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MLS Preview: New England Revolution v. Chicago Fire
Chicago will try to eliminate a banged up New England side from the postseason for just the second time in five tries as the Revolution look to advance to MLS Cup for the fourth straight year.
Oct 30, 2008 10:15:32 AM
New England Revolution v. Chicago Fire
When: 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, October 30
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
TV: ESPN2
The Gist: The opening game of the MLS Cup playoffs pits two familiar postseason foes against one another as New England hosts Chicago. The Revolution have knocked the Fire out of the playoffs the past three seasons. However, results have gone decidedly in favor of Chicago this season as the Men in Red won all three games in the season series by a combined 9-1 score line.
Chicago are coming off an impressive season finale in which they nearly eliminated their former coach. A 5-2 thrashing of New York, also on national TV, snapped a three game winless streak to put them on the good foot heading into the playoffs. As Denis Hamlett prepares for his first playoff game as head coach, he has an advantage over his predecessor, Juan Carlos Osorio, in not having the option of starting Paulo Wanchope and crushing his team’s momentum.
For Revolution boss Steve Nicol the playoffs are old hat. Yet this year the fiery Scot will be tested as injuries and suspensions have depleted his ideal lineup. New England has limped into the playoffs, uncharacteristic for the team, with three straight losses and just one win in their last twelve games in all competitions. As a result, their best chance for advancing may be playing for penalty kicks from the opening whistle.
Why You Should Care: This is the first time in four years that New England has not had home field advantage in the opening round. Nicol’s side has preferred to play defensively, looking to avoid a large goal differential and win on the return leg. This time, without much of their offense, the tables are turned.
Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman, and Adam Cristman are all out for the year leaving New England without their top three goal scorers. Add in Khano Smith, who may wind up suspended for both legs thanks to a vicious tackle on Herculez Gomez, and Nicol will be without players that accounted for 24 of their 40 goals in MLS action.
As if things weren’t bad enough, Chicago gave up the fewest goals on the road in MLS this year. Their center pair of Bakary Soumare and Wilman Conde are quick and strong enough to deal with Kheli Dube, the best attacking option for Nicol, while Logan Pause had an underrated year as Chicago’s defensive midfielder. Therefore, look for long shots from Jeff Larentowicz or Shalrie Joseph’s head on set pieces as the best chances for New England to score.
Going forward, the Fire will bring a multitude of weapons with Cuauhtémoc Blanco pulling the strings. Justin Mapp still has not lived up to his potential, but can be dangerous on the left while Chris Rolfe is red hot on the right.
New England’s defense is without Gabriel Badilla (suspension) meaning Nicol should revert to a 3-5-2 that typically is a more effective formation for the Revs. That will put more pressure on Michael Parkhurst to step his game up and deal with his Olympic teammate Brian McBride and allow the Revs to go into the second leg not needing a win.
Player to Watch: Chris Rolfe. The converted striker showed he still knows how to finish as his first half hat trick spurred the Fire to their impressive win over New York. He wasn’t done there as he had a hand in both second half goals, increasing his impressive stats on ESPN2 games to five goals and four assists.
Prediction: Chicago Fire 2, New England Revolution 0
-- Pat Walsh, Goal.com
When: 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, October 30
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
TV: ESPN2
The Gist: The opening game of the MLS Cup playoffs pits two familiar postseason foes against one another as New England hosts Chicago. The Revolution have knocked the Fire out of the playoffs the past three seasons. However, results have gone decidedly in favor of Chicago this season as the Men in Red won all three games in the season series by a combined 9-1 score line.
Chicago are coming off an impressive season finale in which they nearly eliminated their former coach. A 5-2 thrashing of New York, also on national TV, snapped a three game winless streak to put them on the good foot heading into the playoffs. As Denis Hamlett prepares for his first playoff game as head coach, he has an advantage over his predecessor, Juan Carlos Osorio, in not having the option of starting Paulo Wanchope and crushing his team’s momentum.
For Revolution boss Steve Nicol the playoffs are old hat. Yet this year the fiery Scot will be tested as injuries and suspensions have depleted his ideal lineup. New England has limped into the playoffs, uncharacteristic for the team, with three straight losses and just one win in their last twelve games in all competitions. As a result, their best chance for advancing may be playing for penalty kicks from the opening whistle.
Why You Should Care: This is the first time in four years that New England has not had home field advantage in the opening round. Nicol’s side has preferred to play defensively, looking to avoid a large goal differential and win on the return leg. This time, without much of their offense, the tables are turned.
Steve Ralston, Taylor Twellman, and Adam Cristman are all out for the year leaving New England without their top three goal scorers. Add in Khano Smith, who may wind up suspended for both legs thanks to a vicious tackle on Herculez Gomez, and Nicol will be without players that accounted for 24 of their 40 goals in MLS action.
As if things weren’t bad enough, Chicago gave up the fewest goals on the road in MLS this year. Their center pair of Bakary Soumare and Wilman Conde are quick and strong enough to deal with Kheli Dube, the best attacking option for Nicol, while Logan Pause had an underrated year as Chicago’s defensive midfielder. Therefore, look for long shots from Jeff Larentowicz or Shalrie Joseph’s head on set pieces as the best chances for New England to score.
Going forward, the Fire will bring a multitude of weapons with Cuauhtémoc Blanco pulling the strings. Justin Mapp still has not lived up to his potential, but can be dangerous on the left while Chris Rolfe is red hot on the right.
New England’s defense is without Gabriel Badilla (suspension) meaning Nicol should revert to a 3-5-2 that typically is a more effective formation for the Revs. That will put more pressure on Michael Parkhurst to step his game up and deal with his Olympic teammate Brian McBride and allow the Revs to go into the second leg not needing a win.
Player to Watch: Chris Rolfe. The converted striker showed he still knows how to finish as his first half hat trick spurred the Fire to their impressive win over New York. He wasn’t done there as he had a hand in both second half goals, increasing his impressive stats on ESPN2 games to five goals and four assists.
Prediction: Chicago Fire 2, New England Revolution 0
-- Pat Walsh, Goal.com
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