Roscoe's Midsummer Soccer Report:

The brief holiday period in Europe is already over as clubs throughout the continent and the Isles have resumed training and friendlies in anticipation of the upcoming season. In the States, it has been a hectic and exciting time for the Revoultion as they finished the first half of the year strong and have really played impressively in the on-going U.S. Open Cup and SuperLiga tournaments. Our Man Roscoe, the globetrotting soccer fountainhead, was on the scene and filed the following report:

Euro 2008:

The knockout rounds leading to the last month’s final between Spain and Germany were nothing short of amazing. It was wonderful to see the best players on the continent giving it their very best for their native lands. Italy and the Netherlands had early success only to falter in the knockout rounds. The Italians fired their coach after the tournament, which was particularly cruel considering they lost in the quarterfinals on penalty kicks. Russia and Turkey each played quite well before bowing out in the semis. In the final, Fernando Torres scored for Spain in the 33rd and the lead held despite intense pressure from the Germans to win the title.

Quarterfinals:
Thursday, 6/19 Portugal 2 - 3 Germany
Friday, 6/20 Croatia 1 - 1 Turkey
Saturday, 6/21 Netherlands 1 - 3 Russia
Sunday, 6/22 Spain 0 - 0 Italy
Semifinals:
Wednesday, 6/25 Germany 3 - 2 Turkey
Thursday, 6/26 Russia 0 - 3 Spain
Final:Sunday, 6/29 Germany 0 - 1

Piacenza:

The squad returned to Garilli on July 9th to begin training for the upcoming season. Gone from last year’s squad are Alain Nef (Lecce), Houssine Kharja (Sampdoria) and Marco Padalino. However, they signed striker Davide Moscardelli who will hopefully spice things up this year. In their first friendly they downed Juventus 1-nil.

They followed this up with a unique three-way friendly on the 26th between themselves, Grosetto and Bolzano. In the first match, Piacenza downed Bolzano 2-nil on goals from Rantier (10) and Nainggolan (15). After Grosetto and Bolzano played to a 1-all draw, Grosetto downed Piacenza 1-nil. On August 1, they played to a 1-all draw with Polisportiva Arzachena and on August 2nd, they throttled Venizia 4-nil in another tuneup match on two goals from Guzman as well as goals from Abbate and Rantier. Lega Calcio announced the Serie B TIM Cup calendar in late July, and Piacenza opens the season at home with Citadella on August 30.

Wrexham:

The lads have already begun preseason conditioning workouts and training as they prepare for their first preseason friendly on July 12th. As reported last month, Brian Little is in the process of revamping the squad. Many names familiar to Wrexham fans have departed an entire group of new faces have been brought in:

Defender Nat Brown (Lincoln City)
Center Back Shaun Whalley (Accrington Stanley)
Midfielder Tom Kearney (Halifax Town)
Defender Kyle Critchell (Wales U-21/Weymouth)

They thought they had a deal in place with Accrington midfielder Paul Carden, but he spurned them at the last moment to accept a player/assistant coach position with Cambridge Utd., and Little was none too pleased over Carden’s change of heart. So far, all of these moves have been favorably regarded by the hometown fans and media. However, little if anything has been said regarding the goalkeeper’s spot, which the team has not apparently addressed. Little could conceivably bring in stars from the Premier League but without an adequate goalkeeper the team would once more be relegated down another rung in the ladder. It remains a problem area that needs to be addressed.

During the preseason trialists come and go. David Ogilby and Drew Fahiya were brought in on two-week opportunities. Defender Brent Sancho was released after a week and attacking midielder Adam Smith (Chesterfield) has been brought in as Little continually works to find the right combination.

In their first friendly (7/12), they defeated Wolverhampton on Wes Baynes’ goal in the 49th. The following week, they played Blackpool to a scoreless draw. Nevertheless, Little is pleased with the squad’s development so far. Dragons closed out the home portion of the preseason on the 22nd in a scoreless draw with League One’s Crewe Alexendra.

