-04:00

Just over two months ago the Revs were sitting comfortably atop the MLS standings with a seven-point lead. Now, however, with only one win in their last nine matches, the Revs have fallen into third place in the Eastern Conference and sit five points out of first.

In need of a win to turn things around and start building some momentum with seven games left until the playoffs, the Revs may not be up against the ideal opponent when they face a revitalized Chivas USA at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.

Revolution Have No Answers

2008-09-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Even with a few key returning players from injury, the Revs still didn't fare any better Saturday in Columbus.

Taylor Twellman was back up top and Michael Parkhurst and Chris Albright returned to the midfield, but it wasn't enough to stop the Crew from winning, 4-0 – matching the Revs 4-0 Champions League loss on Tuesday -- and moving five points ahead of New England in the standings.

Read the rest at Soccer New England.