Revs: A One-Month Snapshot:

Match 18 at Real Salt Lake (7/4/11):

As of this date, Revs are dead last in MLS East at 3-8-6-15. This match was played before a national audience on ESPN2. RSL has owned the Revs in recent years, outscoring them 13-1. Revs came out in a 4-5-1 with Lekic up top. Kyle Beckerman was not in the starting lineup for RSL. Revs had a penalty opportunity in the 3rd as Nat Borchers dumped Feilhaber breaking into the box and received a red card. Lekic was given the honors and floated the ball over RSL’s goalkeeper. Revs had an early goal last week in Seattle, so the lead at this stage meant little. Reis made a save of Andy Williams’ low drive in the 8th. RSL’s Schuler replaced Warner in the 9th. Shalrie Joseph was booked in the 13th for a rough tackle. He protested the ruling to no avail. Revs made it 2-0 in the 16th as Chris Tierney’s free kick from about 30 yards out caught the low right corner. Reis then made a great stop of Gil’s volley from inside the box. Cochrane was booked in the 23rd for a rough tackle and RSL scored in the 24th as Will Johnson banged in the rebound of Williams’ free kick that struck the right post and dropped into Johnson’s lap. In the 40th, Reis made another nice save of Jamison Olave’s header from Johnson’s corner. The way RSL is playing, you’d never know they’re a man down.

In the first minute of the second half, Lekic put a shot on goal that was turned aside. Beckerman entered at the beginning of the second and brought his usual pestering presence. The referee then awarded RSL a penalty for an alleged hand ball by Lekic in the box. Alvaro Saborio was given the honors and buried the ball low right to equalize. Whether one agreed with the propriety of the call, it was irrelevant as RSL (a man down) was running circles around the Revs in the minutes leading up to the penalty call. Shalrie Joseph put Revs ahead in the 63rd as he headed in Feilhaber’s free kick. Zak Boggs entered for Mansally in the 66th. Cochrane received his second yellow in the 67th for a rough tackle and now both sides had to play out a man down. Moments later, Beckerman fired a shot on goal from inside the box that Reis tipped high and Gravaboy’s rebound hit the crossbar. In the 73rd, Williams fired a low line drive that Reis snagged. With the exception of the set piece that set up Joseph’s goal, RSL controlled possession for virtually the entire second half. Lekic took ahead knock in the 78th while defending a corner. Fabian Espindola equalized for RSL in the 83rd as he broke toward the box and took a perfect service from Saborio and beat Reis high right. Domi entered for Alston in the 86th. Reis made a great save in the first minute of stoppage time. The Revs came away with a draw, which on the road is a good result, but blowing a two-goal lead has to have the team wanting better than that.

International Friendly v. Manchester United (7/13/11):

Revs played host to ManU at Gillette on a nice night for football. This is the first of five friendlies that United will play against MLS competition in July. The friendly was well-publicized and there was a decent turnout, as would befit the arrival of one of the world’s most famous sporting franchises. This part of the year is pre-season for European clubs while the Revs are halfway through what has been a disappointing season. Man U makes a fortune on these pre-season international tune-ups and it’s a feather in the Revs’ cap that they can draw such a noteworthy opponent and have their biggest draw of the year. Obviously, this is not the ManU that will be battering the opposition once the EPL season begins. It’s a pre-season match for them, for which they’ll be handsomely compensated. It’s not a bad pay day for the Revs, either. Even though the result is meaningless, there is far more pressure on the Revs to play at their absolute best if they hope to establish credibility with the local sporting public. This match is an “event” that will primarily draw many fans to the venue to witness firsthand the Mighty Manchester United. Many of the fans in attendance probably know little about the Revs’ players. If Revs play well, there will be a wealth of potential new fans. If they play poorly (as they have all year), only the diehards will remember.