On the 17th, Wrexham signed defender Darran Kempson to a two-year deal from Shrewsbury. Kempson fell out of favor with STFC and was loaned out to Accrington Stanley last season.

On the 21st, the squad played their first road friendly of the preseason and downed Colwyn Bay 2-nil on goals from Carl Tremarco and Shaun Whalley. Wrexham have now played for matches against clubs higher in the Football League food chain and have done remarkably well. On August 2, the lads routed Stafford Rangers 6-nil to wrap up the pre-season campaign. On the 9th, they open the 2008-09 season at home with Stevenage. One can only hope that the preseason performance augurs well for their first (and hopefully last) season in the Blue Square Premier Conference.

MLS/Revolution:

On June 21st, Revs traveled way out west to the Wasatch Mountains for a date with (the much improved) Real Salt Lake (Match #15) and turned in a first-class stinker. Maybe it was a case of the unusually high temperatures (approximately 100° on the pitch) or maybe it was the fact that half of the starting XI were either away on international duty or out with injuries. Whatever the reasons were, it amounted to a sub-par effort all the way around. Things started off really well for Revs as Adam Cristman scored in the eighth minute following Reis’ goal kick where he found RSL’s defense napping. The kick bounced off a defender who failed to properly play the ball. Cristman pounced on the rebound and headed it into the goal. That was the highlight of the night, as Revs could do nothing at midfield and the tide inexorably turned in RSL’s favor. Three minutes later, Javier Morales’ free kick deflected off of Jay Heaps and the match was tied. Despite going in level at halftime, RSL had much the better of play over the first 45, and they came out in the second half maintaining their momentum. In the 62nd, Timo Nunez (who had entered just before the first half expired) snuck behind the Revs’ defenders, picked up a pass from Morales and buried the ball behind the helpless Reis for his first MLS goal. It may have been a 2-1 final but by no stretch of the imagination was it a one-goal defeat. Revs played as if they lost by three or four goals.

What a difference a week makes, not to mention getting a number of regulars back in the lineup. Revs returned home on Saturday, June 29 for a match (#16) with with Toronto FC. Shalrie Joseph returned from international duty and Mauricio Castro returned from injury and the team gave the home crowd of very nice 2-1 win. Steve Ralston scored twice and Revs really controlled the tempo and possession for the better part of the match. Ralston's first goal came in the 12th minute when he banged in a rebound of Cristman's header that rattled off the right post. Ralston second goal came in the 59th, again being at the right place at the right time, when he picked up the rebound of Kheli Dube's line drive that smacked off the crossbar. TFC scored in the 78th off a corner kick when Joseph and Maurice Edu went for the ball and Joseph inadvertently headed it behind Reis. Twellman entered the match in the 79th to great applause from the Gillette Stadium crowd. TFC did miss a golden opportunity in the 88th when Jarrod Smith had a header try but Parkhurst stepped in at the last second and made a beautiful save to seal the win. Revs are now 9-4-3-30 and have one MLS match remaining on July 4 against LA Galaxy before entering the U.S. Open Cup and SuperLiga competitions.

On July 1, the Revs opened up their defense of U.S. Open Cup with a 3-nil thrashing of the Richmond Kickers (USL) in New Britain, Connecticut. Other than putting Twellman out there for a regular turn (since he desperately needs conditioning) Coach Nicol started his normal reserve team XI. the match was delayed approximately 2 hours to thunderstorms that popped up in the region, but that didn't deter Revs from performing well. The match was scoreless at the half but Sam Brill broke the ice early right off the opening kick over the second half (46) and Joe Germanese (63) gave the team a bit of a cushion. Kickers had a couple all of decent chances to equalize, but Doug Warren stepped up and made a couple of terrific saves. In the 67th, Chris Tierney (who assisted on Brill's goal) came down the left wing and made a beautiful cross to Twellman at the near post, who headed the ball that bounced off Richmond's keeper Pascale into the goal. Revs now move on to the Cup quarterfinals next Tuesday against Crystal Palace Baltimore in New Britain.

