FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (5-7-2, 17 pts.) makes its first trip of the season to Canada on Saturday, June 23, when the team faces Toronto FC at 5:30 p.m., at BMO Field.
Comcast SportsNet will televise the game while 98.5 The Sports Hub will carry the game on the radio.
Saturday is the first of two meetings this season as the two teams will meet again on July 14, at Gillette Stadium. The two teams split the regular-season series in 2011 with a pair of draws: a scoreless finish on June 15 and a 2-2 result in the season finale on Oct. 22, at BMO Field. On Saturday, Toronto will play their second game in a week after playing a road match this Wednesday night in Houston.
Saturday’s game is the team’s only road match in a seven-week span.
Additionally, the Revolution Youth Teams both advanced to the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs, which will begin on Monday, June 25, in Frisco, Texas. The Under-16s have qualified for the Playoffs for the third-straight season, while the U18s advanced for the second time in three years. Please see the Youth Update section (below) for more information about opponents.
SERIES INFORMATION VS TORONTO FC
Team Notes vs. Toronto FC
- New England leads the all-time, regular-season series between the two clubs, 4-2-5 ... the Revs have never beaten Toronto FC on the road, going 0-2-3 at BMO Field
- Saturday match will be the first of two meetings in 2012, with a second match scheduled for July 14 at Gillette Stadium
- Last season, the teams split the regular-season series with a pair of draws: a scoreless finish on June 15 and a 2-2 result in the season finale on Oct. 22, at BMO Field
- New England and Toronto have met just 11 times in the overall MLS regular-season series since TFC entered the league as an expansion team in 2007
- The Revs have out-scored TFC, 20-12, in their 11 previous meetings ... the Revs have shut out Toronto three times, while TFC has held New England scoreless two of the last three meetings.
- The Revolution has had trouble closing out all five matches it has played at BMO Field ... the Revs have conceded second-half goals in 2008, 2009 and 2011 to come away with draws … in 2009 and 2010, the Revs surrendered second-half goals to finish with losses
- The second half of NE-TFC games have been especially high-scoring … the Revs have tallied 11 of their 20 goals against Toronto in the second half, while Toronto has scored eight of its 12 goals against New England in the second stanza
- The Revolution and TFC have never met outside the MLS regular season
Player Notes vs. Toronto FC
- Shalrie Joseph is the Revolution’s current leading scorer against Toronto with two goals and added two assists in 11 appearances … he is the only Revs player to appear in all 11 previous meetings, starting 10 of those games
- Sainey Nyassi has also scored one goal and added one assist in six appearances against the Reds
- Benny Feilhaber has two career assists in one appearance against TFC … Feilhaber assisted on both Revolution goals on Oct. 22, 2011
- Chris Tierney first two career assists were recorded against Toronto FC at BMO Field on Aug. 23, 2008 and May 23, 2009
- Matt Reis is 3-1-3 with 1.00 goals against average and three shutouts in seven career appearances against Toronto FC
- Bobby Shuttleworth made the start in last year’s season-finale on Oct. 22, making three saves in the 2-2 draw
TEAM NOTES
Unfamiliar Travels
The Revs’ trip to Toronto is their only MLS road trip in a seven-week span that began the final week of May … between May 27 and July 14, the Revs have five home games on the schedule and one lone road match – this weekend’s trip to Toronto.
Reversing Road Woes?
Saturday’s match presents the Revolution with an opportunity to break out of its recent road woes … the Revs are 1-6-0 on the road this season, with the team’s lone win coming on March 31 with a 3-1 win at LA … the Revs are winless in their last four road games.
Revs Take on Paul Mariner’s Reds
The Revs’ first-year head coach Jay Heaps will see a familiar face on the sideline on Saturday when the Revs face Toronto FC as the Reds will be led by newly-appointed head coach Paul Mariner … Mariner, who was an assistant coach with the Revs from 2004 to 2009, became the head coach of TFC on June 7 and will make his home debut at BMO Field on Saturday.
Time for a First at BMO Field?
Despite posting an undefeated 4-0-2 record all-time at home against Toronto, the Revs have never won a game on the road against the Reds … New England is 0-2-3 at BMO Field since the stadium opened in 2007 … BMO Field is one of two current MLS stadiums at which the Revolution has gone winless (minimum of five games played) … the Revs are 0-2-3 at Colorado’s Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
Late-Game Heroics at TFC
The Revs are 0-2-3 in five matches played at BMO Field … in each of the five games played in Toronto, the Revs have conceded costly second-half goals … the Revs picked up draws at BMO Field in 2008, 2009 and 2011 following second-half Toronto goals … in 2009 and 2010, the Revs surrendered second-half goals to lose the matches.
