Revolution hope Dallas episode isn't a rerun

Taylor Twellman knows very well how to score - he is by far the most prolific US-born scorer of the decade. And Twellman, who has 102 goals in all competitions since joining the Revolution in 2002, has learned lessons about how to react after converting.

The Revolution might have overdone things last November after Twellman scored their first goal in 346 minutes of MLS Cup play, as they squandered that lead less than a minute later against the Houston Dynamo. Now the Revolution return to the same site - Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas - for tomorrow's US Open Cup final against FC Dallas.

"There is some irony in the situation, going to our third final in Dallas," Twellman said yesterday. "We are going to go down there and try to get ahead early. And if we score, we're not going to flippin' celebrate as much."

Twellman is unconcerned with any perceived jinxes relating to Pizza Hut Park. The Revolution are 2-1 on the road against FC Dallas since 2005, taking a 2-1 win days after the stadium opening, losing (4-0) last year, and winning (1-0) on a Twellman goal in April. The Revolution completed a sweep of the season series with FC Dallas with a 4-2 win at Gillette Stadium Sept. 15.

"It's still a new stadium and it's a great place to play," Twellman said. "It's always great to play on grass, on a big field. This won't be a typical final, where both teams are feeling each other out. We've played each other enough and we know each other.

"Both [MLS Cup] finals we've played in Dallas have been tough games. We'll play our game and let the chips fall."

Twellman missed the Revolution's 1-0 win over Colorado Saturday with a right groin strain. He appeared to be recovered from the injury, and there was a suggestion that coach Steve Nicol withheld him as a precautionary measure and as further motivation for tomorrow's match.

"Any wee, niggling [injury], rest is going to help," Nicol said. "But [Twellman] is all about scoring goals. He's not interested in anything else, and if he doesn't get chances, he's not happy.

"He knows what his role is and it's about putting the ball in the net. He has to do other stuff, too, and as he has matured as a player, he has gotten better. He has other responsibilities besides scoring goals, but as long as he is scoring goals, we're happy."

Nicol is drawing on the Revolution's recent MLS Cup experiences for the game plan.

"Two years ago, it was a poor game," Nicol said of the Revolution's 1-0 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup. "LA were the underdogs, nothing at all was expected of them. But they had a good run and, offensively, we never broke them down.

"Last year, it was a quirk of fate [a penalty-kick loss to Houston]. Everyone forgets what happened on their goal. The ball ricocheted off Avery [John's] head and went 20 yards from where it was going.

"But the last thing on our minds is losing anything in Dallas. Those finals are done and dusted. We are playing Dallas and looking at how we did against them two weeks ago. If we can get the same things going again, we will cause them trouble."

The Revolution dominated the midfield, Shalrie Joseph setting the tone, and created chances on both wings, Khano Smith having an exceptional performance on the left side.

"The big change is they are at home," Nicol said. "They will also have [Juan] Toja but the fact they are at home is the biggest difference. When I say we want to do what we did here, it means we want to get at them offensively. We will not get as many chances as we did at home, but we want to replicate that as much as we can."

Though the Revolution controlled the action against FC Dallas Sept. 15, they surrendered two goals to Carlos Ruiz. Toja and Pablo Ricchetti have been driving forces in the Dallas midfield, and Denilson, a member of Brazil's 2002 World Cup champion, has added another dimension to the attack since arriving in August.

"[Ruiz] is lethal in the box," Nicol said. "Cutting the service to him is huge. But they've got more players with individual flair than any other team in the league, and that affects how we can close people."

She earned her keep

US women's coach Greg Ryan got the goalkeeping wrong as the Americans were beaten by Brazil, 4-0, in the semifinals of the Women's World Cup in China last week. Ryan's reasoning might have made sense in replacing Hope Solo with Briana Scurry. He believed Brazil's quickness and skill would enable it to produce shots that Scurry would stop because of her agility and experience. But after wins over Sweden (2-0), Nigeria (1-0), and England (3-0), the soccer axiom about keeping a winning team intact should not have been ignored. Scurry was a key part of US success at previous World Cups and Olympics, but Solo should have been in goal for the team's most important game.

Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com