FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (5-15-12, 27 pts.) concludes its 2011 home schedule against the Columbus Crew (12-12-8, 44 pts.) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Gillette Stadium. The match will be televised regionally on Comcast SportsNet and will also be carried locally on the radio by 98.5 The Sports Hub.
Saturday’s match concludes the season series between the two teams. Columbus defeated New England, 3-1, on August 13 at Crew Stadium. Saturday night, the Revs will look for their first home win against Columbus since a 1-0 win on October 14, 2006.
SERIES INFORMATION VS. COLUMBUS
Team Notes vs. Columbus
• Columbus leads the all-time regular-season series between the two teams, 27-16-10 … the Revs are 10-12-4 at home against Columbus, including a 6-6-3 mark at Gillette Stadium since its opening in 2002
• Saturday’s match is the 54th all-time regular season meeting, and the final regular-season meeting between the Revs and Crew this season … Columbus earned a 3-1 win on August 13 at Crew Stadium
• The teams also met twice in 2011 preseason matches and split the series…the Revs claimed a 2-1 victory on March 6 in Chattanooga, Tenn., while the Crew earned a 3-1 win on March 9 in Kennesaw, Ga.
• The last match at Gillette Stadium was a 2-2 draw on Sept. 25, 2010 … in that match, each team successfully converted a penalty kick
• New England has won just twice in its last 11 meetings with Columbus dating back to the 2007 season … the Revs are 2-6-3 in that stretch
• The Revs were winless against the Crew during 2010 season going 0-1-1 … the Revs’ last season-series victory over the Crew came in 2006, when the Revolution went 2-1-1 against Columbus
• The teams have combined for four or more goals in seven of their last 11 meetings, including a 3-1 Columbus win in August, a 3-2 Columbus win in Columbus in May 2010, and a 2-2 draw in Foxborough last September
• Outside of MLS competition, the Revs are 3-0-3 against the Crew, including MLS Cup Playoff (2-0-3) and U.S. Open Cup (1-0-0) matches
Player Notes vs. Columbus
• Shalrie Joseph is the club’s active leading scorer against Columbus, with two goals and one assist
• Pat Phelan has one goal and two assists against the Crew … he assisted Benny Feilhaber’s 45th-minute goal on August 13, 2011 … Phelan also scored the fastest goal of the 2010 season last September against Columbus, scoring in the second minute … he earlier earned an assist – his first career assist - in the May 2010 meeting against the Crew
• Benny Feilhaber has one goal, coming when the teams last met on August 13
• Zak Boggs has scored two goals against the Crew, both coming in the 3-2 loss at Columbus on May 8, 2010 … it was his first – and only to date – multiple-goal game of his career
• Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis has started in all but one of his 27 appearances against the Crew, going 7-9-9 with five shutouts and a 1.47 goals against average
• Darrius Barnes, Pat Phelan and Sainey Nyassi are the only three Revolution players who played in both matches against Columbus during the 2010 season.
TEAM NOTES
Fan Appreciation Night
Saturday's game marks the conclusion of the 2011 home schedule, and also the Revolution's annual Fan Appreciation Night ... in addition to more in-game give-aways, the Revs will conduct their annual "Shirts off their Backs" promotion at the end of the game where lucky Season Ticket Holders come down to the field to get the 18 dressed players' shirts straight off their backs ... after the game, the entire team will be in Autograph Alley, which will be set up at the north end of the stadium, under the bridge and lighthouse.
Come Like Diego, Leave with Diego
Fans who come to Saturday's home finale with their hair in a Mohawk - like teen phenom Diego Fagundez - can have the chance to take Diego home -- or at least a version of him ... wall sticker/poster company Fathead has produced a one-of-a-kind, larger-than-life Diego Fagundez Fathead for one lucky winner who attends Saturday's game ... to enter the drawing for the Fathead, come to the game with a Mohawk and check in at the Revolution table on the Patriot Place Plaza no later than 7:15 p.m. ... one lucky winner will take home the 58-inch-wide by 78-inch-tall sticker set ... in comparison, Fagundez stands 68 inches tall.
Team Awards to be Given Out
Prior to Saturday's game against Columbus, the Revolution will announce the team's 2011 team award winners ... awards to be presented include: most valuable player, best defender and humanitarian of the year ... for the second year in a row, the most valuable player was determined by a fan vote, conducted Sept. 22 - Oct. 2.
Reserves to Wrap Up Season Sunday
The Revolution's reserves are set to wrap up their 2011 schedule at 8:30 a.m., on Sunday, Oct. 16, when they host the Columbus Crew reserves at Gillette Stadium ... the Revs reserves are 4-4-1 (13 pts.) on the season and sit third in the East Division behind co-leaders Columbus and D.C. United, who each have 18 pts. ... earlier this season on May 9, the Crew earned a 1-0 win against the Revs in Columbus, behind an 88th minute goal.
A Win Would Stop the Bleeding…
The Revs have dropped their last four games (since Sept. 16 at Portland) and have been outscored by their opponents 10-4 in that span … the four game-losing streak – with losses at Portland (Sept. 16) and Chicago (Sept. 25), and at home against Seattle (Oct. 1) and San Jose (Oct. 8) – matches a similar losing streak from May 21 through June 10, when the Revs dropped four league games against San Jose (May 21), LA Galaxy (May 28), FC Dallas (June 4) and New York (June 10).