In a July 4th clash between the top rated teams in MLS, Revs went west for a date with David Beckham, Landon Donovan and the LA Galaxy in Carson City (Match #17). Last Sunday, Galaxy were dominated on the road against DC United in blistering heat and were looking to right the ship. Donovan was kept out of the original starting lineup after feeling ill. In the fifth, Beckham had an indirect free kick from about 30 yards to Reis' left, but the goalkeeper made a leaping grab hold of the volley. Whereas Revs play well when they control midfield and the tempo, LA's game is speed and the lightning strike. It is a wonderful contrast in style. For the first quarter of the match, the sides went back and forth with the only real opportunity being Joseph's try in the 10th from outside the box. In the 26th, Castro drove one from outside the box in fact nearly made it past the goalkeeper's left. New England seems to be getting to the ball and controlling things slightly better than LA. And the 31st, Cristman streaked down the left wing and delivered across pass that just eluded Dube closing in on the right. In the 33rd, Castro had a corner, drove it into the sea of players, Joseph headed the ball and Cristman banged in the rebound to put Revs up one-nil. The importance of capitalizing off of set pieces cannot be underestimated. Galaxy's play of the last 10 minutes has been ragged and disorganized. Revs had another corner in the 37th in Cristman did it again, directly heading in Ralston's kick over the leaping goalkeeper. Two set pieces, two goals; that's not a bad night's work, and there's a full half yet to be played. LA picked up the tempo of things toward the close of the first half. In stoppage time, Chrisman fed Castro a perfect ball, and he hit the post! While it might not have been a picture-perfect first-half, Revs pretty much had their way for most of the half. But they ought not to go into the dressing room overly satisfied, as Galaxy can score goals in the blink of an eye.

Donovan's mysterious illness seems to have cleared up because he's out there for the start of the second half. As to be expected, galaxy came out flying in the opening minutes. Beckham picked up a cross from Randolph in the 48th, and this time his kick just went wide. Over the next five minutes, Beckham had two indirect free kicks that went wide of the mark. Dube missed a glorious opportunity in the 54th when Chrisman fed him inside the box and he was unable to make any play. In the 55th, Beckham had another free kick (because Revs keep committing stupid fouls) that went wide left. Reis made a nice stop in the 58th as LA has spent the last five minutes swarming all over everything and really taking the play to New England. Twellman entered in the 60th for Dube. In the 66th Beckham put LA on the board after Donovan's rush produced a flurry of shots in front of Reis and he was able pick the ball in the box and push a knuckleball that bounced over the goalkeeper's reach. In the 69th, Nyassi had to come out of the match with a leg injury and Phelan entered in his stead. LA has definitely had the better of things in the second half. In the 77th, Beckham fed Buddle with a perfect pass directly in front of Reis and Buddle's try hit the crossbar. Revs then regained momentum and carried the play for the remainder of the match. Revs now go on a one-month hiatus from MLS play as US Open Cup and SuperLiga play takes center stage.

US Open Cup Quarterfinal (7/8):

Revs met Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL2) at New Britain on another warm night in Connecticut, and struggled to defeat CP in a match that was decided by penalty kicks. As was the case in the last Open Cup match, Coach Nicol elected to use many of his reserves. The only regulars who started were Mansally, Igwe, Twellman (still rounding into match fitness) and Khano Smith (returning from international duty and injury). This was Nicol’s lineup:

Doug Warren (GK),
Chase Hilgenbrinck
Amaechi Igwe,
Sam Brill,
Rob Valentino (Brandon Manzonelli 84),
Chris Tierney,
Brandon Tyler,
Pat Phelan,
Khano Smith (Joe Germanese 67),
Kenny Mansally (Kheli Dube 102)
Taylor Twellman (Mauricio Castro 120)