June Unbeaten Streak
After losing 2-1 at D.C. to end May’s schedule, the Revs have a modest two-game unbeaten streak (1-0-1) in June … the Revs opened up the month with a 2-0 win over Chicago (June 2), before the 0-0 draw on Saturday against Columbus … this is the third two-game unbeaten streak of the season and ties the season-high … the team earned back-to-back wins in March against Portland and LA, and also had a 1-0-1 stretch from May 12 to May 19 against Vancouver and Houston, respectively.
Picking Up Points in the East
With a draw against Columbus on Saturday, the Revs have recorded points in consecutive matches against Eastern Conference foes after going 0-5-0 against Eastern teams to start the year … following last weekend’s draw, the Revs are 1-4-2 in conference play this year … 10 of the Revs’ next 11 games scheduled against Eastern Conference teams.
Revs Remain Top 10 in Goals Per Game
Despite the 0-0 score line on Saturday, the Revs enter the week tied with Chicago for eighth in MLS in goals per game (1.29) … Saturday’s match marked the fifth time this season the team was shut out, but it was the first time since April 28 – a span of seven matches … following the team’s last shutout, the Revs responded with a six-game goal-scoring streak – including five multiple-goal games.
Reis Shuts the Door Again
Matt Reis posted his second consecutive shutout on Saturday, extending his shutout streak to 209 minutes, spanning three games … his current streak dates back to the 62nd minute on May 26 at D.C. United … Saturday’s shutout was the 66th shutout of Reis’ career, and his third of the season … this is the 13th time that Reis has recorded back-to-back shutouts in his 15-year MLS career.
Reserves Return to Action
The Revolution reserves (2-2-1, 7 pts.) return to action on Saturday against the Toronto FC reserves (1-3-1, 4 pts.), immediately following the first-team match … the Revolution reserves captured a 1-0 win against the Columbus reserves on Sunday morning and now sit second in the Eastern Division of the Reserve League, tied with Montreal, with seven points … Columbus is the current divisional leader with 12 points.
YOUTH UPDATE
Playoff Bound!
Following their results on Saturday, June 16, both the Under-18 and Under-16 teams have qualified for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs … the U16s have qualified each of the last three years, while the U18s have qualified twice in three years (2010, 2012) … the Playoffs will be held Monday, June 25 through Friday, June 29, in Frisco, Texas.
Playoff Opponents Announced
The U.S. Soccer Development Academy has announced playoff groups following a draw, held on Monday, June 18 … the Under-18s will play group games against the New York Red Bulls (NJ), Chivas USA (CA) and Charlotte Soccer Academy (NC) … the Revs’ U16s will play group games against the Dallas Texans (TX), Alberston SC (NY) and Pateadores (CA) … the winners of each of the eight groups in each age division will advance to Finals Week, July 16-23, in Houston.
Under-18s
The Under-18s went 1-1-0 during the weekend, picking up three points in their final weekend of the regular season … the U18s earned a 4-0 victory against Seacoast United in Epping, N.H., on Saturday, June 16, before suffering a 4-0 loss to Empire United in Syracuse, N.Y., on Sunday, June 17 … the U18s closed out the season with a 12-10-4 (40 pts.) overall record … with their 6-3-1 (19 pts.) divisional record, the U18s finished second in the Northeast Division of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s East Conference.
Under-16s
The Under-16s went 2-0-0 during the weekend, sweeping their final weekend of the regular season … the U16s earned a 4-3 win against Seacoast United on Saturday, before topping Empire United, 4-1, on Sunday … the U16s closed out the season with a 17-6-3 (54 pts.) overall record … with their 7-1-2 (23 pts.) division record, the U16s finished second in the Northeast Division of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy’s East Conference.
2012-13 Tryouts Announced
The Revolution will hold tryouts for its newly-created Revolution Academy Under-14 team, as well as its existing Under-16 and Under-18 teams, at Gillette Stadium on Monday, July 2 … players born in the following years are eligible to try out: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 … there is no fee to try out, but all prospective players must register for the tryout no later than Sunday, July 1 … players who have not already registered will not be allowed to tryout on July 2 … registration forms and information, as well as the July 2 tryout schedule, can be found online at revolutionsoccer.net/academy/2012-open-tryouts
