A slew of Revolution players proved their right to earn starts in last Saturday's 2-0 victory away at the Houston Dynamo. The result, which was only Houston's second home loss in 38 games, occurred through the combination of the Revolution's best offensive and defensive efforts of the season.

Getting the Revolution to play a two-way, brick-wall defense and spear-headed offense has been like pulling teeth in the first third of the season. While their back line has consistently converged for one of the league's best defensive records, the Revolution attack has been half asleep, scoring just once through the first six games (not counting an own goal in a 4-1 loss to New York on April 20).

Last Saturday, with the help of some new and old faces, offense and defense went hand-in-hand to deliver Houston a crushing blow and keep the Revolution in the hunt for the fifth and final playoff spot with mid-season fast approaching.

Diego Fagundez and Juan Agudelo asserted themselves as the Revolution's best options for both scoring goals and creating chances. Fagundez opened up the scoring in the 51st minute for his third goal of the season, slipping past Houston's back line and into the penalty area where he finished easily past Tally Hall.

Fagundez' development has gone smoothly and his confidence is high as he now leads his team with three goals, though his recent form is a direct result of his motivation to be on the field and help the team succeed.

Agudelo is motivated too, but for different reasons. The freshly signed striker entered the game ready to make his first appearance for the Revolution and distinguish himself among a group of strikers that has been gun-shy through the first three months of the season.

What's more, Agudelo was left off of US national team Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann's latest roster for a series of friendlies and World Cup qualifiers. Though young, Agudelo is establishing himself as a regular with the national team. However, a hamstring injury has prevented him from playing recently, and he's been temporarily taken off of Klinsmann's radar.

He'll grab Klinsmann's attention again if continues to play the way he did last Saturday night against Houston.

He came on as a substitute in the 35th minute for Ryan Guy (calf) and immediately began setting up chances, making passes and creating space for other players to shoot. In the 84th minute, Agudelo almost single-handedly launched a passing and shooting sequence which led to an own goal by Houston's Ricardo Clark, doubling the lead and ensuring a Revolution win.

“I think this is huge for a new player to come in and get a win like this and be a part of it,” Agudelo told revolutionsoccer.net. “Today I feel so much closer to the guys. We fought together as a team and as a unit and we came out with a win here, which is not easy.”

Defensively, the team remained very true to form. Darrius Barnes started at left back in place of Chris Tierney for the second time this season and was solid throughout the game. Minutes have been hard to come by for Barnes in recent years, who has had to switch from his natural role as a central defender to playing on the left due to roster congestion and competition. But his contributions on Saturday to help preserve the Revolution's sixth cleansheet of the season is evidence Heaps can use when deciding if he can rely on Barnes.

Meanwhile, Bobby Shuttleworth, who appears to have taken the reigns from Matt Reis as starting goalkeeper, earned his fourth shutout and made his eighth straight start. He stopped three shots, including a point-blank effort by Houston's Brian Ching late in the game on Saturday.

The road to becoming a starter has been bumpy for Shuttleworth, being sidelined behind Reis since he joined the Revolution in 2009. Many supporters and pundits are loyal to Reis for his eleven years of service to the Revolution, in which he achieved many personal milestones and team accolades. This has caused Shuttleworth to be thought of as less capable than Reis, though his form this season has been spectacular.

Shuttleworth has been driven to help his team win and be consistent in between the pipes, communicating better with his back line and establishing himself as one of the league's best young shot stoppers.

Though the Revolution played well last Saturday on both sides of the ball, it was, in truth, an unorthodox game. Both teams had players sent off in the first half when Houston's Bobby Boswell and New England's Dimitry Imbongo got red carded for a fight that broke out between the two in the 40th minute following a freekick.

The ejection forced Houston to change their shape, which had already been compromised when Eric Brunner had to be substituted for the injured Jermaine Taylor in central midfield.

The Revolution took advantage of Houston's situation and capitalized twice in the second half. And while it took them a while to put the ball in the back of the net, they were rarely second best as they pinged the ball around Houston's penalty area and created chance after chance.

This Saturday's game against Toronto FC, who continue to skid, likely won't be as easy to control. But the Revolution have momentum for the first time this season as they enter a three-game home stand. They are clicking both offensively and defensively and Heaps knows he has many options at his disposal to fight for results.