Revs got on the board quickly when Mansally scored in the 6th when he picked a ball from Brandon Tyler (who had just split the CP defense at midfield) and was all alone in front of the CP goal. He made a nice fake and blasted the ball behind goalkeeper Brian Rowland. CP pulled level in the 20th when a defensive breakdown in the Revs’ end following a corner enabled Dan Lader to scoop up a lose ball and tuck it behind Warren. Twellman had a chance in the 29th that missed and Mansally’s rebound went over the crossbar. As the match entered the second half, Revs had chances in the 73rd and 75th that missed and Chris Tierney’s try in the 89th went over the crossbar. On to extra time, and Twellman had an opportunity in the 97th and Tierney’s attempt in the 110th went just wide.

On to penalty kicks:
NE – Chase Hilgenbrinck (Goal)
BAL – Shintaro Harada (Goal)
NE – Kheli Dube (Goal)
BAL – Bryan Harkin (Goal)
NE – Chris Tierney (Goal)
BAL – Matthew Mbuta (Goal)
NE – Amaechi Igwe (Goal)
BAL – Val Teixeira (Saved)
NE – Mauricio Castro (Goal)

With the victory, Revs move on to the semis against DC United on August 12th, who defeated Chicago 2-1 in extra time. For now, SuperLiga 2008 starts this week where Revs play host to Santos Laguna in the opening round.

SuperLiga 2008:

Revs drew Mexican powerhouse Santos Laguna in the opening round of the tournament. It was a sparse crowd at Gillette, as the match was not particularly publicized to English-speaking fans and was only available on Spanish television. In goal for Santos was Osvaldo Sanchez, the famed Mexican National team keeper.

In the 12th, Ralston worked into the box only to be swarmed by the defense. Joseph took his outlet pass directly in front and delivered a shot high above the goal. In the 16th, Arce followed with high kick well over Reis. Revs had the lion’s share of possession in the early going as their cautious possession style worked well. Working from an indirect fee kick in the 20th, Santos applied heavy pressure in the Revs’ end for a couple of minutes. Mansally went down hard in the 23rd after attempting a tackle, but returned from the sideline moments later. Midway through the first half it seemed as if Santos were employing a rope-a-dope strategy, allowing Revs to press the play and then retreating en masse toward the box whenever Revs got too close. In the 35th, Reis made a very nice save, slapping away a header directly in front of the goal. It was the first time he was really tested. In the 39th, Mansally (who leveled a defender minutes before) took a blatant elbow to the mouth from Pablo Rodriguez, who immediately received the tarrejta roja. This wasn’t a matter of incidental contact or an accident. Reis made another nice save in the 44th, and Parkhurst was tagged with a yellow. Santos had a goal disallowed just before the first half ended on an offside play. These are two evenly matched sides, but while Revs had the better opportunities, Santos’ defense never allowed them to get too close.

Both sides came out in the second half with a lot of energy. Arce had a line drive try in the 51st that went wide left. Dube had Revs’ first real chance in the 55th on a cross, but misfired. Dube scored in the 70th on a shot directly from in front of the goal. Nyassi created the play by streaking down right wing with the ball and crossing into the box. He fed Ralston with a pass, who in turn saw Nyassi unattended and cleverly pushed the ball with his heel to Nyassi who banged in the ball,

SuperLiga '08 Leg 2:
Three nights later, CF Pachuca came to Gillette Stadium to face Revs in the second leg of the SuperLiga tournament. Revs wee fortunate to squeak out a win on Saturday night, and have to seriously hope that Pachuca is suffering jet lag after having downed Chivas USA on Saturday night in LA.

