Revolution's bid rejected

Run to playoffs is delayed by Real

FOXBOROUGH - Everything the New England Revolution needed to clinch a playoff berth last night occurred except the one result they could control.

A victory.

A Revolution win coupled with losses by the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United would have sealed an eighth consecutive playoff berth for New England. New York and D.C. both lost, but the Revolution fought to salvage a 2-2 tie against Real Salt Lake in front of 18,893 at Gillette Stadium.

The playoff berth will have to wait another week.

The Revolution scored two goals in the final 13 minutes of the match to erase a 2-0 deficit and gain a point in the Eastern Conference standings. New England trails the conference-leading Columbus Crew by 10 points, while the Chicago Fire have a chance to leapfrog the Revolution for second place with a win today against Kansas City.

"It would have been nice to clinch a playoff spot [last night], but I think we had to come out and put a little more pressure on them," Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston said. "At home we should be the aggressors and try to dictate the game and put them under pressure, and we didn't do that until late in the game when we were down and we had to."

The Revolution have three regular-season games left (two on the road, against the Kansas City Wizards and D.C. United before the regular-season finale at home against the Wizards Oct. 25) to seal their postseason spot. Against Real, a tie seemed almost unthinkable as the Revolution fell behind, 2-0, but the home team fought back and was scratching for the win in the final minutes.

"The goals we gave away were horrendous," Revolution coach Steve Nicol said. "We can't give goals away like that. We tried to pass it and we tried to do the right things, but we were just off. You see the character of the team, though. Two-nil down at home, 20 minutes to go, and they don't give up. We end up with a point and nearly steal it."

One minute into stoppage time, Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph sent in a pass from midfield that reached forward Taylor Twellman, who charged with the header to force the ball toward the goal line. But Real defender Nat Borchers stepped in goal and blocked the shot, saving the 2-2 tie.

The comeback left mixed emotions for Revolution players - some satisfied with the late goals, others disappointed in the first-half performance.

"We're giving up way too many chances," Twellman said. "From an offensive standpoint, we're not creating anything. We've just got to figure it out quickly."

Real controlled the midfield in dominating the first half. The Revolution started in a 3-5-2 formation but were unable to set up many opportunities in the first 45 minutes.

Real scored its first goal in the 13th minute. Defender Robbie Russell sent in a shot from the right side as Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis came out to defend. Reis headed the ball away, and Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst stepped in to defend the goal. Real midfielder Javier Morales gained possession of the deflected shot on the left side and returned it over the head of Parkhurst for the goal.

Morales, of Argentina, struck again in the second half, setting up Andy Williams's goal in the 73d minute that gave Real a 2-0 lead.

The Revolution finally answered when Khano Smith sent a crossing pass that was deflected by a Real defender in front of the box. Ralston was there to redirect the shot into the net and make it 2-1 in the 77th minute. It was the eighth goal of the year for the 34-year-old Ralston, a career high.

Two minutes later, Twellman connected to make it 2-2, giving the Revolution a bounce of energy as they pressed to pick up the win in the final minutes.