NEW ENGLAND VS. D.C. UNITED SERIES INFORMATION

• Saturday night’s match will conclude the 2010 regular-season series between the New England Revolution and D.C. United ... New England took the first meeting this season on April 3, in a 2-0 victory at RFK Stadium ... New England and D.C. also met twice in 2009 ... the clubs met three times in the regular seasons of 2007 and 2008 ... and, from 1996-2006, the rivals squared off four times per season.
• D.C. leads the all-time, regular season series between the two clubs, 25-20-8 ... the Revs own a 13-9-4 advantage in Foxborough – including 7-3-4 at Gillette Stadium – but are 7-16-4 when playing United on the road.
• Saturday’s match will be the 54th regular-season meeting between the Revolution and United, which represents the greatest total of matches against any opponent ... it will also be the 58th overall meeting between the two clubs, who have played four MLS Cup matches and two U.S. Open contests.
• With a 1-0-0 mark on the season so far, the Revs look to win their second straight season series over United this weekend, after going 1-0-1 in 2009 … New England has never won consecutive season series over D.C.
• The regular-season series has been remarkably even in recent years, as the Revs hold a slight 7-5-5 advantage in 17 meetings since the start of the 2005 regular season.
• The teams have met in three postseason series, with D.C. holding a 2-1-1 edge in those matches ... however, the Revs defeated United, 1-0 in the most recent playoff meeting on Nov. 5, 2006, to win the Eastern Conference Championship at RFK Stadium and earn a berth in the MLS Cup 2006.

PLAYER NOTES VS. D.C.

• Taylor Twellman leads the Revs with 15 career goals against D.C., his highest total against any MLS team ... he’s also added two assists in 23 appearances … he will be unavailable for Saturday night’s match, however, as he has been placed on season-ending injury list with a neck injury and concussion.
• Kenny Mansally scored both goals in a two-minute span of the Revolution’s 2-0 win at D.C. earlier this season ... counting the assist he picked up in the 2009 series finale, Mansally has a two-game points streak against D.C.
• Matt Reis is the Revs all-time leader in games played in goal against United with 19 ... Reis also leads the Revolution with 1,710 minutes played in goal against D.C. ... Reis will make his first start against United since a 2-1 win on May 30, 2009.
• Chris Tierney picked up the fourth assist of his career in the Revs last meeting with D.C. … Tierney was credited with an assist on New England’s first goal of 2010 when he centered a pass to Kenny Mansally in what proved to be the game-winner in D.C. on April 3.

NEWS & NOTES

BUSY WEEK AHEAD
For the fifth time this season, the Revolution is slated to play two games in one week as they prepare to face Mexico’s Puebla FC on Wednesday in the SuperLiga 2010 semifinal before taking on rival D.C. United on Saturday … the Revs played three multi-game weeks in May (May 5/8, May 12/15, May 19-22) and one last month in July during the SuperLiga group stage … after going 0-5-1 in the stretch that saw the team play six games in 18 days in May (including the three back-to-back-to-back multi-game weeks), the Revs went 2-0-0 in July when they played twice in four days.

THE USUAL SUPERLIGA SUSPECTS
The Revolution has qualified for the SuperLiga semifinals for the third time in three tournament appearances … New England’s third qualification for the elimination stage is a high for the four-year history of the SuperLiga tournament, and now seeks a berth into the finals for the second time … Houston (MLS) and Pachuca (MEX) are the only other teams to make it through to the elimination rounds twice, but neither club has won the tournament … Houston will host Monarcas Morelia on Thursday night in the other SuperLiga semifinal matchup.

REVS SUCCEED AGAINST TEAMS FROM THE SOUTH
New England has historically been very successful against Mexican teams… when the Revolution defeated Monarcas Morelia at Gillette Stadium on July 20, the club improved its all-time SuperLiga group stage record in to 6-0-0 against Mexican teams in group play, and 7-0-0 overall ... since the team first played a Mexican team in 2000, the Revolution has posted an 11-2-1 mark in all competitions against clubs from south of the border … the only two blemishes came in New England’s first meeting with a Mexican team, a 2-0 loss to CD Guadalajara on March 1, 2000 … the second was a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Atlante FC on March 6, 2008, during preseason training trip to Cancun … the Revs have outscored their Mexican counterparts 32-9 in 14 matches, including a 10-2 mark in SuperLiga play.

