Nicol's message: Give it a rest
FOXBOROUGH -- As the Revolution practiced yesterday through a light morning rain, most of the starters were absent.
The 100 or so fans who lined the field to watch, and secure a spot for the postpractice autograph session, didn't get to catch Taylor Twellman, Pat Noonan, Matt Reis, Shalrie Joseph, Andy Dorman, or a few other regulars.
In the midst of a grueling stretch of six games in 18 days -- which continues tomorrow when New England plays host to the Los Angeles Galaxy -- coach Steve Nicol wasn't taking any chances on tiring his players.
"The coaches do it right," said midfielder Jeff Larentowicz, who did practice. "They know what the players need in terms of days off."
Nicol has also given some players more rest than normal in games, including Larentowicz, who sat out the final 18 minutes of a 3-0 loss to D.C. United Sunday.
Against the Harrisburg City Islanders in a US Open Cup quarterfinal Wednesday, Twellman got a blow for the last 27 minutes of the 2-1 win.
"You try to give guys rest whenever you can," said midfielder Khano Smith. "[Nicol] gave Taylor a rest the other night, so I'm sure he tries to give people rest to keep us healthy and fresh."
Adding to the rigor of this stretch -- which started with an Aug. 2 home game against Kansas City and ends with a road game against the Wizards Aug. 19 -- is the heat and the fact that this is the time of year when matches tend to run together.
The Major League Soccer season stretches from early April to November, and at this point, the beginning and end of the season both seem far away.
"Around July and August is when you realize how long the season is," Larentowicz said.
"It is a tough time, but obviously, the mark of a good team is the ability to get through stretches like this."
The Eastern Conference-leading Revolution (9-4-6, 33 points) still have to prove they can survive this portion of the schedule. New England took out Kansas City, 2-0, but looked lifeless in the loss to United three days later.
The Revolution handled Harrisburg, but the Islanders are a lower-division opponent (United Soccer League).
Fatigue might be a factor, but there isn't much chance of the Revolution losing focus or overlooking the Galaxy (3-6-5, 14 points), considering the arrival of megastar David Beckham. A sellout crowd of 32,000 is expected, as well as a mob of media.
Beckham, still rehabbing a sprained left ankle, played his first MLS game Thursday night, entering as a substitute in the 72d minute in a 1-0 loss to D.C. United.
"He looked pretty frustrated out there, but he created some chances and he's a dangerous player, obviously," Larentowicz said.
Beckham will bring plenty of hoopla to Foxborough, which the Revolution have embraced, despite having to field extra ticket requests and answer question after question from the press about the former captain of the English national team.
"This is why he came, you know, to create a buzz," Larentowicz said. "And if that's what it takes, to answer a couple of questions, that's what it takes."
Michael Parkhurst practiced for the first time since hyperextending his right knee against D.C. United. "It's really day to day," he said. "Today was the first day I kind of pushed it a little bit, and it felt pretty good. So we'll see how I feel later in the day. We'll see how the swelling is, so hopefully, I'll be able to get some training in tomorrow and play on Sunday." . . . Smith was asked what he would say to Beckham before the game if he got a chance. "I'd ask him for his jersey." . . . Adam Cristman (turf toe), Smith (right knee sprain), and defender Jay Heaps (left calf contusion) are listed as probable.
Daniel Malloy can be reached at dmalloy@globe.com. 
