FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (4-11-9, 21 pts.) return home for two Eastern Conference match-ups on Wednesday and Saturday at Gillette Stadium, their last two home games in the summer months.

The Revs will welcome the Houston Dynamo (7-7-10, 31 pts.) on Wednesday, Aug. 17, at 8 p.m., and then take on rival New York Red Bulls (6-6-13, 31 pts.) on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be televised regionally on Comcast SportsNet, and carried locally on the radio by 98.5 The Sports Hub. 

Both matches this week wrap up season series. New England fell to the Dynamo in Houston on April 17 – a 1-0 loss at Robertson Stadium – and on June 10, the Revs were unable to erase a two-goal deficit at Red Bull Arena, falling 2-1, despite Zak Boggs’ second-half strike.

SERIES INFORMATION VS. HOUSTON

• New England and Houston have met 11 times in the overall MLS regular-season series, with the Revs holding a 6-2-3 record against the Dynamo … the Revolution is 6-3-5 against the Dynamo in all competitions, including the MLS Cup Playoffs and SuperLiga
• The Revs hold a 2-1-2 lead in matches played in Foxborough, including a 1-0 win last August … New England’s first - and only - loss to Houston came in Foxborough on May 3, 2009, a 2-0 defeat at Gillette Stadium
• The Revs are 4-1-1 in matches played in Houston, picking up their first-ever loss in an away match against the Dynamo earlier this year in April
• In all but one meeting – the 2-1 Revs win in Houston on Oct. 10, 2010 - the winning team has recorded a shutout, or the match has ended in a draw … overall, there have been seven shutouts in 11 all-time meetings
• Saturday’s meeting between the two teams will be the second and final meeting between the teams in 2011 …the Dynamo previously defeated the Revolution 1-0 in Houston on April 17
• New England and Houston have met in three tournament finals in the last six years (MLS Cup 2006, MLS Cup 2007, SuperLiga 2008) … Houston won the 2006 MLS title match in penalty kicks after extra time finished 1-1 in Frisco, Texas, and then one year later took the 2007 championship with a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory in Washington, D.C. … the Revs won SuperLiga 2008 in penalty kicks after the teams were knotted at 2-2 after extra time at Gillette Stadium
• Houston’s 1-0 win over New England on April 17, 2011, was only the second time the Revolution have been shut out by the Dynamo, the other match coming on May 3, 2009…the two shutouts are also the only two times the Revs have lost to the Dynamo in regular-season play

PLAYER NOTES VS. HOUSTON

• Kheli Dube has scored three goals and added one assist to lead all active Revs against Houston … all his points have come on the road in the away matches in 2008, 2009 and 2010
• Shalrie Joseph has scored three goals in nine regular-season contests and is the only Revolution player besides Kheli Dube to have scored multiple goals against Houston … he also scored the game-tying goal against Houston in extra time of the SuperLiga 2008 final, sending the match to penalty kicks
• Sainey Nyassi has also recorded one goal and one assist against Houston
• Kevin Alston recorded the first assist of his career in 2009 at Houston, picking up the second assist on Kheli Dube’s game-winning goal
• Matt Reis is 5-2-3 in his regular-season career against the Dynamo with an 0.80 goals against average and five shutouts
• Bobby Shuttleworth has one win in one appearance against Houston, making a career-high six saves in the October meeting in 2010
• Former Rev Steve Ralston is Houston’s assistant coach, and still holds a share of the New England career scoring lead against the Dynamo with three goals and one assist in seven regular-season appearances.

SERIES information vs. NEW YORK

• The Revs lead the all-time, regular-season series with the New York Red Bulls (formerly the New York/New Jersey MetroStars), 25-18-11 … the Revs are 17-4-4 mark in Foxborough – including a 10-1-3 record at Gillette Stadium … on the road, the Revs trail the all-time series, 8-14-7, against New York (0-2-0 at Red Bull Arena in MLS regular-season action)
• Saturday’s match is the second of two matches between the two clubs this season … the Red Bulls previously defeated the Revolution 2-1 on June 10 at Red Bull Arena
• New York’s 2-1 win at Red Bull Arena on June 10 marked the Red Bulls’ second win in a row over New England … previously, the Revs ran off a 14-game regular-season unbeaten streak against the New York club, dating back to the end of the 2005 season
• The Revs are 10-0-3 in their last 13 home games against the Red Bulls dating back to 2002 … New York hasn’t won in Foxborough since June 29, 2002 – a 2-0 win in the club’s first-ever visit to Gillette Stadium.
• Saturday’s game will mark the 63nd all-time meeting between the Revolution and Red Bulls in MLS regular-season, postseason and tournament action combined, tied for the most meetings against any opponent in club history … the Revs have also played D.C. United 63 total times
• New England and New York have met in the postseason three times – all since 2003 – and the Revs have eliminated New York on each occasion … the clubs most recent playoff encounter was in the 2007 Eastern Conference Semifinals

