FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (8-17-8, 32 pts) will close its 2012 season when the team travels to face the Montreal Impact (12-15-6, 42 pts.) at Stade Saputo at 2 p.m., on Saturday, Oct. 27.
The Revolution 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 meeting will conclude the regular-season series between the two teams in 2012. Montreal has won both previous meetings this season, defeating the Revs, 2-1, on July 18 at Stade Saputo before claiming a 1-0 win on Aug. 18 at Gillette Stadium.
SERIES INFORMATION VS MONTREAL IMPACT
Team Notes vs. Montreal
• Saturday’s meeting will be the third-ever meeting between the Revs and the Impact as Montreal holds a 2-0-0 lead in the series that began this season
• The Revs are 0-1-0 at Stade Saputo after falling, 2-1, in the inaugural meeting on July 18, 2012
• In the second meeting between the clubs on Aug. 18, 2012, Montreal defeated New England, 1-0, in the Impact’s first visit to Gillette Stadium
• The Revs are 10-11-6 all-time against expansion teams in their inaugural seasons ... that record includes two draws with the Houston Dynamo in 2006, which was considered an expansion team after relocating from San Jose
• Since 2005, New England is 9-6-6 against expansion teams in their inaugural seasons ... the Revs went 1-5-0 against the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion in 1998, just two years after MLS’ inaugural season.
Player Notes vs. Montreal
• Lee Nguyen is the only Revolution player to score a goal against Montreal … he had the Revs’ lone goal against the Impact on July 18
• Kelyn Rowe recorded the assist on Lee Nguyen’s goal on July 18
• In the teams’ first meeting on July 18, Darrius Barnes made his first start of 2012, playing center back
• Sainey Nyassi made his first appearance of the year in the July 18 match at Saputo Stadium, playing on the field at the same time as his twin brother, Sanna, who scored the game-winning goal for Montreal
• Matt Reis has started both games in the series and is 0-2-0 with a 1.50 goals against average and three saves
TEAM NOTES
Closing the Book on 2012
With the Revolution out of the playoffs, the Revs’ regular-season finale on Saturday will be the final match of the season … in the six previous season finales (1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2010, 2011) that ended the team’s season, the Revs have gone 1-4-1, winning only in 1999 at D.C. United (2-1).
Still Seeking Coveted First Win in Canada
The Saturday visit to Montreal also presents the Revs a chance to do something the club has never done before: win on Canadian soil … since 2007, the Revs are winless (0-3-5) in eight trips to Canada … the Revs are 0-2-4 in Toronto, 0-0-1 in Vancouver and 0-1-0 at Montreal after a 2-1 Impact victory in the Revs’ first visit on July 18 … despite dropping the last two home matches to Canadian teams, the Revs are 5-2-2 when hosting Canadian teams at Gillette Stadium.
One-Goal Game Goes Revs’ Way
Saturday’s 1-0 win against Chicago was the Revs’ 18th one-goal match this season and the victory improved the Revs’ record in one-goal games to 3-15-0 … prior to the win, the Revs had lost their previous 11 one-goal games dating back to May 5 at Salt Lake … the Revs are tied with Columbus and Real Salt Lake (18) for the most one-goal games in MLS this year.
Locking Up on a High Note
The Revs rounded out their 2012 home schedule on Saturday against Chicago and sent their fans home with a win … the Revs closed their Gillette Stadium slate with a five-game unbeaten streak (2-0-3), which began on Aug. 29 … in the last five games, the Revs drew with Chivas USA (3-3, Aug. 29) and Philadelphia (0-0, Sept. 1), defeated Columbus (1-0, Sept. 5), drew with New York (1-1, Sept. 22) and defeated Chicago (1-0).
Home Improvement
The Revs posted a 7-4-6 record at Gillette Stadium this season, a nine-point improvement at home over the team’s 4-7-6 mark in 2011 … the Revs also scored 23 goals (1.35 goals per game), and added 17 assists, also an improvement over the team’s 17 goals (1.00 goals per game) and 11 assists in 2011.