ManU brought along most of their regulars, with the notable exception of Chicharito, who recently completed a successful Gold Cup tournament with Mexico. ManU had their first corner in the 4th but Reis stepped up to snare the ball out of a crowd. In the 12th, Shalrie Joseph nearly headed in Tierney’s cross. Wayne Rooney popped a shot on goal in the 19th that went over the bar. Alston made a nice play in the 22nd, heading away a ball from the box. In the 23rd, Pat Phelan put a low line drive on goal that was scooped up by Lindegard. In the 28th, Berbatov’s header went just wide right. In the 38th, Rooney’s header from Nani’s cross went wide left. In the 41st, Reis stoned Berbatov cold on a point blank shot. Moments later, Nyassi had a great chance on a pass from Joseph, but his shot went wide right. Rooney then nearly put one past Reis on a jumping side kick but Alston stepped into the play and kicked the ball out of danger. Fabio then fed Nani with a pass in the left corner of the box but Reis deftly knocked away the ball. Nani then used his speed to create another great chance in the final minute of stoppage time but his cross went across the box. All in all, Revs held their own in the first half.

There were a host of substitutions on both sides to open the second half. ManU went up in the 51st as Michael Owen took a ball in the left corner of the box and banged it past Bobby Shuttleworth, who replaced Reis. Leading up to the goal, ManU dominated possession in the Revs’ end and the Revs’ back wall left Shuttleworth pretty much defenseless. In the 54th, Macheda broke in on a 2-on-1 and tucked the ball low left corner to put ManU up 2-0. A minute later, Mansally was fouled just outside of the box leading to a free kick by Feilhaber that was deflected by Mansally and into the goal. Macheda scored again in the 61st as he took a ball in the far left corner of the box and fired a diagonal blast that caught the right corner of the goal. In the 65th, Lekic and Feilhaber checked out and Guy and Domi entered. Giggs and Obertan came on for ManU a minute later. In the 69th, Macheda’s bid for the hat trick was deflected away by Shuttleworth. In the 73rd, Mansally’s shot from inside the box was knocked away. JS Park entered for Carrick in the 75th. Park made it 4-1 in the 80th as he took a ball from Giggs on the give n’ go and lifted it over a diving Shuttleworth. Did anyone really expect the Revs to get the better of Manchester United? No, not really; but the quality of the players became apparent one the substitutes hit the pitch. Revs were clearly out of their league in this friendly. The best that can be said about this match was it was a whole lot more entertaining than the MLB All-Star Game.

Match 19 v. Philadelphia Union (7/17/11):

On a very warm evening at Gillette, the Revs returned to the MLS calendar, looking to win their first match since May 14th against Vancouver. Although Union are in their second season, it seems as if they’ve already passed the Revs. As it is, Union are in 3d place in MLS East at 7-4-7-28 while Revs are dead last at 3-8-7-16. Revs released left back Didier Domi, a French import who never really clicked with the club. Ryan Cochrane was also out of this one, serving a red card suspension from the RSL match. Shalrie Joseph was also suspended for this match, and without the catalyst, Revs will be at a serious disadvantage.

After both sides came out tentative, Carlos Ruiz put Union ahead in the 12th on service from Justin Mapp. No one was covering Ruiz as he broke toward the box and he roofed the ball after picking Keon Daniel’s header. The play was set up when Mapp broke down the right flank into the box uncontested and Daniel picked his cross. The same question we’ve been asking all season bears repeating: Where was the defense? Over the first 20 minutes, Revs were really struggling trying to maintain possession. Coach Nicol was furious with his team’s performance over the first quarter of the match. Feilhaber fouled Mapp in the 23rd and the resulting free kick was bounced in on a rebound by LeToux that was picked by Carlos Valdes, who popped the loose ball past Reis. Through the first half-hour, Revs had exactly zero shots. Lekic was later outmuscled on a play in the box by Danny Caniff. In the 43rd, Phelan was fouled by Nakazawa but the free kick was deflected away by the wall. That first half was an embarrassment.

Nyassi was replaced by Boggs to open the second half as Coach Nicol shifted the alignment into a 3-5-2. Steve McCarthy nearly tucked one in off a corner in the 47th. Mansally’s header a minute later went wide right. Feilhaber was booked in the 49th for a rough hit on Farfan. In the 50th, Chris Tierney rocked a blast off the crossbar as the Revs came out with a sense of urgency. Revs had a corner in the 55th but it was deflected away. In the 62nd, Reis read a ball very well as Union broke in and he stepped up and snared the ball. Philly’s young star Danny Mwanga entered in the 63rd. Mwanga then stepped on Alston’s foot and Phelan gave him a good shove. In the 66th Ruiz was knocked over by Feilhaber and received his second yellow. The Union players charged Feilhaber and there was some pushing and shoving before Feilhaber made his way for the exit. In the 76th, Reis robbed LeToux on a point blank shot from the left corner of the box. Two minutes later, Reis made a fingertip save of Williams’ shot from the right corner of the box. Philly scored in the final minute of stoppage time as Mwanga fed Sheanon Williams on a clean break and Williams beat Reis low right corner. While the Revs played better in the second half, it was still a pitiful outing for a side that’s mired in a deep funk.

