NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION vs TORONTO FC
GILLETTE STADIUM, Foxborough, Mass.
Oct. 25, 2014 (WEEK 33, MLS Game #318)
7:30 p.m. ET (CSN-NE; TSN2)
A pair of clubs whose regular season fates have already been decided close out the league campaign when the New England Revolution play host to Toronto FC on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium. The Revolution have assured themselves of second place in the Eastern Conference, following their 2-1 come-from-behind win at the Houston Dynamo last weekend. Toronto FC will miss out on the postseason yet again, following their 1-1 draw with the Montréal Impact at BMO Field last Saturday.
REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar. AR1 (bench): Brian Dunn; AR2 (opposite): Matthew Nelson; 4th: Jose Carlos Rivero.
MLS Career: 194 games; FC/gm: 26.7; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 56; pens: 68
SUSPENDED: TOR: Jonathan Osorio (through Oct. 26); Dwayne De Rosario (through Oct. 26)
DISABLED LIST: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (18 meetings): Revolution 7 wins, 30 goals … Toronto FC 4 wins, 18 goals … Ties 7
AT NEW ENGLAND (9 meetings): Revolution 5 wins, 16 goals … Toronto FC 2 wins, 5 goals … Ties 2
2014 (MLS):
5/3: TOR 1, NE 2 (Jackson 6 – Mullins 24; Nguyen 82)
8/30: TOR 0, NE 3 (Nguyen 2; Rowe 21; Bunbury 58)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and the Revolution have won both. Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe and Teal Bunbury scored as the Revolution took a 3-0 win Aug. 30 at BMO Field; Nguyen’s penalty kick in the 84th minute snapped a late deadlock and gave the Revs a 2-1 win May 3 in Toronto.
- New England’s 2-0 win at Gillette Stadium last year was their first against Toronto FC since 2010. The wins at BMO Field this season were the first ever there for the Revolution, after two losses and five draws in their first seven all-time visits, though they’ve taken points on five straight trips to Toronto.
- Coaches record: Greg Vanney vs. NE: first game … Jay Heaps vs. TOR: P7 W3 L2 D2
LAST MEETING (MLS)
- The Revolution had the lead after just the second minute. When fullback Mark Bloom misplaced a pass towards Michael Bradley, Lee Nguyen pounced at the chance, pushing forward towards the box and cracking a rocket of a shot past TFC goalkeeper Joe Bendik.
- In the 21st minute, New England punished Toronto’s makeshift back line once more. Bradley Orr’s pass forward was intercepted by Kelyn Rowe, who cut in from the left wing before hitting a curling, dipping shot past Bendik from outside the box.
- The scoreline was complete in the 59th minute. From a counter, Charlie Davies picked up a through ball and pushed through the Toronto back line, before slipping a pass into the box that Teal Bunbury finished with ease.
- TORONTO FC (4-4-2): Joseph Bendik - Nick Hagglund, Doneil Henry, Bradley Orr, Mark Bloom - Dominic Oduro (Jackson 68), Collen Warner, Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio (Daniel Lovitz 62) - Gilberto, Luke Moore (Dwayne De Rosario 80).
- NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-1-4-1): Bobby Shuttleworth - Andrew Farrell, Jose Goncalves, A.J. Soares, Darrius Barnes - Scott Caldwell - Teal Bunbury (Steve Neumann 65), Daigo Kobayashi (Jermaine Jones 65), Lee Nguyen (Diego Fagundez 76), Kelyn Rowe - Charlie Davies.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
The New England Revolution stretched their late-season undefeated run to four matches, coming back for a 2-1 win against the Houston Dynamo on Thursday evening at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Revolution are in second place in the Eastern Conference with 52 points from 33 games.
LAST MATCH
- The Dynamo took the lead in the 37th minute. Luis Garrido played Omar Cummings into space in the right side of the area, and he fired a shot which Revs 'keeper Bobby Shuttleworth parried it right into path of Giles Barnes for a simple finish.
- But the Revolution were level in the 65th minute. Minutes after coming on as a substitute, Jermaine Jones fed a perfect ball through the Houston defense for Kevin Alston, who sent a square ball for Lee Nguyen to drive into the upper corner of the goal and pull the game level.
- The Revs then pulled out the three points just before the death. Following a half-cleared freekick, Charlie Davies put a shot on goal, but Kofi Sarkodie was in the right spot to clear it off the line. The deflection found its way to Lee Nguyen, and he finished easily for the match-winner.
- Revolution head coach Jay Heaps made five changes to the team that came back for a 2-2 draw with the Montréal Impact at Stade Saputo. Andrew Farrell and Darrius Barnes came into the back four for Kevin Alston and Chris Tierney, Scott Caldwell and Steve Neumann came into the midfield for Jermaine Jones and Teal Bunbury, and Patrick Mullins started up top in place of Charlie Davies.
- NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION (4-1-4-1): Bobby Shuttleworth - Andrew Farrell (Kevin Alston 50), A.J. Soares, Jose Goncalves, Darrius Barnes - Scott Caldwell - Steve Neumann, Daigo Kobayashi (Jermaine Jones 63), Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe - Patrick Mullins (Charlie Davies 58).
TEAM NEWS
- The Revolution extended their undefeated streak to four games, and have lost once in their last 11 matches since mid-August. They have eight wins over that span. The Revolution also guaranteed they will finish in second place in the Eastern Conference with the win.
- “Knowing that definitely keeps you out of four-five [match]. I think it’s huge, I think we know we were going for that,” said Revolution head coach Jay Heaps. “As you can tell at the end there, we risked a lot to go for it because we knew that the three points was going to put us in a position not to have a game midweek of the following week.”
