Revolution fired up for rematch
FOXBOROUGH - With elimination on the line, the Revolution nearly always seem to defeat the Chicago Fire. The Revolution have won four successive times and are 5-1 against the Fire since 2002 with playoff advancement or a playoff berth at stake.
But the Fire (3-1-1, 10 points) seem quite capable of confronting the Revolution (3-2-1, 10 points) on even terms this season, judging by a 4-0 victory over New England April 3. The Fire capitalized on the seventh-minute ejection of Revolution midfielder Jeff Larentowicz in that match in Bridgeview, Ill.
"It was a crazy game at their place, a great environment," midfielder Shalrie Joseph recalled yesterday. "That has sparked us to return the favor. We expect them to be confident. They outscored us and outplayed us the first time. They really handed it to us. But that was a wake-up call, an early-season one, and now we know what we are capable of."
The Revolution, who host the Fire tonight at Gillette Stadium, surrendered four goals in the first 39 minutes of the match against Chicago. In 411 minutes since, opponents have scored thrice against the Revolution.
"It should be easier 11 v. 11," Revolution coach Steve Nicol said. "It will be nice to play them on level terms. Everyone plays each other so many times in the Eastern Conference that every game is a rivalry."
The Revolution concluded the first match against Chicago with only nine healthy players, right back Chris Albright hobbling on a bruised right ankle for the final 20-plus minutes, and unable to perform since. Albright will return to the starting lineup tonight in a three-defender setup alongside Jay Heaps and Michael Parkhurst.
"[Albright] wasn't injured last week but he wasn't ready," Nicol said. "That's why we took an extra week with him."
The depth of the Revolution roster is allowing players to fully recuperate from injuries. Steve Ralston (dislocated shoulder) will be available tonight but will be a backup for Mauricio Castro. Taylor Twellman (knee surgery) has been training at nearly full speed but will be held out at least until the Revolution visit Chivas USA a week from tomorrow.
Chicago's Cuauhtemoc Blanco, a former Mexican national team star, will draw much of the focus in this match.
"Jeff [Larentowicz] and I will keep an eye on him," Joseph said of Blanco. "He floats around, he always wants the ball, and he can beat you with a touch, a dribble, the perfect pass. We need to limit his touches and his space, sometimes get the boot in on him. Whoever comes into our place is in for a battle, it doesn't matter who they are. But he doesn't like to defend and we need to make him work, make him defend, so he spends more time defending and he won't have the energy for those killer balls."
Nicol considers Blanco's positioning "good and bad."
"The fact he's in strange spots helps us when we have the ball," Nicol said. "But it helps them out on the attacking side. We have to know where he is when we lose the ball."
George Wilson Welcome, who scored for Honduras in a 1-0 win over the United States in the final game of the Olympic qualifying tournament in March, will join the Revolution on a tryout basis next week. Welcome is contracted to Arsenal de las Islas de la Bahia in Honduras. "This is a great challenge for me," Welcome told the Tegucigalpa daily El Heraldo. "It's the chance I've been waiting for." . . . The Fire last defeated the Revolution in an elimination situation in the 2003 Eastern Conference championship game (1-0 in overtime) at Soldier Field. The Revolution clinched a playoff berth with a 2-1 win over the Fire at Gillette Stadium in the final game of the '04 season and have eliminated Chicago in the playoffs three successive seasons.
Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com.
