“His fitness wasn’t really a concern, it was just his sharpness,’’ Nicol said after the Revolution’s 3-2 victory. “He hadn’t really trained all week, which kind of takes the edge off you. But, at the same time, when you have the qualities that he’s got — if he blew a gasket we could always bring him off. He’s smart, he’s experienced, he uses the ball. He saves his legs by making the ball do all the work. So, obviously, he was cruising, and there was no way he was coming off.’’

Feilhaber surprised himself.

“First half, I felt really good, to be honest,’’ Feilhaber said. “It was better than I thought. I hung in there for 90 minutes and, most important, we got the 3 points. I’m satisfied with my performance, the team’s. I think for me it will only get better, I’ll get more fit and I’ll start playing better and better.’’

Feilhaber has played in Denmark, England, and Germany since 2006.

“It’s different,’’ Feilhaber said of MLS. “It’s a higher pace, it’s more physical, a lot of fouls, a lot of cards. But once I get used to the speed of the game I think I’ll be more effective. Because of the speed of the game you tend to have more options to kind of find those little seams and play the ball to our forwards and I’ll keep getting better at that.’’

Feilhaber set up Marko Perovic for the opening goal. He already fit in with his new teammates off the field.

“You can tell he gets along well in this locker room,’’ defender Ryan Cochrane said. “He’s kind of like everyone else, kind of has a laid-back personality. He’s a California kid. Sometimes that gets overlooked, how a guy is in the locker room. You can bring in a great player and he doesn’t get along with the guys and you have a problem on your hands.’’

Feilhaber was born in Rio de Janeiro and his family resides in Irvine, Calif. Feilhaber had two stints on the East Coast, moving to Scarsdale, N.Y., from age 6 through 9, then, after a two-year move to Houston, Conn., from 11 through 14. While residing in Wilton and Greenwich, Feilhaber was involved with the Beachside Soccer Club, along with former US national team midfielder Kyle Martino and current Danish Superliga striker Marcus Tracy.

Dabo to debut Ousmane Dabo will make his Revolution debut Tuesday against D.C. United in a US Open Cup game in Boyds, Md. Dabo has been out since straining his calf during training in February. Dabo, 34, last played in a competitive match in January 2010 with SS Lazio in Italy’s Serie A. He started his career with Rennes, played for 13 seasons in Italy, plus two years with Newcastle United in England, and a season with AS Monaco . . . The Revolution had earned one point in three previous games, the tying goal in a 1-1 tie at Vancouver April 6 provided in the 93d minute by Ilia Stolica. But Stolica, who has not played since, will likely be released this week, according to a team source.

Frank Dell’Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com.