- For the first time this season, the Revolution overturned a halftime deficit to claim the full three points. They were 0-10-1 when behind after 45 minutes before the Dynamo match.
- “We relied on some of the younger guys to lift us through. To be fair, I thought we started really well, they gave up a goal I thought was a little bit unfair. I thought we could have been tied at least,” Heaps said. “Second half I thought our subs came in and really impacted the game. Kevin [Alston] first of all coming in first for the injured Farrell and then Charlie [Davies] and Jermaine [Jones] obviously just literally took the game away.”
- Lee Nguyen scored a pair of goals, his third multiple-goal game this season. Nguyen has a league-leading eight game-winning goals, and nine of his 17 goals have come away from Gillette Stadium. He has scored four goals in the last three matches.
- “He’s scored a lot of goals for this team this season, he’s an important player but I think the big point is that it’s nice to see the guys who came from the bench don’t put their heads down,” midfielder Jermaine Jones said. “Everybody comes in and gives 100 percent, that helps the team and we stay in a row and win the game.”
- Said Nguyen: “I can only hope this keeps going. The guys have been doing a great job all season in finding me in great spots in and around the box. I’ve got to reward them.”
- Patrick Mullins made his first start since Sept. 7, coming into the team in place of Charlie Davies as the lone out-and-out forward.
- “I think it’s good to get some depth. I think [Steve] Neumann had a nice night, I thought Scottie [Caldwell] getting back in the lineup was really good and Mullins needed a game and I we talked to Charlie [Davies] all week about impacting a game in the 30 minutes, and Mullins went up there and battled and I thought it was a good one-two punch with Charlie and his pace,” said Heaps.
- Darrius Barnes also made his first start since Sept. 20, coming in at left back, with Chris Tierney suffering from an ankle sprain.
- Kevin Alston came off the substitutes’ bench after Andrew Farrell suffered a leg injury in a tackle early in the second half; Alston recorded his third assist of the season, his second in four games.
TORONTO FC
Toronto FC had their playoff dreams extinguished yet again, their winless streak reaching four games after a 1-1 draw with the Montréal Impact on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. TFC sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, with 41 points from 33 matches.
LAST MATCH
- Toronto FC took the lead after 20 minutes. Jackson picked up the ball and gave a wonderful backheel flick to Luke Moore, who fired toward goal. Matteo Ferrari deflected the effort and the ball fell to Warren Creavalle wide on the left, who volleyed in a low, curling shot past the outstretched hands of Impact goalkeeper Evan Bush.
- The Impact found the equalizer six minutes from halftime. A long pass was controlled well by Andres Romero, who pushed forward before cutting in a short pass to an onrushing Felipe. He then unleashed a rocket of a shot into the top corner to beat TFC goalkeeper Joe Bendik.
- Both teams finished the game shorthanded. Montreal's Heath Pearce made a late tackle on Dominic Oduro in the 82nd minute, which drew a red card from referee Baldomero Toledo. TFC's Jonathan Osorio was then shown a straight red card for a foul on Felipe in stoppage time, yet within a minute Impact defender Hassoun Camara was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.
- TFC head coach Greg Vanney made four changes to the team that fell 3-1 to the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. Mark Bloom and Doneil Henry came into the back four, Collen Warner started in midfield and Gilberto came in up top, in place of Kyle Bekker, Jermain Defoe and the suspended Nick Hagglund and Michael Bradley.
- TORONTO FC (4-3-1-2): Joseph Bendik - Mark Bloom (Dominic Oduro 80), Steven Caldwell, Doneil Henry, Justin Morrow - Jackson, Collen Warner (Kyle Bekker 68), Warren Creavalle (Dwayne De Rosario 57) - Jonathan Osorio (ejected 93+) - Luke Moore, Gilberto.
TEAM NEWS
- Toronto FC ended their three-game losing slide but still saw their playoff hopes dashed for the eighth time in the club’s eight-year history, following the draw with arch-rival Montréal.
- “It’s a season that’s obviously disappointing,” defender Steven Caldwell said. “We were in a decent position and we let ourselves down in a number of games this season, certainly in the last 10, 15 games of the season. We just have to be professional about it, look back at the things we did wrong and try to improve as a team. In a season where we’ve won more games than we have in our history, we’re still disappointed.”
- TFC saw their winless run extended to four games, and have just two victories over their last 11 matches. Greg Vanney is 2-5-2 since taking over as head coach in place of Ryan Nelsen. TFC also saw their home winless run extended to two matches, and have won just twice in their last MLS games at BMO Field.
- “We need to learn how to turn days like today into wins and not draws and we need to learn how to turn some of those past losses into minimum draws, and be stingier about points and taking points and that’s what playoff teams are about and that is what the MLS grind is about a lot of the time,” said Vanney. “Once we learn how to get results as a collective group, I think we will be on a roll and in good shape.”
- Warren Creavalle scored his first goal for Toronto FC. He had three goals with the Houston Dynamo a season ago.
- Collen Warner and Doniel Henry also made their first starts since Sept. 6, with Kyle Bekker away on international duty and Nick Hagglund and Michael Bradley both suspended.
- It was a difficult game. Obviously they came out with a lot of energy. You could kind of feel that. They definitely wanted to end our playoff hopes,” said Jonathan Osorio. “To be fair they played pretty well. We played pretty good too. I thought we had many chances, especially in the first half. Unfortunately we gave up that goal and we couldn’t get the next one in the second half.”
- Jermain Defoe was a late scratch with a groin injury, an ailment that will now keep him out of the regular-season finale vs. New England. “I don’t think he’ll be available for the weekend,” Vanney said. “He’s in progressive treatment and rehab. I have not heard the latest from the report of the scan, but I don’t think he’s prepared to play.”
- Gilberto made his first start since Sept. 27, partnering Luke Moore in attack.
