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Revs Make Heaps Goal Stand
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The New England Revolution, who played one man down for the second consecutive playoff game, made a third minute goal hold up as they defeated the Columbus Crew in Game Two of their MLS Cup Playoff Semifinal Series on Wednesday night at Crew Stadium. The three points earned give the Revolution a 4 points to 1 advantage in the "first-to-five-point" playoff series.
The decisive Game Three will be played this Saturday afternoon, October 12 at Gillette Stadium (4:00 p.m. ET). The Revolution will be looking to earn a win or tie and become only the second team to play for the MLS Cup title on its home turf. D.C. United defeated the Colorado Rapids 2-1 at RFK Stadium at MLS Cup 1997. The Crew will need a win in Game Three to force a Series Tiebreaker.
The win was only the Revolution's third all-time victory in Columbus in 14 attempts since 1996 and the shutout was the team's seventh in its last nine games dating back to the regular season. Solid defending, a staple of the Revolution down the stretch run of the regular season and into the postseason, proved critical in this match.
The Revolution started strong and a Steve Ralston header toward goal in the second minute earned the visitors a corner kick. Left midfielder Brian Kamler delivered the set piece and his outswinging service was headed down toward goal by forward Wolde Harris. The ball bounced straight in the path of onrunning defender Jay Heaps, who deflected the ball with his chest from five yards out past defender Freddy Garcia and goalkeeper Jon Busch inside the left post. For Heaps, who joined the League in 1999, it was his first career postseason goal.
The early goal took the crowd out of the game and gave the Revolution a lead with which they could manage the game. Except for a few moments of brilliance from the speedy Jeff Cunningham, the Revolution succeeded in preventing the Crew from building any rhythm, defending in numbers and closing all the attacking spaces in the first half. The lone attempt at goal by the Revolution in the first period was a 36th minute long distance try by midfielder Braeden Cloutier which weakly made its way into the hands of Busch.
The game took a decisive turn in the 39th minute when Heaps received a red card for a head butt on Crew midfielder Freddy Garcia. Playing with an extra man, Columbus began turning up the heat at the close of the first half and nearly equalized on a left-footed shot by Garcia which looped just wide of the right post.
Columbus started the second half with forward Dante Washington and creative midfielder Kyle Martino in the lineup. Martino, a Rookie of the Year finalist, energized the Crew's attack with his pace and dribbling runs but Revolution goalkeeper Adin Brown was a commanding presence in his penalty area as Columbus swarmed and sent several balls into the box. Brown was helped by his fellow defenders who threw their bodies in front of every shooter, successfully blocking or deflecting attempts at goal.
The Crew continued to add the attacking firepower when offensive midfielder John Wilmar Perez came into the match in the 62nd minute. One minute later it was Brian McBride who saw his surefire diagonal shot at goal from 10 yards out finish wide of the left post as Brown attempted in vain to get a hand on the ball.
Ten-man New England was severely tested when it was hit with injuries which forced Head Coach Steve Nicol to make substitutions and shift players into other positions. When central defender Rusty Pierce was forced out of the game in the 66th minute with left leg cramps, left midfielder Brian Kamler moved into central defense while right attacking midfielder Steve Ralston moved into defense to play right back. Forward Wolde Harris, who was teaming up top with Taylor Twellman, retreated to play more of a right midfield role.
Nicol made his third and final substitution in the 74th minute as an injured Twellman was unable to continue after suffering a light right knee sprain. Reserve striker Ian Fuller came on for the Budweiser Scoring Champion.
In the meantime the Crew continued to buzz around the Revolution box but experienced trouble in the finishing department as demonstrated by a 69th minute shot from Perez that finished high and a 78th minute attempt at goal by Washington which was easily stopped by Brown.
The Revolution were against the ropes toward the end of the game with several scrambles in the box and hasty, desperate clearances. In the 90th minute Revs captain Joey Franchino cleared a Garcia cross off the line and away from a Crew attacker who was crashing in on goal. In stoppage time Kamler, who was playing out of position, and World Cup defender Carlos Llamosa made key defensive plays to salvage the 1-0 shutout victory.
Llamosa returned to the Revolution lineup after serving a two-game suspension and his return was timely as he replaced suspended Daouda Kante in central defense. Central midfielder Daniel Hernandez, who was on the warning list and would have missed Game Three had he received a caution, also sat out on a last minute decision by Nicol with Cloutier taking his spot. The Crew started defender Daniel Torres and midfielder Brian West in place of Mike Clark and Edson Buddle respectively as both sat out due to injury.
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9, 2002 |
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New England
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Columbus
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Scoring Summary:
NE --Heaps (Harris, Kamler) 3
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION--Adin Brown, Jay Heaps, Carlos Llamosa, Rusty Pierce (Winston
Griffiths 66), Joe Franchino, Steve Ralston, Leo Cullen, Braeden Cloutier,
Brian Kamler, Wolde Harris, Taylor Twellman (Ian Fuller 75)
TOTAL SHOTS: 5 (Heaps 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Cloutier 1, Heaps 1); FOULS: 16
(Harris 3); OFFSIDE: 1; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: Brown 5; CAUTIONS: Heaps 38;
EJECTIONS: Heaps 39;
COLUMBUS CREW--Jon Busch, Brian Dunseth, Chad McCarty (Dante Washington 46),
Eric Denton, Daniel Torres, Brian Maisonneuve (John Wilmar Perez 62), Duncan
Oughton, Freddy Garcia, Brian West (Kyle Martino 46), Brian McBride, Jeff
Cunningham
TOTAL SHOTS: 20 (Garcia 4, McBride 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 6 (Garcia 2); FOULS: 19
(Dunseth 4); OFFSIDE: 1; CORNER KICKS: 11; SAVES: Busch 1; CAUTIONS: Garcia 40,
Dunseth 79, Oughton 91+; EJECTIONS: none;
Referee: Gerry Corrie; Assistant Referees: Craig Lowry, Richard Eddy
Attendance: 10,245; Weather: Fair, 58 degrees
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