Player Notes vs. NEW YORK

• Shalrie Joseph, a New York product, is the team’s active leader in scoring against New York, with two goals and eight assists in 25 games … two of his assists came in last year’s May 29 meeting at Gillette Stadium
• Four other current players – Zak Boggs, Kenny Mansally, Sainey Nyassi and Zack Schilawski – have all also scored single goals against New York in their careers
• Kenny Mansally’s goal came in the March 28, 2009, meeting at Giants Stadium, when he struck in the 90th minute to tie the game at 1-1
• Zak Boggs recorded the Revs’ first-ever goal at Red Bull Arena earlier this year in the 2-1 loss on June 10
• After Shalrie Joseph’s 25 appearances and Matt Reis’ 22 appearances, no other player has made more than nine appearances against New York
• Kheli Dube, Matt Reis and Chris Tierney have each recorded assists against New York
• Matt Reis is 11-3-7 in his Revolution career against the Red Bulls, posting a 1.27 goals against average and seven shutouts

TEAM NOTES
Houston, We’ll Have a Close One …

With the Revs hosting Houston on Wednesday, fans can expect yet another close battle …since Houston entered MLS in 2006, the two teams have played incredibly close matches … eight of the teams’ 11 meetings have resulted in either a one-goal difference in the final score, or a draw, including each of the last four matches.

Shutout History to Continue?

In addition to close matches, New England and Houston have had a history of winning by shutout … in all but one meeting – the 2-1 Revs win in Houston on Oct. 10, 2010 - the winner’s final outcome has come via a shutout … New England has posted five shutouts, while Houston has posted two.

… And Reis Thrives Against Orange

Of the seven shutouts in the New England-Houston series, Matt Reis accounts for five of them himself …  in fact, his 0.80 goals against average against the Dynamo is his best GAA against any opponent in his career, besting his 0.92 GAA against LA in 13 meetings … his .650 winning percentage against Houston is also his fourth-best winning percentage against any opponent, following .750 against Seattle (3-1-0), .675 against New York (10-3-7) and .680 against Dallas (9-4-1).

Pat on the Back

More known as a defensive midfielder, Pat Phelan has added a new – unexpected – role this year: set-up man … now tied for the team lead with three assists, Phelan has tripled his career total (spanning three previous seasons entering 2011) this year … on Saturday, Phelan added to his totals when he played a give-and-go with Benny Feilhaber late in the first half at Columbus, leading to Feilhaber’s 45th-minute goal … coincidently, Phelan and tied with Feilhaber for the team lead in assists, with three apiece.

Feilhaber’s First Strikes

Benny Feilhaber recorded his second goal of the season on Saturday in Columbus, striking in the 45th minute to send the Revs into the half up, 1-0 … his goal marked the second time this year he gave the Revs a 1-0 lead … Feilhaber netted a 25th-minute goal to give the Revs an early 1-0 lead at Colorado on July 23 … both of his goals are go-ahead goals this year, and both have come on the road in the first half.

Finding the Net of Late

While the Revs have scored just 24 goals this season – the lowest total in the league – the club has now scored in each of its last five matches and in eight of its nine MLS matches dating back to June 18 … the team’s current five-game scoring streak is its longest of the season, surpassing the four-game streak the club started the season with … in the last five games, the Revs have posted a 1.40 goals per game average, significantly better than its 0.96 goals per game average for the entire season.

Need to Preserve Home Record Against East

The Revs have two games this week against Eastern Conference foes – Houston on Wednesday and New York on Saturday – and enter Wednesday’s match with a winning record against the East at Gillette Stadium … the Revs are 2-1-2 in their five home matches within the conference, picking up points in all but one game – a 3-0 loss to Philadelphia on July 17 … additionally, the team has scored 1.20 goals per game in those five home matches against Eastern teams. 

Running the (Red) Bulls Out of Town

While New York snapped the Revs’ 14-game undefeated streak against them last fall, the Revs still have one significant streak intact against the Red Bulls … the Revs enter Saturday’s match riding a 13-game undefeated home streak against New York, going 10-0-3 in their last 13 home games against the Red Bulls dating back to 2002 … New York hasn’t won in Foxborough since June 29, 2002 – a 2-0 win in the club’s first-ever visit to Gillette Stadium.

Diego Sees First Road Action

After making his MLS debut at home against Chivas USA on August 6, 16-year-old Home Grown player Diego Fagundez made his road debut last weekend … he entered the game on Saturday in Columbus in the 79th-minute, replacing Stephen McCarthy and coming on as a forward … Fagundez has now made two appearances – both coming in the last two games – scoring one goal.

Long Way to Columbus for Mansally

Kenny Mansally had a busy week before Saturday’s match at Columbus … last Sunday (Aug. 7), Mansally left Boston to meet up with Gambia for its Wednesday friendly win against Congo in Banjul, Gambia … the Black Scorpions won, 3-0, with Mansally logging 40 minutes as a substitute … on Thursday, Mansally then made the full-day trip back to the U.S., arriving in Boston on Friday night and departing immediately for Columbus where he met the Revs … following Wednesday’s match, Mansally now has eight caps for Gambia and is still searching for his first career international goal.

Reserves Return to Action Sunday

The Revolution Reserves return to action this weekend, facing the New York Red Bulls Reserves at 10 a.m. on the Gillette Stadium field … earlier this year on June 11, the Revs defeated the New York Reserves, 2-0 … the Revs’ reserves are 3-2-1 on the season, winning their last three games and going undefeated in their last four matches overall.