“It’s a lot of momentum right now,” finished Agudelo. “We’re getting toward the middle of the season and the playoffs are getting closer and closer. It’s huge to win this away game. We have [three] home games coming up and hopefully we can make a push to be on the top of the league.”

A slew of Revolution players proved their right to earn starts in last Saturday's 2-0 victory away at the Houston Dynamo. The result, which was only Houston's second home loss in 38 games, occurred through the combination of the Revolution's best offensive and defensive efforts of the season.

Getting the Revolution to play a two-way, brick-wall defense and spear-headed offense has been like pulling teeth in the first third of the season. While their back line has consistently converged for one of the league's best defensive records, the Revolution attack has been half asleep, scoring just once through the first six games (not counting an own goal in a 4-1 loss to New York on April 20).

Last Saturday, with the help of some new and old faces, offense and defense went hand-in-hand to deliver Houston a crushing blow and keep the Revolution in the hunt for the fifth and final playoff spot with mid-season fast approaching.

Diego Fagundez and Juan Agudelo asserted themselves as the Revolution's best options for both scoring goals and creating chances. Fagundez opened up the scoring in the 51st minute for his third goal of the season, slipping past Houston's back line and into the penalty area where he finished easily past Tally Hall.

Fagundez' development has gone smoothly and his confidence is high as he now leads his team with three goals, though his recent form is a direct result of his motivation to be on the field and help the team succeed.

Agudelo is motivated too, but for different reasons. The freshly signed striker entered the game ready to make his first appearance for the Revolution and distinguish himself among a group of strikers that has been gun-shy through the first three months of the season.

What's more, Agudelo was left off of US national team Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann's latest roster for a series of friendlies and World Cup qualifiers. Though young, Agudelo is establishing himself as a regular with the national team. However, a hamstring injury has prevented him from playing recently, and he's been temporarily taken off of Klinsmann's radar.

He'll grab Klinsmann's attention again if continues to play the way he did last Saturday night against Houston.

He came on as a substitute in the 35th minute for Ryan Guy (calf) and immediately began setting up chances, making passes and creating space for other players to shoot. In the 84th minute, Agudelo almost single-handedly launched a passing and shooting sequence which led to an own goal by Houston's Ricardo Clark, doubling the lead and ensuring a Revolution win.

“I think this is huge for a new player to come in and get a win like this and be a part of it,” Agudelo told revolutionsoccer.net. “Today I feel so much closer to the guys. We fought together as a team and as a unit and we came out with a win here, which is not easy.”

Defensively, the team remained very true to form. Darrius Barnes started at left back in place of Chris Tierney for the second time this season and was solid throughout the game. Minutes have been hard to come by for Barnes in recent years, who has had to switch from his natural role as a central defender to playing on the left due to roster congestion and competition. But his contributions on Saturday to help preserve the Revolution's sixth cleansheet of the season is evidence Heaps can use when deciding if he can rely on Barnes.

Meanwhile, Bobby Shuttleworth, who appears to have taken the reigns from Matt Reis as starting goalkeeper, earned his fourth shutout and made his eighth straight start. He stopped three shots, including a point-blank effort by Houston's Brian Ching late in the game on Saturday.

The road to becoming a starter has been bumpy for Shuttleworth, being sidelined behind Reis since he joined the Revolution in 2009. Many supporters and pundits are loyal to Reis for his eleven years of service to the Revolution, in which he achieved many personal milestones and team accolades. This has caused Shuttleworth to be thought of as less capable than Reis, though his form this season has been spectacular.

Shuttleworth has been driven to help his team win and be consistent in between the pipes, communicating better with his back line and establishing himself as one of the league's best young shot stoppers.

Though the Revolution played well last Saturday on both sides of the ball, it was, in truth, an unorthodox game. Both teams had players sent off in the first half when Houston's Bobby Boswell and New England's Dimitry Imbongo got red carded for a fight that broke out between the two in the 40th minute following a freekick.

The ejection forced Houston to change their shape, which had already been compromised when Eric Brunner had to be substituted for the injured Jermaine Taylor in central midfield.

The Revolution took advantage of Houston's situation and capitalized twice in the second half. And while it took them a while to put the ball in the back of the net, they were rarely second best as they pinged the ball around Houston's penalty area and created chance after chance.