One Stretch Left to Snap
A win in Montreal on Saturday would also end the Revs’ season on a high note after going winless on the road in the last 13 games … since earning a 3-1 win at LA on March 31, the Revs have gone 0-11-2 away from Foxborough … in all but one of those 11 losses – the 2-0 loss at Houston on Sept. 29 – the Revs lost by one goal.
Shuttleworth Shuts the Door
Bobby Shuttleworth recorded his second shutout of the season in the 1-0 win against Chicago on Saturday … with three career shutouts in 19 appearances (all since 2010), Shuttleworth moved up the club goalkeeper shutout charts, claiming sole possession of eighth place … after passing Jim St. Andre (2 shutouts), Shuttleworth is now one clean sheet from tying Aidan Heaney (4) for seventh on the list.
Rowe Knows How to Contribute
Kelyn Rowe recorded his team-leading fifth assist of the season on Saturday night, setting up Diego Fagundez’s 17th-minute game-winning goal against Chicago … Rowe has factored in the last three Revolution goals scored dating back to his goal on Sept. 15 at D.C. United … Rowe then assisted Darrius Barnes’ 95th-minute equalizer on Sept. 22 against New York before the Revs were held scoreless in consecutive games on Sept. 29 at Houston (2-0) and Oct. 6 at Philadelphia (1-0).
Fagundez is Focused at Home
Diego Fagundez has become a fan favorite in Foxborough since scoring his first-career goal in his professional debut against Chivas USA on Aug. 6, 2011 … Fagundez’s cheers have been well-earned, though, as the Leominster, Mass. native has scored all four of his career goals at Gillette Stadium, including his 17th-minute game-winning goal on Saturday against Chicago … in total, Fagundez has made 19 of his 25 career appearances in front of the Revs’ home crowd.
Fall Fans Flock to Gillette Stadium
The Revs welcomed 25,534 fans to Gillette Stadium on Saturday night for its 2012 home finale … Saturday’s crowd was the team’s largest of the season and the fourth-largest stand-alone Revs crowd in Gillette Stadium history … it was the largest stand-alone Revs game since Aug. 8, 2009, when 26,623 fans came out to watch the Revs battle the LA Galaxy.
Attendance Rising
Saturday’s crowd of 25,534 – coupled with the 24,364 fans that came out on Sept. 22, when the Revs hosted New York – the Revs averaged 24,949 fans in its last home two games of the season … the two high attendance numbers in the last two games pushed the Revs’ average attendance from 12,542 prior to those two games to 14,001 to close the season.
Home is Where His Heart is
Who needs a greeting card when you have 25,534 fans witnessing a birthday wish? … 17-year old Diego Fagundez scored the game-winning goal in the 17th minute at Gillette Stadium on Saturday and lifted his jersey to reveal a “Happy B-Day Mom” message … said Fagundez after the game, “It was her birthday, so I decided to make this shirt for her and today we just came out, we wanted a win. We started (the season) with a win at home so we wanted to end with a win.”
Shots Fired This Season
Through 33 games, the Revolution’s 448 shots this season rank second club history … the club’s record for season shot total is 468, set in the 32-game season of 1998 … on Saturday against Chicago, the team posted eight shots, surpassing the fourth-place (2003, 440 shots) and third-place (2000, 441 shots) teams in the club’s record book.
Goal Differential Difference
With a -6 goal differential heading into the season finale on Saturday, the Revs have already improved upon that statistic from 2011 … in 2010, the Revs were -18 on the season, and then -20 in 2011 … the team’s last positive goal differential occurred in 2007 (plus-eight), but the Revs qualified for the playoffs in 2008 (-3) and 2009 (-4) despite negative goal differentials.
YOUTH UPDATE
Youth Go 1-1-1 against Red Bulls
This past weekend, all three youth teams were in action, hosting the New York Red Bulls at Regis College in Weston, Mass., on Sunday, Oct. 21 … the U18s suffered a 5-2 loss, while the U16s came away with a scoreless draw and the U14s won, 2-1.
Met Oval Up Next
The youth teams will next face Met Oval at Regis College in Weston, Mass, on Sunday, Oct. 28 … the U14s will kick off at 1 p.m., followed by the U18s at 2:30 p.m. and the U16s at 5 p.m.