Match 20 at DC United (7/20/11):

On Wednesday night, Revs broke their long winless streak with a 1-0 win over their hated rivals at RFK in absolutely sweltering conditions. Shalrie Joseph was back from his accumulated yellow card suspension but Benny Feilhaber served his one-game suspension for getting a red card in the preceding match. Stephen McCarthy’s goal in the 73rd on a header from Chris Tierney’s corner was the difference maker.

Match 21 at Colorado Rapids (7/23/11):

For the second time in three weeks, Revs had a high-altitude match at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. Revs haven’t won out west since August of ’09 when they beat Seattle. Over the first 20+ minutes of the half, Revs were doing well with possession. In the 25th, Benny Feilhaber buried a header on a rebound of McCarthy’s header from Alston’s throw-in. In the 29th, Colorado’s Nyassi fired a blast that Reis covered at the near post. The Revs played a sound first half of football with Joseph and Feilhaber doing a good job with possession.

Rapids came out quickly to open the second half and had the edge in possession. Joseph’s shot in the 51st went just wide right of the goal. Feilhaber connected with Zach Schliawski but the referee ruled off-sides. In the 64th, Colorado’s Sanna Nyassi was tackled in the box by Tierney (who was red carded in protest) and a penalty was called. Caleb Folan was given the honors and easily knocked the ball past Reis to equalize. Revs now had to play out a man down. The Revs’ Sainey Nyassi entered in the 69th. In the 82nd, Reis made a terrible mistake when he came out to play a long shot by Kosuke Komura but the ball bounced in front of him and took a big bounce over Reis and into the goal. In the 89th, Mansally was tackled in the box by Palguda and the referee awarded a penalty and Shalrie Joseph nailed it to level things 2-2. There were four minutes of stoppage time added as the Rapids frantically tried to advance the ball but the Revs back line held up and the Revs came away with the well-deserved point.

USMNT News:

Earlier this week, USMNT announced that Coach Bob Bradley was relieved of his duties and replaced by Juergen Klinsmann. Bradley took the fall for the team’s disappointing performance in the recent CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, where they blew a two-goal lead in the finals against Mexico. During Bradley’s tenure, the team succeeded to the round of 16 in last year’s World Cup but the leadership believed that the team needed to move beyond the point where Bradley had brought them and it was time for a change. Klinsmann needs no introduction to football fanatics as he’s had a legendary career in Germany as a player and coach and will bring a world of experience to USMNT. The team’s first match under his helm will be on August 10th against Mexico.

Match 22 at Sporting Kansas City (7/30/11):

Revs (4-9-8-20) looked to continue their progression on the road against SKC (6-6-8-26) as they’ve grabbed four points on this recent swing and look to move to the middle of the MLS East table with a win. SKC has played well of late, going unbeaten in their last 12 matches. Livestrong Sporting Park is yet another one of MLS’ beautiful soccer-specific stadiums that Revs’ fans have dreamed about having in the Boston area. It’s an impressive facility and an intimate atmosphere in which to see a match.

It was over 100° on the pitch at the start of the match. Shalrie Joseph nearly beat SKC’s goalkeeper in the 9th on service from Feilhaber but his shot went wide right. SKC’s Sapong put a testing shot on Reis in the 10th that was snared. In the 12th, Joseph fouled Espinoza and Jéferson’s free kick was deflected away. In the 13th, Kevin Alston suffered a toe injury but was able to continue. Sapong fouled Alston in the box as Alston read the ball well in front of Reis. Kyle McCarthy was leveled on a hit by Kei Kamara and landed awkwardly on the ball and was replaced in the 34th by Kenny Mansally. Feilhaber’s free kick floated in and was caught by Nielsen. Lekic put the Revs ahead in the 38th when he picked a clearing pass from Reis on a bounce and banged the ball past Nielsen. There was a question as to whether Lekic was off sides on the play but it was ruled a goal. Revs played well in the first half and went into the dressing room with a well-deserved lead.