SETTING THE SUPERLIGA STANDARD
When the final whistle blew on July 20 and the scoreboard showed the Revolution with another SuperLiga victory over Morelia, New England set multiple SuperLiga records … the Revs became the first team to finish 3-0-0 in the group stage and the first team to hold all three group opponents scoreless in the process … the Revolution is also the first team to win its group and qualify for the SuperLiga elimination round three times … New England looks to become the first team to win two SuperLiga titles this month, starting with a semifinal matchup with Puebla on Wednesday.

SETTING THE SUPERLIGA STANDARD
When the final whistle blew on July 20 and the scoreboard showed the Revolution with another SuperLiga victory over Morelia, New England set multiple SuperLiga records … the Revs became the first team to finish 3-0-0 in the group stage and the first team to hold all three opponents scoreless in the process … the Revolution is also the first team to win its group and qualify for the SuperLiga elimination round three times … New England looks to become the first team to win two SuperLiga titles this month, starting with a semifinal matchup with Puebla on Wednesday.

REVOLUTION RUNS UNBEATEN STREAK TO SEASON-HIGH FIVE GAMES
The Revolution comes into Wednesday’s match against Puebla F.C. in the semifinals of SuperLiga 2010 riding a season-long five-game unbeaten streak in all competitions … the Revs have not dropped a game in one month – since a 5-0 loss at Real Salt Lake on July 2 … since then, New England is 4-0-1 in MLS and SuperLiga matches, and has outscored its opponents 6-1 in its last five games … this current streak constitutes the club’s longest unbeaten sequence since a seven-match unbeaten streak in 2008 that included a run to the SuperLiga championship.

PEROVIC POINTS STREAK PARALLELS UNBEATEN RUN
Marko Perovi? has recorded either a goal or an assist in five straight matches overall, coinciding with the Revs’ current five-match unbeaten streak … his recent run of form started with a game-winning free kick in the 67th minute of the Revs 2-0 win over LA Galaxy on July 10 … since that game, he has tallied four goals and one assist in the last five matches of all competition … each goal he was involved in was either a game-winner (four) or game-tying (one) strike … Perovi?’s five consecutive games with at least one point matches Taylor Twellman’s 2006 streak when he tallied four goals and two assists in five games.

SET-PIECE SUCCESS
Marko Perovi?’s five-game run of form has been punctuated by his prowess on set pieces … of Perovi?’s five goals for New England, three have been off set pieces … two of his four goals have come off free kicks – the latest a 35-yard strike that helped the Revolution earn a point in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Philadelphia … … the other point he picked up during the current streak was an assist off a corner kick – converted by Zack Schilawski – which gave the Revs a 1-0 victory over Pumas UNAM on July 14.

REVS FACE ANOTHER BUSY MONTH
As the calendar flips to August, the Revolution turns to what could be yet another hectic month schedule-wise … currently, the Revs are slated to play six matches in August – five league games and one SuperLiga contest – among the games are four home games, two away games, four Saturday matches and two Wednesday matches … if the Revs defeat Puebla on Wednesday, the team will add a seventh match – the SuperLiga 2010 championship – at Gillette Stadium later in the month … the team’s mid-week match at Chicago on Wednesday, Aug. 18, is also the team’s first midweek league match since May 5.

TEAM RECORD SHUTOUT STREAK HALTED
The Revolution defense has picked up steam since a 5-0 loss at Real Salt Lake on July 2 … after that match, the Revs went 390 minutes in all competitions without giving up a goal – a streak that spanned six matches overall … New England went almost one full month – from July 2 to July 31 - without allowing a goal … the shutout streak started in the 85th minute on July 2 at Real Salt Lake and went through the 25th minute of Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Philadelphia.

TEAM RECORD SET IN PHILLY
The Revolution’s 390-minute shutout streak marked a new team record – spanning all competitions … the Revs bested the team’s previous mark of 386 minutes by four minutes, a record that was set last year during a five-game stretch that lasted from July 4 – Aug. 1 … last year’s shutout streak included three consecutive shutouts in MLS matches and both shoulder matches … the Revolution also had a 384-minute streak without allowing a goal in 2005, a streak that featured four straight shutouts.

THIS TIME IT IS A RECORD REIS CAN SHARE
Keeper Matt Reis was between the pipes on Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia when the club record for consecutive shutout minutes was set at 390 … before that record was set, Reis alone held the club record for consecutive shutout minutes in all competitions set last year (386 minutes) and in 2005 (384 minutes) … this time, though, Reis shares the record with Bobby Shuttleworth, who started the first SuperLiga match against Pumas UNAM on July 14 and recorded a clean sheet … the shutout was the first of his career and contributed to a club record.