This Saturday's game against Toronto FC, who continue to skid, likely won't be as easy to control. But the Revolution have momentum for the first time this season as they enter a three-game home stand. They are clicking both offensively and defensively and Heaps knows he has many options at his disposal to fight for results.

“It’s a lot of momentum right now,” finished Agudelo. “We’re getting toward the middle of the season and the playoffs are getting closer and closer. It’s huge to win this away game. We have [three] home games coming up and hopefully we can make a push to be on the top of the league.”

A slew of Revolution players proved their right to earn starts in last Saturday's 2-0 victory away at the Houston Dynamo. The result, which was only Houston's second home loss in 38 games, occurred through the combination of the Revolution's best offensive and defensive efforts of the season.

Getting the Revolution to play a two-way, brick-wall defense and spear-headed offense has been like pulling teeth in the first third of the season. While their back line has consistently converged for one of the league's best defensive records, the Revolution attack has been half asleep, scoring just once through the first six games (not counting an own goal in a 4-1 loss to New York on April 20).

Last Saturday, with the help of some new and old faces, offense and defense went hand-in-hand to deliver Houston a crushing blow and keep the Revolution in the hunt for the fifth and final playoff spot with mid-season fast approaching.

Diego Fagundez and Juan Agudelo asserted themselves as the Revolution's best options for both scoring goals and creating chances. Fagundez opened up the scoring in the 51st minute for his third goal of the season, slipping past Houston's back line and into the penalty area where he finished easily past Tally Hall.

Fagundez' development has gone smoothly and his confidence is high as he now leads his team with three goals, though his recent form is a direct result of his motivation to be on the field and help the team succeed.

Agudelo is motivated too, but for different reasons. The freshly signed striker entered the game ready to make his first appearance for the Revolution and distinguish himself among a group of strikers that has been gun-shy through the first three months of the season.

What's more, Agudelo was left off of US national team Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann's latest roster for a series of friendlies and World Cup qualifiers. Though young, Agudelo is establishing himself as a regular with the national team. However, a hamstring injury has prevented him from playing recently, and he's been temporarily taken off of Klinsmann's radar.

He'll grab Klinsmann's attention again if continues to play the way he did last Saturday night against Houston.

He came on as a substitute in the 35th minute for Ryan Guy (calf) and immediately began setting up chances, making passes and creating space for other players to shoot. In the 84th minute, Agudelo almost single-handedly launched a passing and shooting sequence which led to an own goal by Houston's Ricardo Clark, doubling the lead and ensuring a Revolution win.

“I think this is huge for a new player to come in and get a win like this and be a part of it,” Agudelo told revolutionsoccer.net. “Today I feel so much closer to the guys. We fought together as a team and as a unit and we came out with a win here, which is not easy.”

Defensively, the team remained very true to form. Darrius Barnes started at left back in place of Chris Tierney for the second time this season and was solid throughout the game. Minutes have been hard to come by for Barnes in recent years, who has had to switch from his natural role as a central defender to playing on the left due to roster congestion and competition. But his contributions on Saturday to help preserve the Revolution's sixth cleansheet of the season is evidence Heaps can use when deciding if he can rely on Barnes.

Meanwhile, Bobby Shuttleworth, who appears to have taken the reigns from Matt Reis as starting goalkeeper, earned his fourth shutout and made his eighth straight start. He stopped three shots, including a point-blank effort by Houston's Brian Ching late in the game on Saturday.

The road to becoming a starter has been bumpy for Shuttleworth, being sidelined behind Reis since he joined the Revolution in 2009. Many supporters and pundits are loyal to Reis for his eleven years of service to the Revolution, in which he achieved many personal milestones and team accolades. This has caused Shuttleworth to be thought of as less capable than Reis, though his form this season has been spectacular.

Shuttleworth has been driven to help his team win and be consistent in between the pipes, communicating better with his back line and establishing himself as one of the league's best young shot stoppers.

Though the Revolution played well last Saturday on both sides of the ball, it was, in truth, an unorthodox game. Both teams had players sent off in the first half when Houston's Bobby Boswell and New England's Dimitry Imbongo got red carded for a fight that broke out between the two in the 40th minute following a freekick.

The ejection forced Houston to change their shape, which had already been compromised when Eric Brunner had to be substituted for the injured Jermaine Taylor in central midfield.

The Revolution took advantage of Houston's situation and capitalized twice in the second half. And while it took them a while to put the ball in the back of the net, they were rarely second best as they pinged the ball around Houston's penalty area and created chance after chance.