Out of the lineup were regulars:
Chris Albright
Mauricio Castro
Jeff Larentowicz
Steve Ralston
Taylor Twellman and
Adam Cristman

That's half the starting lineup, and it would be interesting to see how the depleted lineup could compete against one of Mexico's most storied teams. They are led by the great Miguel Calero in goal, who possesses an intimidating air with his trademark black bandanna. There was a collision between Mansally and a Pachuca player in the opening moments of the match. The Pachuca player was already sporting a head bandage from an earlier collision and appeared to be bleeding profusely but the trainer wrapped his head with even more tape (”Return of the Mummy”). In the fourth minute, Revs were denied a goal on an offside play. Reis made a terrific diving stop in the sixth minute when a Pachuca forward made a surprise run into the box, escaping Parkhurst's tackle. In the eighth minute, Heaps was called for a hard tackle setting up a free kick just outside the left of the box, but the kick was blocked by the wall. Both sides appeared to be adopting a similar strategy, patiently controlling the tempo and possession with short passes. Khano Smith was carded in the 14th for hard tackle. Both sides fought tooth and nail for possession. In the 32nd, Igwe launched a blast from right wing that Calero pushed aside. Khano Smith had a nice try in the 39th when he took the ball to the center and fired a shot from just outside the box that wide left. Pachuca had a corner in the 40th but it was blocked. Pachuca had their best chance of the match in the 42nd when a shot was blocked by Reis.

Dube had a great chance in the first minute of the second half but was denied. In the 57th, Pachuca had another great try when a leaping kick inside the box went just over the crossbar. Through the first 60 minutes, it was a evenly played match. The only difference appeared to be Revs using their superior speed on the wings to create more opportunities. Pachuca had another opportunity in the 68th when a line drive made it past Reis but hit the right post. Wells Thompson entered for the Nyassi who in the 71st. While he was finding his legs, a Pacheco forward made a mad dash down the pitch and was swarmed by three Revs’ defenders. Dube had another golden opportunity in the 81st when he had Calero dead to rights and fired the shot just a little too high. That was New England’s best chance of the night so far. Moments later, there was a frightening scene when Phelan appeared to have been knocked unconscious after a collision in front of the Revs’ goal. This appeared more serious than the routine collisions that occur on the pitch. It appeared that Phelan’s head snapped backward on the play and he was out cold. The training staff immediately rushed out and placed a neck brace on Phelan, who was removed by stretcher as the crowd in attendance watched in stunned silence. By the time play resumed, it was well into stoppage time. Pachuca had another opportunity in the 95th that went just wide. Revs were awarded a penalty kick in the 95th, after Dube streaked down right wing and tried a volley that was ruled to be deflected by
Julio Manzur’s hand. Khano Smith was given the honors and he fired the ball past Calero’s left and scored. In the final moments, Pachuca desperately tried to equalize. But after a failed corner try, the referee whistled full time and Revs move on to the semifinals. It was a highly controversial way to conclude an evenly played match. This one could have gone either way and while we're thrilled that our side prevailed, still... it was a shame that such a great match had to come down to a handball penalty. Group B play concludes on Sunday, July 20, in Fullerton, Calif., when Revs play Chivas USA.

Congratulations are in order for three members of the Revs. First, to reserve team captain Chase Hilgenbrink, who announced his retirement in order to enter the seminary with the hope of one day becoming a priest. How often you see that happen in the world of professional sports? Congratulations are also in order for Michael Parkhurst, who was selected as a member of the US Olympic team who will be playing next month for all the marbles in Beijing. And, last to Steve Ralston for his selection to the MLS All-Star Team, who will play West Ham United on the 24th in Toronto.

… on the flight to California, members of the Revs’ front office staff heroically subdued a deranged passenger who exited the restroom in his birthday suit who attempted to pop open the one of the hatches. If he had been allowed to turn that handle it would've been a mind blowing tragedy. Thank God these men had the presence of mind to act quickly to avoid a disaster. The plane landed safely in Oklahoma where the individual was taken away for evaluation, and the staff members were given a bottle of champagne in honor of their courageous actions. That bottle won't be uncorked until or unless Revs win SuperLiga.