VETERAN GIBBS RETURNS TO WITH A NEW LOOK
After missing the last four matches overall, defender Cory Gibbs returned to the starting lineup on Saturday afternoon and found himself at an unusual position – left back … Gibbs, who had played only central defense this season, had not played since the July 2 match at Real Salt Lake because of a strained left quadriceps … Gibbs last started at left back in 2009 while a member of the Colorado Rapids, when he made 16 of his 19 starts on the left.

REVS SHOW FIGHT ON THE ROAD
Although New England conceded the first goal of the match for the 10th time this season, the Revolution battled back for the first time on the road, salvaging a draw to walk away with a result … the Revs are now 0-5-1 away from Gillette Stadium when conceding the first goal, and 1-8-1 overall … the Revolution also recovered from a 1-0 deficit on April 10, when the club went down 1-0 to Toronto FC at home, but tallied four times in the second half to earn the win in the team’s home opener.

REVOLUTION HOPES TO BENEFIT AT GILLETTE
The Revs will play three consecutive home matches for the second time this season … New England will play Puebla on Wednesday in the SuperLiga 2010 semifinal, followed by two league matches against D.C. United (Aug. 7) and Houston (Aug. 14) at Gillette Stadium … the Revolution also played three straight league matches at Gillette between April 24 and May 5 against Colorado, FC Dallas and Chivas USA …in the last run of three-straight home matches, the Revs went 0-2-1 mark … so far this season, the Revs are 4-5-2 in all competitions in Foxborough.

DUST OFF THE BROOMS?
As MLS clubs turn their pages to the second-half of 2010, many clubs begin to wrap up their season series in the 2010 schedule … the Revolution has already concluded its regular-season series with San Jose (0-1-1), Toronto FC (1-1-0) and LA Galaxy (1-1-0) but has yet to win a series … New England gets its second chance at a 2010 series win this Saturday when D.C. United visits Gillette Stadium following the team’s 2-0 win in the initial meeting on April 3 … the Revs missed their first opportunity to win a season series when they dropped a 1-0 decision at TFC on May 22 … the Revolution last won a season series in 2009 when the team finished 2-0-0 against Seattle Sounders FC.

ALEXI LALAS RETURNS TO GILLETTE
Revolution original Alexi Lalas returns to Gillette Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 7 and will be honorary captain for New England for the match … Lalas will also attend a pre-game meet and greet with long-time season ticket holders and be available to the media at halftime … Lalas spent the 1996 and 1997 season with the New England Revolution and appeared in 55 matches, starting 54, and registering three goals and four assists during his time in a Revolution uniform.

THIS WEEK IN REVOLUTION HISTORY: Aug. 2-Aug. 8

• Aug. 6, 1999: M John Harkes and F Joe-Max Moore rejoined the Revolution after participating in the Confederations Cup with the U.S.
• Aug. 8, 2003: Traded Diego Serna to LA Galaxy for two conditional MLS SuperDraft picks
• Aug. 5, 2005: Signed M/D Daniel Hernandez
• Aug. 5, 2008: Won SuperLiga 2008, defeating the Houston Dynamo in penalty kicks, 6-5, after the match finished tied, 2-2, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
• Aug. 6, 2008: F Par Noonan re-signed with Major League Soccer and was traded to the Columbus Crew in exchange for allocation money, the Crew’s natural first-round selection in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft and allocation table considerations.

YOUNG REVS PERFORM AT SUM CUP
The Revolution Youth Development Academy wrapped up play at the fourth-annual SUM Under-17 Cup last week in Houston, Texas, finishing with a 2-2-0 record … the Revs began the tournament by dropping matches to Chivas USA and Houston in group play and were eliminated from semifinal contention, but rebounded with a resounding 5-2 win over Toronto FC on the final day of group play … New England then closed out its tournament appearance with a 4-0 win over Kansas City in a consolation game before attending the MLS All-Star game at Reliant Stadium … Felix DeBona (Everett, Mass.) led the Revolution with five goals, while Diego Fagundez (Leominster, Mass.), Cole Denormandie (Lincoln, Mass.), Yannick Kabala (Manchester, N.H.), Peter Lee-Kramer (Princeton, N.J.), and Peguy Ngatcha (Manchester, N.H.) all scored once each.