Mansally was booked in the 50th for a foul but Jéferson’s free kick was knocked away. SKC had the better of possession in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Kamara attempted a wheel kick in the 61st but Alston deflected the ball away. Jéferson then had a chance inside the box that went wide right. Reis made a fantastic save in the 65th and then SKC’s Reid pushed AJ Soares into Reis on a dirty play. Kamara’s header in the 70th went just wide right. Darius Barnes headed away a chance in the 77th as SKC was pouring on the pressure in the Revs’ end. Kamara had another header in the 82nd but his shot went over the bar. Reid had a break into the box and was tackled by Soares, who received a red card on the play. Jéferson’s free kick was blocked by the wall. Revs were hanging on by a thread. Burnbury equalized in the 89th on a rebound of Omar Bravo’s shot. Revs were able to hang on for the draw, but withstood a barrage at the end.

Match 23 v. Chivas USA (8/6/11):

After a lengthy and productive road trip, Revs (4-9-9-21, 7th Place, MLS East) finally returned to Gillette for a Saturday night date with Chivas USA (6-8-8-26, 6th Place, MLS West). The Revs would be without AJ Soares for this one as he was red carded late in the SKC match. They also signed Argentine forward Milton Caraglio as a designated player and he was immediately inserted in the starting XI in favor of Lekic, who was out with a toe fracture.

In the early going, Revs had success controlling the ball in the attacking zone. In the 6th, Ryan Cochrane had a wide open chance with a header on beautiful service from Shalrie Joseph but Cochrane missed the net (!). In the 11th, CUSA’s Blair Gavin’s shot went wide right. In the 12th, Caraglio fired a shot on goal that was smothered by the keeper. In the 16th, Alston decked Moreno on a clearing pass and a foul was awarded. Caraglio’s header in the 22nd went across the box (he should’ve had that one). Chivas went up in the 31st as Nick LaBrocca made a nice pass from the left flank directly out in front and Moreno had a high kick that went past Reis. Revs are 0-8-2 when giving up the first goal. Feilhaber then collided with a Chivas player and took a nasty knee knock. Cochrane was booked in the 35th for a heavy hit on Braun but the free kick was deflected away. Caraglio drew a hand ball foul in the 39th setting up a free kick from just outside the box but Tierney’s kick went well over the bar. In the 43rd, Feilhaber was hauled down on the left flank but Kennedy punched away his free kick. Revs played well for the first 20-25 minutes of that half but Chivas had the better chances thereafter.

Revs had their first corner in the 54th but the cross went far and wide of the goal. Reis made a great save of Moreno’s blast in the 58th as there was a breakdown in the defensive end and Moreno pounced on the ball. Chivas went up 2-0 in the 59th as LaBrocca picked a ball in the box and Barnes backed off rather than defending and LaBrocca knocked the ball past Reis. Two minutes of bad defense led to an inexcusable goal. Caraglio left at the hour mark and acquitted himself rather well in his debut. Mansally entered in his stead. In the 65th, Diego Fagundez (16 years old) made his Revs’ varsity debut, replacing Schliawski. Fagundez drew a penalty in the 68th as he made a great run into the box and was hauled down. Shalrie was given the honors and buried the ball. In the 76th, Joseph’s blast went just wide right. Dan Kennedy made a spectacular stop of Joseph’s header in the 78th as he tipped away the ball right before it crossed the line. Chivas came right back down the pitch and scored in the 80th as Moreno beat Alston breaking into the box and Moreno tucked the ball low left corner. That was a back breaker. Fagundez scored his first varsity goal in the 85th as he picked a loose ball in the box and banged it past Kennedy. In stoppage time, Revs had two great chances as Joseph fired a point blank blast that Kennedy tipped away and a header on the rebound went just wide right. TRvs had one last chance but Alston’s service to the box went too far. Despite the loss, Revs fans can take some comfort in the debut performances of Caraglio and Fagundez.