New England Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston said he was headed into the locker room to use the exercise bike at halftime of Saturday night's 2-1 win over FC Dallas when he got the word.
Ralston had to forget about warming up on the bike. He was starting the second half.
"Had the game been in our favor at 1-0 or 2-0, they might have waited a little bit longer," Ralston said. "They wanted to make the change and it worked out."
Revolution head coach Steve Nicol sent Ralston on to change the tide of a game that wasn't proceeding as well as New England might have liked.
Kenny Cooper's 38th-minute goal had given FCD the lead. With ample space and time available, FC Dallas created numerous chances in the opening half with Dave van den Bergh and David Ferreira looking particularly active.
In order to cut down FCD's space and time, Nicol threw Ralston into the fray and switched the Revs to a 3-5-2 formation for the first time this season. The changes switched the momentum.
"Having an extra guy up the field really stops them from getting into you," Nicol said. "The biggest difference was when we turned the ball over, we didn't let them get at us. In the first half, every time we turned the ball over, they got at us. Consequently, we lost the ball 35 yards out and it ends up in the back of the net 20 seconds later."
New England also got the ball up the field as quickly as possible. The pressure paid off quickly as Sainey Nyassi drew the Revs level with a mazy run and emphatic finish after 56 minutes.
It looked like the Revs would have to settle for a point until Kheli Dube drew a penalty 10 minutes from the end. FCD defender George John tugged Dube's shirt and set up the chance for a late winner.
"By the letter of the law, it's a penalty," Nicol said. "He did pull him. Obviously, it wasn't a complete and utter mauling."
Ralston stepped up and coolly slotted home the resulting penalty to ensure the Revs would remain top of the Eastern Conference in his first game of the season.
"It felt good," Ralston said. "It's been a long time since I've played a game. I'm thankful to (New England trainer Sean Kupiec) and those guys for helping me come back and get fit."
Fitness still remains a problem for the Revs with half of the starting XI watching the match in street clothes. With a bye next weekend, New England might have a chance to finally get healthy ahead of their trip to D.C. on April 17.
"We have a few nagging injuries," Ralston said. "It seems like we have those every year. Usually, we want those byes at the end of the season. Right now, I think we're OK with having one next week."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
