Shutout was Real lesson

FOXBOROUGH -- Since Steve Nicol became coach in 2002, the Revolution have not surrendered more than four goals in a match. And, though an MLS Select team guided by Nicol lost, 5-0, to Real Madrid Tuesday, Nicol considered it a profitable experience for the players, which included the Revolution's Clint Dempsey, Shalrie Joseph, and goalkeeper Matt Reis.

''I wouldn't say it was a mistake to take a team like we did," Nicol said after practice yesterday. ''We needed longer to prepare from a physical point of view. I thought we did well for an hour -- we were competitive. The difference was finishing -- their free kick [by David Beckham] and the great finishes by Ronaldo. Matt had no chance on any of the goals.

''The score line is disappointing, but if you ask all the players who played in the game, they all learned something. It was a great experience, the atmosphere was fantastic, everyone loved it."

Nicol was named coach because the Revolution (12-5-6) are in first place in the overall standings going into tomorrow's game against D.C. United. The MLS considered sending the first-place team, then settled on an all-star group that included at least one player from every team. The Revolution played five games in 15 days, but had no matches scheduled since Aug. 18.

''If you send one team, you have a lot more cohesion, a lot more understanding, from the fact that everyone is used to playing together," Nicol said. ''If you have a Saturday off, so you have a full two weeks between games, you could play a game like this. [The Revolution] had some time off, but it would not have been ideal, because we had just played [five games in 15 days]."

Most of the MLS players met in Chicago for the flight to Spain Sunday. Nicol conducted a brief training session Monday and some players took brief tours of Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and the Prado Museum.

''It was three hours to Chicago, another three- or four-hour layover, then seven hours to Madrid," Nicol said. ''The time difference and 9:30 kickoff, plus the fact that we were playing one of the top three teams in the world. We could have saved ourselves from making it a tougher task. You can't explain to anyone what that type of travel does to the body. You can't be 100 percent after that, and you need to be against a team like that."

Joseph attempted to maximize the experience, spending time in the Bernabeu trophy room and talking with Real Madrid players, especially Thomas Gravesen, who plays the same defensive midfield position.

''The scoreline was a little deceiving, because we tried to get a lot of people into the game," Joseph said. ''But Real Madrid really is that good. In the first half, they closed us down fast. They shut everyone down and the pace was so fast. I could have done more to help the team, distributed the ball better. I got better as the game went on and tried to hit the ball long to the forwards and get it wide. I tried to get the ball to [the forwards'] feet and put them in good positions to run at people.

''All of their players were nice and professional. The guys who spoke English were friendly and I tried to get some hints and feedback from [Gravesen]; I was impressed at how quick and what a really good player he is. We didn't have as much time to prepare as we needed, but it was a learning experience. We played the best team in the world and tried get as much from it as we could."

D.C. United forward Jaime Moreno sustained a foot sprain early in the first half against Real Madrid and is questionable for tomorrow's game . . . Freddy Adu (right knee sprain) played for the first time in nearly a month as United tied FC Dallas, 1-1, and was eliminated on penalty kicks in a US Open Cup match Wednesday.