SuperLiga Third Leg:

The final leg of group play in the SuperLiga tournament concluded when the Revs traveled to Titan Stadium in Fullerton, California to meet MLS-rival Chivas USA. Why the match is being played in a university venue is anybody's question. There were probably less than 2,000 fans in attendance. Chivas prevailed against Santos and the second leg of the tournament and to needed a win or tie to move on to the semis. Albright, Larenrowicz and Ralston returned to the lineup after having been out of the Pachuca match. Chivas had much the better of the play in the early going as #24 was allowed to enter the box on two separate occasions in the first nine minutes. Rather than playing a usual game of toys and possession, Revs were looking to find an opening the forwards with longer passes through the seams of the Chivas defense, and it didn't seem to be working all that well. Igwe had a chance on a cross in the left side of the box that made a poor kick wide left. Ralston was carded in the 17th for a debatably rough tackle. Mansally was sent in alone on a nice try in the Kennedy played the ball directly. Mansally was laid out but good in front of the Chivas box in the 22nd and no foul was called. Albright's header from Ralston's cross in the 25th went low and just to the left of the Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy. Midway through the first half, Revs appear to have taken control of possession. In the 40th, Joseph fed Dube with a nice shovel pass, then Dube was leveled on the play appearing as if he had wrenched his knee. In the 42nd, Reis made a spectacular diving stop to his left off of number 15's and nine drive in front of the box, tipping the ball away at the last second. The Revs buzzed around Kennedy to at the end of the first half but they were no real chances of note,

At the second half opened, Joseph spotted Nyassi with a beautiful pass inside the box, but Kennedy rushed out to snare the ball before Nyassi could make a play. Reis made a nice kick save on Razov's try in the 52nd. Chivas began pressing the action and in the 56th they had another chance that just went low and to the left of Reis. Revs appeared to be completely disorganized in their own end, and that usually spells trouble. Razov scored in the 58th when he took a pass and went right through the seam, was denied on his first attempt and then popped the rebound above the fallen Reis. In the 68th, Nyassi was leveled as he attempted to cross into the box from right wing, and Coach Nicol was livid with the assistant referee wondering why a card (or even a foul) was not handed out. Revs pushed the play in the Chivas end and equalized in the 78th on a beautiful header by Joseph from Ralston's corner. Kennedy appeared to have snared the ball, but it slipped through. In the final minutes of the match, the sides went back and forth though Chivas had a chance to go ahead when a header from a corner went just wide left of Reis. It ended a 1-1 tie, and New England could not have been happier with the result as they capture first place in Group B with seven points and move onto the semis even though this clearly was not their best performance in the tournament.

In the semifinals, Revs will face Atlante on July 30th at Gillette. Since Atlante are winners of last year’s Mexican Apertura (fall season), it ought to be a terrific match.

MLS All-Stars v. West Ham United:

This year's All-Star match in Toronto was a pretty compelling football exhibition, as the All-Stars defeated West Ham 3-2 on native Torontonian Dwayne De Rosario’s penalty kick in the 69th. Matt Reis and Steve Ralston represented New England. BMO Field is an ideal venue to stage such events. It's a soccer-only stadium with a capacity of less than 25,000 that was packed to the rafters with an intense and appreciable audience. This may have been a nice (payday) preseason/holiday tune-up for one of the Premiership's lesser lights and it's not easy to put together a diverse collection of talented players and big egos to play cohesive football for 90 minutes. But Coach Nicol did a pretty good job getting all of his players on the same page.

Dean Ashton put West Ham on top in the 26th, but less than a minute later Christian Gomez equalized when he took a perfectly placed heel-kicked ball from (Game MVP) Cuauhtemoc Blanco and blew into the upper right-hand corner. Blanco gave the All-Stars a 2-1 lead just before halftime with a blast from left wing. Ashton equalized in the 67th, setting the stage for the penalty kick just moments later. De Rosario attempted to curl into the box from the left side and was dragged down by Lucas Neill. The referee awarded a penalty kick to the All-Stars and the hometown hero did not disappoint. De Rosario’s kick was a classic top shelf roofer, sending the crowd into a joyous outburst. The fans saw pretty much the best that MLS has to offer, as Beckham had several free kicks and corners that challenged West Ham's goalkeeper and both sides overcame their initial awkwardness and put forth a highly entertaining exhibition.

