WASHINGTON, DC (May 30, 2008) USSoccerPlayers -- For almost an hour, DC looked like the team we remembered from last season, dominating New England and holding onto a two goal lead.
Luciano Emilio scored in the 15th and Fred in the 53rd, and only a standout performance from Revs keeper Matt Reis kept it that close. For Reis and the Revolution, it was enough to salvage a draw. Adam Cristman scored in the 59th and Kheli Dube equalized in the 72nd.
"As a football match, we got outplayed from start to finish," said Revs coach Steve Nicol. "Sometimes the good ol' heart gets you something you didn't deserve. The second half, anyway, I have no complaints.... So, it was a football game and we got outplayed, but when it comes down to other elements of the game, we showed that, when we need it, we can bring it."
Both teams had chances to win late, but this episode of MLS Primetime ended up being more about the goals DC didn't score.
"They have a lot of players with a lot of experience and are calm under pressure," New England keeper Matt Reis said. "In the first 55, 60 minutes we didn't put them under enough pressure and we gave them a lot of heads up and played little ball. They had a ton of chances."
New England now has first place in the East with a one point lead over Chicago and Columbus, while waiting for the weekend results to see if they keep it. DC remains last in the East, a point behind Kansas City.
Game Report
New England Revolution vs. D.C. United
May 29, 2008 – Foxborough, Mass. (Gillette Stadium)
Scoring Summary:
DC – Luciano Emilio (unassisted) 15
DC – Fred (unassisted) 53
NE – Adam Cristman (Kheli Dube) 59
NE – Kheli Dube (Jeff Larentowicz, Steve Ralston) 72
New England Revolution: Matt Reis (GK), Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Chris Albright, Mauricio Castro (Khano Smith 64), Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Wells Thompson (Adam Cristman 39), Steve Ralston ©, Kheli Dube, Sainey Nyassi (Amachi Igwe 88)
Substitutes Not Used: Doug Warren (GK), Argenis Fernandez, Gary Flood, Chase Hilgenbrinck
STATS: Shots 13; Shots on Goal 6; Saves 8; Corner Kicks 3; Offsides 0; Fouls Committed 15
D.C. United: Zach Wells (GK), Domenic Mediate, Gonzalo Martinez, Devon McTavish, Bryan Namoff, Fred (Marc Burch 88), Clyde Simms, Santino Quaranta, Marcelo Gallardo, Luciano Emilio, Jaime Moreno © (Rod Dyachenko 78)
Substitutes Not Used: Jose Carvallo (GK), Ryan Cordeiro, Quavas Kirk, Franco Niell, Dan Stratford
STATS: Shots 16; Shots on Goal 11; Saves 4; Corner Kicks 6; Offsides 1; Fouls Committed 22
Misconduct Summary:
NE – Wells Thompson (caution) 25
DC – Santino Quaranta (caution) 34
DC – Gonzalo Martinez (caution) 75
NE – Sainey Nyassi (caution) 78
Referee: Abi Okulaja
Referee’s Assistants: Gregory Barkey (SAR), Steven Taylor (JAR)
Fourth Official: Alex Prus
Time of Game: 1:55
Weather: Clear and 74 degrees
Attendance: 8,159
Game Report courtesy of MLS Communications
