Revolution escape with tie

Jankauskas, returning from a hamstring strain, scored in the 76th minute, but Toronto FC had Dwayne De Rosario, who has been stifling Revolution hopes for several years, and he did so again with a 34th-minute score in a 1-1 tie.

The Revolution (6-5-6) fell behind a minute after surpassing the team shutout record of 384 consecutive minutes, set in 2005. The goal followed a fluke setup. Chad Barrett’s shot from the top of the penalty arc went off Toronto forward Ali Gerba at the penalty spot, with De Rosario then volleying it into the far side of the net. The last time De Rosario scored against the Revolution he provided the deciding goal in Houston’s 2-1 win in the 2007 MLS Cup.

“I was thinking about taking a touch, then hitting it,’’ said De Rosario, who helped the Dynamo defeat the Revolution in two successive MLS Cup finals. “Then I decided to go for the far post. It was a goal we needed.

“I’ve had some luck against New England, but I have a lot of respect for their players and their coaching staff. We did well against them, playing with [10 men] in the second half.’’

Said Revolution defender Jay Heaps: “I don’t think there’s anyone else in the league [who] can hit it like that. I was closing him down and hesitated for a second because I thought he might take a touch on it. Then I saw his eyes kind of light up, so I came out to block it. Then, I knew it was going into the side of the net.’’

Barrett was red-carded after being issued a second caution by referee Terry Vaughn in the 49th minute after a hard tackle on Kevin Alston.

Playing a man up, the Revolution seemed to be in a position to take command, adding Shalrie Joseph to the attack after halftime, then switching to a 3-5-2 formation in the 62d minute. Michael Videira went to midfield (in place of defender Emmanuel Osei) and Joseph joined Jankauskas at forward.

Toronto (7-7-6), remained composed defensively, holding off the Revolution’s pressure.

Jankauskas tied the score with a left-foot finish in the 76th minute. Heaps, returning from US national team duty, started the scoring sequence with a cross to Joseph, who headed across the penalty area, Jankauskas beating defender Nick Garcia to the ball.

“From the first touch I saw Shalrie peeling to the back post, so I tried to get enough space so I could kind of clip it to him,’’ Heaps said. “Then, they did the rest. I knew one thing, if Shalrie’s at the back post there’s no way you can cover him, so if I can get the ball to him I know he can at least knock it back or get a shot on goal.’’

The Revolution started strong but Toronto rallied as De Rosario was allowed to find space on the wings, as well as in the center of the field. De Rosario slammed an open shot high in the opening seconds and Toronto forward Pablo Vitti headed one off the crossbar in the 20th minute.

Jankauskas, who sustained a hamstring strain after scoring in a 2-1 loss to Chicago in a SuperLiga match July 15, was scheduled to play the first half, then be replaced by Joseph.

“But being down one changes things,’’ Nicol said.

Joseph said he plans to start against the Los Angeles Galaxy next Saturday. But Nicol could be suspended after being sent off for “irresponsible behavior,’’ according to Vaughn.