Revolution catch a break

After tonight, some downtime

FOXBOROUGH - The Revolution have one game to worry about tonight, and then eight days before they return to action. The break is a welcome one, considering the tough stretch they have endured since winning the SuperLiga title Aug. 5.

The Revolution are 1-3-2 in MLS matches since the SuperLiga championship, their most recent match a 4-0 loss last Saturday to the Columbus Crew, who lead the Eastern Conference and have the best record in the league. Tonight, the Revolution host Chivas USA, which is third in the Western Conference behind Houston and Real Salt Lake.

The game will be the 11th in 38 days for the Revolution, who have played an average of two per week since the beginning of August. With the addition of three in-season tournaments, the Revolution have played 33 matches. An MLS regular season is 30 games.

Following the loss to Columbus Saturday, Revolution coach Steve Nicol said his team didn't have the "legs" to compete with the Crew. When a team is tired, the next step is mental fatigue, according to goalkeeper Matt Reis.

"You take easy ways out and you don't do the hard stuff you have to do to make sure you compete every day," Reis said. "The important thing for us is to make sure we get our rest in.

"We're going to get back into a regular schedule. We're going to actually have some time to train and get in a good week of work before we have a game. I think that's most important."

With six games remaining in the regular season after tonight, the Revolution can't afford to wait too much longer to regain their energy. Teams in the conference are closing the gap, with D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls each 6 points behind the Revolution and the Chicago Fire, who are tied for second.

If you count the Revolution's 4-0 loss to Joe Public FC in the preliminary round of the CONCACAF Champions League, the Revolution have lost back-to-back games by a combined score of 8-0.

"[Tonight], we just need to see some passion to play the game," Nicol said. "We had a couple of days off, which is great, but we need more than that to get ourselves back to where we want. So, it's about giving everything. That's one thing that this team does."

In previous years, September has been kind to the Revolution, but last year they had just one victory in their last five league matches. But the Revolution managed to advance to the MLS Cup final for the third year in a row.

If the Revolution hope to earn a playoff spot, they will need to take advantage of the upcoming days off to get players healthy. Forward Taylor Twellman has been paired with various midfielders, as forwards Kenny Mansally (ankle sprain) and Kheli Dube (adductor strain) recover from injuries.

Nicol said Mansally could play about 15 minutes tonight if needed, and Dube is expected to return to practice in about a week. The Revolution have already lost forward Adam Cristman, who had season-ending toe surgery last week.

"We've been piecing midfielders up front with Taylor and it works, but we're not as dangerous and effective as when we have our forwards out there," Reis said.

Midfielder Steve Ralston said he is ready to return to the lineup tonight after missing two weeks because of back spasms. He is among the team's leading scorers with six goals and five assists in 16 MLS games.

After watching the loss to the Crew on television, Ralston said he is eager to return.

"It was difficult to watch," Ralston said. "Obviously, it wasn't our best game, to say the least. You could see that we just weren't there physically and mentally. Hopefully, we'll get our legs back and move forward and . . . get some good training sessions in and be able to move forward."

Chivas USA at Revolution
When: Tonight, 7
Where: Gillette Stadium
TV/radio: ESPN2, WEEI (850 AM)

Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com