Download the Game Guide >COTTON BOWL
DALLAS, Texas
7:30 pm CT (FSN-NE)
A pair of clubs still searching for their identity come together in Dallas. The Dallas Burn got off to a hot start – then went on a four-match losing streak before going to the Meadowlands last weekend and coming away with a 2-0 victory against the MetroStars that pulled Dallas out of last place in the West. The New England Revolution have battled injuries all season long and came away with a big win on the road last midweek – before losing to the Columbus Crew on the weekend when they saw a penalty saved in stoppage time, leaving the Revs in last place in the East.
REFEREE: Alex Prus. SAR (bench): Chip Reed; JAR (opposite): Paul Scott; 4th: Adam Garner
MLS Career: 73 games; FC/gm: 30.9; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 12; pens: 26
Games involving Burn: P12 W5 L5 T2; FC/gm: 31.4; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 2; pens: 3
Games involving Revolution: P18 W6 L11 T1; FC/gm: 32.1; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 4; pens: 5
INJURY REPORT: DALLAS BURN – OUT: FW Bobby Rhine (R knee MCL sprain) ... NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION – OUT: DF Carlos Llamosa (L knee sprain); FW Joe-Max Moore (R knee sprain); DF Rusty Pierce (R quadriceps contusion); QUESTIONABLE: FW Taylor Twellman (R hamstring strain); PROBABLE: DF Brian Kamler (L hamstring strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: DAL: Cory Gibbs (USA, June 13 v Grenada) ... NE: Shalrie Joseph (Grenada; June 13 v USA)
SUSPENDED: none
YELLOW PERIL: NE: Jay Heaps (9 CP in 2 gms); Avery John (10 CP in 2 gms)
HEAD-TO-HEADALL-TIME (20 meetings): Burn 7 wins (1 shootout), 27 goals ... Revolution 12 wins (1 shootout), 38 goals ... 1 draw
AT DALLAS: Burn 2 wins, 10 goals ... Revolution 7 wins, 18 goals ... 1 draw
The clubs meet for the first time in three meetings this year, the first of two at the Cotton Bowl. They next meet at Fair Park on Aug. 11, before meeting for the final time on Oct. 2 in Foxborough.
New England won two of three meetings between the teams a year ago. The Revolution won 2-1 at Dragon Stadium on April 26 thanks to a late Taylor Twellman strike (Kreis 72 – J-M Moore 12; Twellman 84), but the Burn rebounded to win 2-1 on July 16 at Gillette Stadium (J-M Moore 44 – Cerritos 4, Thomas 13).
The Revolution then won the final meeting in resounding fashion, 4-1 in Southlake on Oct. 4 (Pareja 20 – Twellman 44, 60; Joseph 53; Noonan 75).
The Revolution have won five of the last six matches between the two clubs. The Burn’s victory last year was their first since Aug. 2, 2000.
The Burn had won four consecutive matches in 1999 and 2000, before the Revs began their winning run in the final meeting in the 2001 series. The Revs won six consecutive matches (one by shootout) from 1996-97.
The Burn have won just twice in 10 home meetings with the Revolution. The Revolution have won the last three meetings between the two teams in Texas.
Jason Kreis is the Burn’s all-time leader against the Revolution with 6 goals, 7 assists. Carey Talley has 3 goals, 1 assist for his career v New England while Steve Jolley has 2 goals, 5 assists – none while with the Burn. Oscar Pareja is the only other current Dallas player with multiple goals v the Revolution.
Taylor Twellman has 7 goals, 0 assists v Dallas to lead the Revolution, while Joe-Max Moore leads the club in all-time points v the Burn with 6 goals, 4 assists. Steve Ralston has 2 goals, 9 assists for his career against Dallas – only 2 assists while in New England.
Coaches record: Colin Clarke v MET: P1 W0 L1 T0 ... Steve Nicol vs. DAL: P4 W3 L1 D0
DALLAS BURN
The Dallas Burn ended their four-match losing streak in style, putting an end to the MetroStars unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory at the Meadowlands on Saturday night. The Burn leapfrogged the Colorado Rapids into fourth place in the Western Conference with 11 points from nine matches, still seven points adrift of the leading Los Angeles Galaxy but just a point behind the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Burn again struck with a lethally quick counterattack to score two second-half goals as Ronnie O'Brien played provider on both goals.