This Saturday's game against Toronto FC, who continue to skid, likely won't be as easy to control. But the Revolution have momentum for the first time this season as they enter a three-game home stand. They are clicking both offensively and defensively and Heaps knows he has many options at his disposal to fight for results.

“It’s a lot of momentum right now,” finished Agudelo. “We’re getting toward the middle of the season and the playoffs are getting closer and closer. It’s huge to win this away game. We have [three] home games coming up and hopefully we can make a push to be on the top of the league.”

It's no surprise that the Revolution's freshly-signed forward Juan Agudelo wasn't called up to US national team for June World Cup Qualifiers and two friendlies against Belgium and Germany.

The young forward has been nursing a hamstring injury and hasn't seen consistent minutes on the field in 2013. Playing time is a big factor for US Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann when he considers calling players up to the national team.

"I haven't spoken to him lately," said Juan Agudelo. "Hopefully he is watching."

"He's pretty big on players who are in a good run, good momentum, and consistently playing ninety minutes. He wants them to be fully fit and ready."

What is surprising, however, is that Klinsmann continues to not call Landon Donovan back to the national team. After taking a break from soccer in the spring, Donovan has returned to his old form and looks poised to help the national team again. On Wednesday night, his goal and two assists helped lead the Los Angeles Galaxy past the Philadelphia Union, 4-1.

Klinsmann, who announced that Donovan would not be part of this roster a few days before he released it, needs him to continue to prove himself.

"Not talking out names, but there are players clearly ahead of Landon Donovan in how we see things,” Klinsmann said. “Again, things will develop over time. We see now how he will do in the next couple of weeks, months, and we’ll look at the entire picture and make our call."

What's also surprising is the fact that Klinsmann has called six goalkeepers into the squad. Tim Howard and Brad Guzan are both the top two keepers, though it appears Klinsmann wants Sean Johnson (Chicago), Nick Rimando (Salt Lake), Bill Hamid (DC) and Tally Hall (Houston) to continue to learn the ropes within the national team camp.

Former Revolution players Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg) and Clint Dempsey (Tottenham) both earned calls. Parkhurst, a defender, recently transferred to the Bundesliga after playing in Champions League with Nordsjaelland in the fall. Dempsey has had another successful Premier League season, scoring seven goals this season, and is probably the US' best offensive threat.

Stuart Holden (Bolton) and Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht) have both earned their first call-ups in many months, but for different reasons. Holden has been out injured, while Kljestan has somehow slipped under Klinsmann's radar despite having played in Champions League this season.

The defense continues to be without long-time captain Carlos Bocanegra, who said earlier this week he was considering a move back to MLS. But Klinsmann looks very satisfied with an MLS-based central defense partnership between Matt Besler (Kansas City) and Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles), which ushered the US to a cleansheet in their last qualifier in Mexico City.

Full Roster:

GOALKEEPERS (6): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa/England), Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo), Bill Hamid (D.C. United), Tim Howard (Everton/England), Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (8): DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla/Mexico), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City/England), Edgar Castillo (Club Tijuana/Mexico), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Clarence Goodson (Brondby/Denmark), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim/Germany), Michael Parkhurst (Augsburg/Germany)

MIDFIELDERS (10): Michael Bradley (Roma/Italy), Joe Corona (Club Tijuana/Mexico), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Bursaspor/Turkey), Stuart Holden (Bolton/England), Jermaine Jones (Schalke/Germany), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht/Belgium), Brek Shea (Stoke City/England), Danny Williams (Hoffenheim/Germany), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

FORWARDS (5): Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar/Netherlands), Terrence Boyd (Rapid Vienna/Austria), Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur/England), Herculez Gomez (Santos Laguna/Mexico), Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders FC)

Nyassi waived

On Thursday, the Revolution cut ties with winger Sainey Nyassi. Nyassi, 24, joined the Revolution in 2007 after impressing former coach Steve Nicol at the U-20 World Cup. Despite being from the Gambia, Nyassi had a Green Card and did not occupy an international roster spot. In 104 regular season appearances, Nyassi accrued 75 starts, eight goals, and four assists. He has four caps with the Gambia's national team.

