Dube quickly making a name for himself
Mkhokheli "Kheli" Dube scored his first goal since joining the Revolution this season in a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes Saturday night. But Dube's movement that led to the second goal, San Jose defender James Riley heading it into his own net, was symbolic of the Revolution's new look this year.
Dube started the sequence by heading the ball back to midfielder Jeff Larentowicz near the right sideline about 40 yards from goal. As Larentowicz lofted the ball toward the penalty arc, Dube had his back to the goal. But he quickly spun and sprinted toward the penalty area, his speedy arrival contributing to a mix-up between Riley and goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
It was a play that combined desire, agility, and speed, which have marked much of New England's play this season.
The Revolution (5-3-1, 16 points) moved into a tie with Chicago (5-2-1) for second place behind Columbus (6-1-1, 19 points), Saturday's opponent, in the overall Major League Soccer standings.
Though the Revolution seemed to sink into the doldrums in the second half against San Jose, they were energized in the late going by Sainey Nyassi on the right wing in his first appearance since he suffered a groin strain a month ago. Nyassi went at defenders, performed high-velocity stepovers, and fired two shots, one of which was stopped by Cannon, the other sliding past the far post. On both shots, Kenny Mansally, Nyassi's Gambian countryman, was in position to threaten.
It was the first time the Revolution have had an all-African starting forward combination, with Dube (Zimbabwe) and Mansally. But the pairing could be broken up as the team's all-time leading scorer, Taylor Twellman, is expected to return against the Crew.
"All I care about is this team, I don't care about me being in the starting lineup," Dube said. "As long as I'm part of the team, and the team wins, I'm happy.
"This is not a one-person game, it's a team game. Whatever happens, that's the coach's decision, and whatever decision he makes is good for me because I'm just happy being on the Revs. It's a good team in MLS, and it was my dream to come and play in MLS."
Though Dube has experienced pressure situations, having performed in the African Champions Cup for Highlanders FC, he believes he needed a gradual assimilation into MLS.
"It's hard to just come in and start," Dube said. "They gave me games to get adjusted to MLS. You can't just come in and play. You have to get used to the MLS style of play, so I'm just happy to be given the opportunity.
"It's always nice to start a match, but for me it's my first year so I was just happy with where I was, getting minutes to play, and now a chance to start. It's a good thing for me."
Dube nearly did not make it this far.
Though he was impressive during preseason indoor training, he was unable to accompany the team to Bermuda and Cancun because he was in the United States on a student visa. But Dube performed well during the team's tour to New Orleans, combining with Twellman in a 4-0 win over Honduran power Marathon in a scrimmage. And as a reserve, Dube has been well-positioned and has maintained possession.
"He scored a goal, he held the ball up, defended well, made good decisions, all the things we asked of him he did high-quality," Revolution coach Steve Nicol said.
Dube's goal was the 400th at Gillette Stadium since it began playing host to international and professional matches in 2002.
Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com.