On the first (51), he played a neat 1-2 with Eddie Johnson before getting to the byeline to cut back a low ball to the corner of the six that Johnson swept home. Then, just as the clock ticked over 90 minutes, O'Brien quick pass set Toni Nhleko free to race in alone on Metro 'keeper Jonny Walker, and just minutes after failing on a similar attempt he made no mistake in rounding him to slot home with ease.
"We frustrated them, closed the space down," Burn coach Colin Clarke said. "We forced them to play long balls, which is not their game, and threw them out of their rhythm a little bit. The lads were magnificent tonight."
Clarke made no changes to the team that lost 4-1 away to the Los Angeles Galaxy the weekend before. Simo Valakari was able to maintain his ever-present run after passing a late fitness test for a calf injury.
Here’s Clarke’s team (4-4-2): Scott Garlick – Philip Salyer, Cory Gibbs, Steve Jolley, Chris Gbandi – Ronnie O'Brien, Carey Talley (Oscar Pareja 82), Simo Valakari, Brad Davis (Matt Behncke 76) – Eddie Johnson, Jason Kreis (Toni Nhleko 70).
"He's a young kid, he got his goal tonight, and he worked hard and played like a center forward," Clarke said of Johnson. "He did everything we asked of him, and he got his just reward tonight, which was a goal."
Cory Gibbs was the only Burn player named to the U.S. squad for the World Cup qualifier v Grenada.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
Another bid for late heroics fell short for the New England Revolution at the weekend, Jose Cancela's second penalty kick of the game saved in stoppage time as the Columbus Crew won for the fourth consecutive match, 2-1 at Gillette Stadium. With the defeat, the Revs remained in last place in the Eastern Conference with nine points from 10 matches, now behind D.C. United by three points.
Frankie Hejduk's diving header to pot the rebound of a Matt Reis put the Crew ahead in the second half (53), but Cancela pulled the Revolution level (62) with a cheeky chip from the spot after Hejduk had pulled down Steve Ralston on the edge of the area.
But Jeff Cunningham converted his own penalty six minutes later after he was hacked down by New England defender Avery John, then three minutes into added time, referee Ricardo Salazar pointed to the spot for a third time when Chad Marshall clattered into Shalrie Joseph.
Cancela again tried his chip, but this time Crew 'keeper Jon Busch held his ground and pushed the attempt over the bar to extend the Columbus winning streak to four games and their unbeaten streak to six since losing their first three games of the season.
“We didn't have a spark after playing three games in seven days. I was surprised there were so many things happening in the second half. I have no problem with the effort the players put in. We have to stand up and take what's thrown at us and get on with it," Revolution boss Steve Nicol said.
Nicol made no changes to the team that came from behind to defeat the Kansas City Wizards 3-2 at Arrowhead Stadium at midweek.
Here’s Nicol’s team (3-4-1-2): Matt Reis – Jay Heaps, Avery John, Marshall Leonard – Felix Brillant (Richie Baker 78), Shalrie Joseph, Joe Franchino, Steve Ralston – Jose Cancela – Clint Dempsey, Pat Noonan
"We have players who can do better but we didn't have that extra yard in us that makes the difference in winning and losing the game," Nicol said. "When you are missing five so-called starters and you have a lot of inexperience on the field, things are going to be tough.”
As expected, the missed penalty was the major talking point following the match. "To have a penalty in the last seconds and not take advantage of it is criminal," Nicol said. "Missing penalties cost us points in two home games and gave points to other teams. It was a bad decision [by Cancela] and he paid for it."
Cancela had taken over the penalty duties from the injured Taylor Twellman, who missed a penalty in a 1-0 loss to D.C. United on May 29. “I didn't think [Busch] would think I was going to shoot the same way," Cancela said. "I was hoping that he would do the same thing as on the first penalty. We had a last chance to tie the score and I made a mistake. I am sorry and I apologized to my teammates. I accept the responsibility."
Nicol could again have central defender Brian Kamler for this weekend’s match, who had missed the last two games with a hamstring strain.
Twellman has also missed the last two games with a hamstring strain and worked out before the Crew match, but is farther away. “I haven't sprinted yet, so I don't know how bad it is,'' he said. “The saving grace is that there is still two-thirds of the season left, so I should have a lot of games to play in.''
The Revolution are the only MLS club not to have a player selected for Bruce Arena’s U.S. squad for the World Cup qualifier against Grenada next Sunday in Columbus. But, of course, midfielder Shalrie Joseph will line up for the USA’s opponents.