(revolutionsoccer.net)

By Julian Cardillo, Boston.com Correspondent

The New England Revolution is not where club President Brian Bilello wants them to be either on or off the field. Ten games through the season the Revolution are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, five points out of a playoff spot. And in his eleventh year with the organization, Bilello has seen the Revolution go from being one of the league’s best teams into a club that is slow to evolve with the rapidly changing structure of MLS.

“On the field, [it’s] a little disappointing,” said Bilello prior to the Revolution’s 1-1 tie with the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night. “We’re hoping to be in a better position right now. When you look at where we are in the East, we want to be a little further up the board.”

“We were very good for a long time. We have a job to do right now. We need to turn things around on the field…We’re still playing in a football stadium outside the city and we’re in the bottom third in terms of draw in the league.”

The Revolution haven’t reached the playoffs since 2009 and in some respects, not much has changed. Coach Jay Heaps is struggling to get consistency out of his players, while issues such as game atmosphere, player acquisition, and a seemingly endless search for a soccer specific stadium have drawn the ire of even the most loyal Revolution fans.

“I understand it,” said Bilello of many supporters’ frustration. “Where I get disappointed is how things get painted with one brush, everything is either ‘good’ or ‘bad.’” There are a lot of things we’ve done well. We’ve been working at it for a while.”

Bilello points mainly at the success the club has had with retaining a base of supporters, citing the high renewal rate of season ticket holders. He’s also pleased with the success of the Revolution Academy, one of the strongest youth soccer academies in the country, which has already produced Diego Fagundez and Scott Caldwell as the club’s first homegrown signings. Fagundez scored on Saturday night and now leads the Revolution with two goals, while Caldwell has been in and out as a starter in Heaps’ lineup.

“If you look at our Academy, it’s rated one of the best in the entire country,” said Bilello. “Ultimately our goal with our Academy is to lead [the league] in minutes played by Academy players. We’re putting money into those areas where we think we can really make an impact on the team on the field.”

Fagundez and Caldwell have been bright spots on a team that is still trying to find its identity. And the Revolution does have a strong core of fans from which they can continue to build support. But the bottom line for fans, players, and the league is for the Revolution to step into this decade of American soccer.

Thirteen of the 19 MLS teams (San Jose will be the 14th in 2014) have their own soccer specific stadium. The Revolution isn’t one of them. Both supporters and the organization believe this is hindering a potential high-energy game-day environment and a spike in attendance. What’s more, according to an anonymous player survey done by Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl, the Revolution have the worst field in all of MLS.

The negative reputation of the Revolution’s artificial turf field could also be preventing them from signing a high-profile player. The state of Gillette Stadium’s field prevented New York’s Thierry Henry from playing on it this Saturday. The likes of David Beckham and Antonio Valencia have also decided not to play on the turf field in the past. A stadium of their own, preferably with natural grass, would definitely change players’ minds.

Bilello says the Revolution is working on the stadium, though he still won’t comment on the status of the plan. The club has publicly looked at Somerville in the past, while ideas have floated around about the Revolution being involved in building a stadium in Chelsea, Everett, or Revere in the wake of the casino and slot parlor constructions in Massachusetts.

“We’re in a difficult situation in terms of trying to get that done,” admitted Bilello. “We’ve been at it for six years and I’m confident about it. When you’re working with municipalities and cities it’s hard for us to necessarily control a timeline. Once we get our stadium project off the ground, a lot changes.”

Six years has been too long for some. The backing of the Kraft family as owners has come under fire recently. Supporters have used facebook, the club’s website, and news outlets to vent their frustration at ownership. It appears to many that the Revolution are the Kraft family’s second priority, rather than an equal investment, to the New England Patriots.

“I think both the Kraft family and the Hunt family, because they have NFL sides as well, I think there’s a weird perception,” acknowledged Bilello. “Both families have been involved with the sport since the very beginning. The fact that they’re involved in the NFL, that hurts them.”

But supporters aren’t the only ones who question the efforts of the Kraft family. The same anonymous player survey that Sports Illustrated conducted which revealed that the Revolution have the worst field also said that the Krafts are the league’s worst owners.

Bilello doesn’t think so.

“There’s a lot of great things about having the Krafts as owners. They’ve supported this league. They do things behind the scenes not just for the Revolution, but for the sport of soccer in this country.”