… Revs Look to Reverse Curse against Crew
New England has won just twice in its last 11 meetings with Columbus dating back to the 2007 season and looks to turn things around after a 2-6-3 record in that stretch … the last home win for the Revs against Columbus came in a 1-0 win Oct 14, 2006 at Gillette Stadium … since their last home win in 2006, the Revs have gone 0-3-2 at home in 5 meetings against Columbus.
A Frightful October
After back-to-back 2-1 losses to Seattle and San Jose to open the month, the Revs have yet to secure a point this October … the team has two games remaining in October, and the MLS season … the Revs have picked up at least a point in October in each season in club history … the last time the club went winless in the final month of the season was in 2008, when the club suffered an 0-3-1 record in four matches.
Late Goals Are a Reoccurring NightmareWith a goal allowed to San Jose in the 82nd minute on Saturday, the Revs have now conceded a goal in the final 15 minutes of a match an MLS-leading 14 times, two more than Vancouver ... five times this season – at Real Salt Lake (July 4), at Kansas City (July 30), vs. Houston (Aug. 17), vs. New York (Aug. 20) and at Philadelphia (Sept 7) – the Revs conceded goals in the final 15 minutes when possessing a lead and only came away with a draw, costing the club 10 points this season.
Diego and Milton Run the Forward Line
One area where October has seen some positives, however, is up front along the forward line … Home Grown player Diego Fagundez has made consecutive starts alongside Milton Caraglio in the last two games … on the season in 15 combined appearances, the duo has four goals and three assists – including Fagundez’s goal on Oct. 1 against Seattle, the first match in which they started together.
Benny a Familiar Name at HomeWith his 55th –minute goal on Saturday against San Jose, Benny Feilhaber has scored or assisted on a goal in each of the team’s last three home matches … after notching an assist on Sept. 10 against FC Dallas, he earned his club-high fifth assist on Diego Fagundez’s 35th-minute goal on Oct. 1 against Seattle … Saturday’s goal for Feilhaber was his first since September 7 at Philadelphia … his four goals are good for third on the club behind Shalrie Joseph (8) and Rajko Lekic (6).
Record Home Woes Continue
The Revs are 4-6-6 in the 16 games at Gillette Stadium this season and have won just one home game in the last five months: a 2-0 win against FC Dallas on Sept. 10 … the club’s .437 winning percentage at home is the worst in MLS this season, and joins only Chivas USA (5-6-5, .468 winning percentage) among teams with a sub-.500 record at home this year.
A Tough Season at Gillette StadiumSince Gillette Stadium opened in 2002, the Revs have not had a losing record (sub-.500 winning percentage) at home … the previous low for a winning percentage in a season at home came the year before moving into Gillette Stadium when the team posted a 6-5-2 mark (.562) at Foxboro Stadium in 2001 … a win against Columbus on Saturday would be the club’s fifth win at home in 17 matches and would only push the team’s home winning percentage to .470 on the season.
Need to Win Out To Avoid Club Record for Fewest Wins
In order to avoid a club record for fewest wins in a season, the Revs will need to win the next two matches – against Columbus on Saturday and at Toronto FC on Oct. 22 … the 2001 Revolution squad won only seven matches in a shortened 27-game season … since 2000, the Revs have failed to reach 10 wins on the season just three times: 2001 (7 wins), 2004 (8 wins) and 2010 (9 wins).
YOUTH NEWS
2011-12 season schedule
A preliminary version of the Revolution’s 2011-12 U.S. Soccer Development Academy schedule is available on the Development Academy website at: http://ussda.demosphere.com/teams/37416866/37417998-37416960/TEAM.html ... the Revs will play their first two games at Durfee High School in Fall River, Mass., taking on Met Oval on Saturday, Nov. 19, and the New York Cosmos on Sunday, Nov. 20 ... the team's schedule is subject to change.
2011 Development Academy Winter Showcase
U.S. Soccer has announced that the 2011 Development Academy Winter Showcase will be held Dec. 2-6, at Premier Sports Campus in Sarasota, Fla. … the Revs’ U18 and U16 teams will each play three non-conference games during the Showcase … detailed schedule information will be available closer to the event.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Revs to Mark Anniversary of Yawkey Family Inn Gift
On the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 12, the entire Revolution team will return to Children's Hospital Boston's Yawkey Family Inn to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the team and MLS' gift to the facility ... in late September 2010, the Revs and MLS W.O.R.K.S., the charitable arm of MLS, donated a year-round green house to the Inn, and celebrated with a day of family fall fun at the home ... on Thursday, the team will return to spend time at the Inn, interacting with guests and patient families while conducting fun fall-themed events including cookie decorating and pumpkin painting.
Pink Auction Ends Sunday, 8 p.m.
Get a piece of the Revolution and help an amazing cause by bidding on a selection of items - including game-worn and game-used merchandise from the Oct. 1 game against Seattle, as well as framed, autographed U.S. National Team jerseys - at biddingforgood.com/revsfoundation ... all proceeds from the online auction will be donated to the American Cancer Society's Making Striders against Breast Cancer ... the auction closes on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m.