SuperLiga Semifinals v. Atlante (7/30):

On to the semifinals against Atlante before pretty decent house at Gillette Stadium. These teams are not strangers to one another as Atlante defeated Reds 1-nil in the preseason. With the exception of Parkhurst who is away with the Olympic team, Nicol used the regular XI to start the match. Atlante looked sharp from the opening kickoff as they were consistently beating Revs to the ball in the first few minutes. Revs came down the pitch in the 6th and Mansally tested Atlante's goalkeeper with the low grounder. Over the next eight minutes, Revs had momentum and were finally able to use their speed on the wings to create better opportunities. Nicol has been highly animated and critical of the officiating so far, at one point turning to one of the assistant referees and pointing at his eyes as if to say, "Did you see that?" Dube had a chance in the 19th in the box but kicked the ball over the crossbar. Revs had a couple of corners in the 23rd, but in each instance, the resulting headers went over the net. In the 25th, Revs had their best opportunity when Dube kicked Mansally's service from right wing off the crossbar. In the 27th Reis made a terrific diving stop on a shot from 15 yards out. Igwe was carded in the 27th for a rough tackle. In the 30th, Revs scored when Joseph headed a perfectly placed free kick into the upper right-hand corner of the net. What a strike! In the 33rd, Reis made another great save on a play from a corner, jumping into the crowd and pulling away the ball. Revs followed up with two more shots on goal that weren't particularly troubling for the goalkeeper. It certainly wasn't a classic half a football by any stretch of the imagination as the play was ragged and uneven.

In the opening minutes of the second half, there was some pushing and shoving as the result of rough play. Atlante appeared to have targeted Joseph because every time he touched the ball someone was on the spot to knock him on his ass. Mansally got a ticket in the 52nd on a tripping call. Atlante carried the possession over the next few minutes that followed that concluded with Reis making a nice leaping grab of a corner. Espinoza was carded in the 56th, as Atlante has come out in the second half playing much more physical. Maldonado had a chance in the 59th when he broke down right wing that is kick went wide to the left and Reis pushed it aside. Khano Smith came on for Castro in the 64th. Navarro was carded in the 71st for dragging down Mansally as he tried to break through on right-wing. On the ensuing corner, Atlante's wall clutched, grabbed and held onto Joseph as he tried to break free better than any group of NFL offense linemen. Reis was tested with a couple of chances in the 77th, the second of which he reached out and slapped the ball away as an Atlante player was lining up the kick. Cristman came on for Mansally in the 79th. In the 85th, there was more pushing and shoving in the wall as Cristman tried to set up an indirect free kick and Joseph was knocked to the ground. The referee had to intervene as Albright and Federico and Vilar (second of the match) were given yellow cards for being particularly disruptive. Atlante and had to play it out down a man the rest of the way. Cristman was carded as the match went into extra time as the referee had about enough of the rough play and the mouthing off. Moments later, referee dished out a red card to an Atlante's Zamora when he blatantly dumped Joseph at midfield as his team desperately tried to mount a comeback. A minute or two later, Dube took what appeared to be an elbow in the face from Munoz, who was carded for his trouble. At the end of the match, there was more pushing and shoving as Heaps was knocked over by Atlanta's goalkeeper (red carded) and Albright appeared to have been punched. Heaps was also ejected (unfairly) and will be out of the next match. This was an ugly scene, certainly not what the tournament's promoters had envisioned. Revs will face Houston at Gillette on Tuesday, August 5th in the SuperLiga Finals.