“When you look at that, from an involved with the business standpoint, I would highly disagree with that. I think a lot of the owners would disagree with that too. There are some things the players know a lot about and some things they don’t know a lot about. I don’t know what a Portland player knows about our owner and what they’re involved with or not involved with. I don’t think that’s a fair question for players.”

From a standpoint of backing the league, few will argue against the Krafts involvement. They were one of the original ownership groups when MLS was founded in 1993, putting the Revolution on the field when the league kicked off in 1996. Nevertheless, it seems unlikely that the Krafts will spend Patriots player money for a Revolution player.

In regards to the field, the Krafts and the Revolution came under fire from the sports and NFL community in 2008 when CBS commentators blamed the fact that soccer is played on the Gillette Stadium field for a series of scuffed field goals. The turf has since been fixed and meets FIFA standards, but popular opinion shows that it’s made for football more than futbol.

Nevertheless, Bilello believes that having the backing of the Krafts is very positive for American soccer. He is happy to have their support for the Revolution too, even if the team is a work in progress on and off the field.

“For all the owners, you’ve got these 19 groups who want to support and invest in soccer,” explains Bilello. “It takes a lot of work and energy and faith. If you’re soccer a fan and you’re trying to rank owners one to 19, that’s 19 out of how many millions of people that have the money to invest in something like this and invest in it and support it.”

To their credit, no one seems to be jumping up and down to buy the Revolution from the Krafts. If the Krafts chose to sell the Revolution, there is a good chance the franchise would relocate.

“If you’re a soccer fan, all 19 of those groups are doing an awesome job because they’re growing the sport and putting their efforts behind it,” continued Bilello. “This is not something people are making a ton of money at. It’s because they care about the sport and trying to grow it.”

In the short term, the Revolution are working on moving up in the conference standings and continuing their search for a stadium deal. Bilello also says that the club is working on an exhibition match to be played at Gillette Stadium during the summer.

“There’s one more big friendly that we’re working on right now,” revealed Bilello. “From our perspective, until everything is signed and dotted and we make the official announcement, there’s not a game. [Not] until that official announcement comes out. But we’re working on something pretty big and I think fans will be excited.”

Kristian Cardillo

By Julian Cardillo, Boston.com Correspondent

Diego Fagundez is proving time and time again that he should be starting for the Revolution. On Saturday night against the New York Red Bulls, the Leominster, Mass. native made his fifth start of the season and scored in the 54th minute in front of 16,440 at Gillette Stadium.

From both his attitude and his play on the field, it doesn't seem as though Revolution coach Jay Heaps will be taking away his starting position any time soon.

"I just came with an energy to come play and show that I should be starting," said Fagundez after the game. "I'm going to be here every game proving and getting better and better and just take it from there."

Unfortunately for Fagundez, his goal wasn't a game-winner. The Revolution blew a lead for the second consecutive game, allowing New York's Lloyd Sam to equalize just 68 seconds after he scored. Still, Fagundez' second goal of the season earned him the honor of match MVP.

Fagundez, who is still 18, has asserted himself as one of the team's deadliest scoring threats. He leads the gun-shy Revolution offense with two goals, and continues to improve and gain confidence every time he steps on the field.

""The little man had a heck of a night," said Heaps of Fagundez' performance against New York.

"He’s hungry. He’s been in and out of our lineup and I’m pushing him for more and more. I think you are seeing him become a more complete, two-way player. I think the goals are going to come because of how he is creating."

Fagundez had six shots against New York, half of the Revolution's total scoring chances. His goal in the 54th minute came off a corner kick from Chris Tierney that he volleyed off the gloves of New York goalkeeper Luis Robles. The ball bounced back to Fagundez and he poked his rebound into the goal to give the Revolution the one-goal advantage.

"Diego is surprisingly crafty in terms of finding the right spot," explained Tierney. "He’s obviously one of the smallest players on the field, but he’s got great instincts. He’s always on the move in the box, which all good goal scorers [do]."

"His positioning is great. You see him getting in those little pockets he got in, between their back four and their midfield. When Diego is on, he’s tough to defend. When he’s playing like he did [Saturday], we got to keep getting the ball in good spots."

Fagundez' five other chances at goal weren't that far off, either. After New York tied the game, Fagundez had two chances that nearly restored the Revolution's lead.

In the 80th minute, He fired a point-blank shot off a Tierney cross from the left flank that Robles barely reacted in time to save. Fagundez had the game's last chance too, firing a lay-off from Ryan Guy inches over the crossbar late in second half stoppage time.

"As soon as that ball went to Ryan, I did my little run up around. Ryan just played the ball a little hard but that's the only way that I would have had it. I just put my foot on it thinking I could get it to the goal but it went over. It was just a good pass by Ryan, [I] just needed to be clinical."

While he only tallied once on Saturday the goal he did score was key, as it allowed the Revolution to pick up at least one point in their journey up the Eastern Conference Standings. It also helped the Revolution maintain their 11-0-6 unbeaten record at home against the Red Bulls, which dates back to June 29, 2002.

Fagundez will have plenty more opportunities to score. Heaps and the Revolution staff have been touting Fagundez' skill since he signed a professional contract in 2010. He re-signed last month and there appears to be nowhere for him to go but up.

"He’s going to create more by being more involved in the offense," finished Heaps. "I like that about Diego. His awareness tactically [is[ natural, but it’s his two-way play that shows me he is ready for the next level."

Outlook- New England: A positive result for the Revolution, but yet another game that could have been won. Diego Fagundez put his team on his back and should continue to be in Jay Heaps' starting lineup. But the Revolution need to stop leaving points on the table. Mid-season is approaching. New York: The Red Bulls will remain at the top of the Eastern Conference and will be satisfied with the result. Aside from Lloyd Sam's goal, they really created nothing. It doesn't seem as though they care.

FINAL: REVOLUTION 1, RED BULLS 1

90th minute- Fagundez shoots the last shot of the game just over the crossbar. 1-1

80th minute- Luis Robles makes an incredible diving save on an effort by Diego Fagundez.

77th minute- Sub for Revs: Andy Dorman in for Kalifa Cisse.

75th minute- Sub for the Red Bulls: Brandon Barklage in for Lloyd Sam

74th minute- Sub for the Revs: Jerry Bengston on for Dimitry Imbongo. 1-1

70th minute- Sub for the Revs: Saer Sene on for Kelyn Rowe. 1-1

65th minute- Revolution look like they're looking for that second goal, They seem to have gotten over the fact that they conceded a goal immediately after scoring one. 1-1

55th minute- GOAL RED BULLS! Lloyd Sam enters the penalty area and shoots low and hard past Bobby Shuttleworth. 1-1

54th minute- GOAL REVOLUTION! Diego Fagundez scores his second of the season. Chris Tierney's corner kick finds Fagundez, who volleys and has his shot saved. He follows up his rebound with a shot that goes in. 1-0 Revs

46th minute- New York makes a sub: Juninho on for Tim Cahill. 0-0

Second Half

Halftime

45th minute- Disappointing first half by the Revolution, who really only created one chance. Jay Heaps can't be too happy with his players going into halftime. 0-0

41st minute- Aside from the Imbongo chance a few moments ago, the Revolution haven't created much and have struggled to string passes together.

38th minute- Dimitry Imbongo cuts past defender and fires a shot on target which Robles has to knock away. 0-0

33rd minute- It is only a matter of time before the Red Bulls score. 0-0

25th minute- Diego Fagundez volleys the Revolution's first shot over the cross bar. 0-0

19th minute- Red Bulls nearly pick-off Revolution off of an errant pass by Kalife Cisse. Revolution just look careless and sloppy. 0-0.

8th minute- Revolution not taking care of possession in the early goings here. 0-0

1st minute- And we're off! Kick-off from Gillette Stadium. 0-0

First Half

Lineups- New England: GK- Shuttleworth; D- Tierney, McCarthy, Goncalves, Farrell; M- Guy, Cisse, Nguyen, Rowe, Fagundez; F- Imbongo...New York: GK- Robles; D- Miller, Pearce, Holgersson, Kimura; M- Steele, Cahill, Sam, Alexander; F- Espindola, Akpan

Awaiting Kick-Off

Lineups- New England: GK- Shuttleworth; D- Tierney, McCarthy, Goncalves, Farrell; M- Guy, Cisse, Nguyen, Rowe, Fagundez; F- Imbongo...New York: GK- Robles; D- Miller, Pearce, Holgersson, Kimura; M- Steele, Cahill, Sam, Alexander; F- Espindola, Akpan

By Julian Cardillo, Boston.com Correspondent

Thierry Henry has been with the New York Red Bulls since 2010, but he has never played at Gillette Stadium because of the artificial turf. He and Red Bulls coach Mike Petke are discussing whether he will make his first appearance when the Red Bulls visit the Revolution Saturday night.

The Red Bulls will be missing Peguy Luyindula, who suffered a left hamstring strain Wednesday night against Montreal, and without Henry, they would be down to three forwards.

“I’ve got to speak with Mike,” said Henry, who prefers not to play on turf fields for fear of injury. “I’ve never played there, so we’ll see how it is.”

According to an anonymous player survey conducted by Sports Illustrated, the Gillette Stadium turf is the worst in all of MLS. It has kept away the likes of Henry, David Beckham, and Antonio Valencia in recent years.

Since Henry signed in July 2010, the Red Bulls are winless against the Revolution when he isn't on the field. But New York has also never lost to New England when Henry plays.

The Red Bulls are currently atop the Eastern Conference, 3 points ahead of the Houston Dynamo. But Houston has played two fewer games. So Petke may opt to start Henry no matter what the turf conditions are.

The Revolution are on a 16-match unbeaten run against New York at Gillette Stadium dating back to June 29, 2002. That streak may be in jeopardy should Henry play.

Agudelo arrives in New England

New Revolution acquisition Juan Agudelo arrived from California late Wednesday night. Agudelo, who will wear No. 10, is rehabilitating a hamstring injury and is not likely to start Saturday against his former team.

"It feels like every single day it's improving," Agudelo told revolutionsoccer.net. "I'm so anxious to get out on the field.

"You have to be smart. If you reinjure it, it can be a pretty bad thing. I feel pretty good right now. I've been sprinting for the last two weeks."

Former DP Caraglio competing in Serie A

Milton Caraglio may be playing for Pescara, the current bottom dwellers of the Italian Serie A, but the fact that he is plying his trade in Italy could be proof that he deserved his designated player contract with the Revolution. Caraglio, who nearly signed with West Ham United before going on loan with the Revolution from Argentina's Rosario Central, has played four times for Pescara this season.

Pescara will likely be relegated to Serie B this season. He appears to have the reputation of a player with plenty of raw talent that needs to be developed.

Even if he is seeing minimal playing time, Serie A is many steps up from the Argentine league, Chilean league, and MLS.

Caraglio, 24, scored three goals in 12 appearances for the Revolution during the 2011 season. He was part of one of Diego Maradona's national team camps in 2010.

By Julian Cardillo, Boston.com Correspondent

The Revolution would have sealed up a comfortable victory against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night had they not stopped attacking. But the Revolution quit pressuring Salt Lake’s back line after Ryan Guy scored in the 51st minute and allowed two goals in a 12-minute span to fall 2-1.

Referee Jose Carlos Rivero handed the Revolution a lifeline in second-half stoppage time when he gave Carlos Salcedo his second yellow card and called a penalty kick for the Revolution. But Saer Sene couldn’t convert from the spot, as Nick Rimando dove to his right to make the save.

Still, the Revolution never should have been in a position where a last-minute penalty kick would decide the game.

After they split the chances and possession with Salt Lake in a scoreless first half, the Revolution took control immediately after the halftime break. Guy scored his first goal of the season, and the fourth of his Revolution career, by volleying a cross by Kelyn Rowe first-time past Rimando.

As expected, Salt Lake pushed forward in search of an equalizer. And in their hunt for a tying goal, the visitors left tons of space behind the defense and in central midfield for the Revolution to exploit. But the Revolution exploited nothing, opting instead to sit back and defend a one-goal lead.

A frustrated Jay Heaps agreed that the Revolution should have maintained their offensive momentum during a postgame press conference.

“No lead is safe, ever,” said Heaps. “It’s a disappointing result and a tough one to take. We gave away too much at the end and a good team penalized us.”

“I was disappointed that we didn’t go for more. It was there. We needed to get the second goal.”

Sitting back against Salt Lake, who have a slew of dangerous weapons in midfield, invited a firing squad of scoring chances against the Revolution backline. Bobby Shuttleworth did his part, making five saves. In fact, both of Salt Lake’s goals were rebounds that came following spectacular saves from Shuttleworth.

First, Sebastien Vilazquez fired a low, hard shot six yards from goal in the 77th minute that Shuttleworth blocked. But Devon Sandoval slipped past Jose Goncalves and slid onto the rebound to level the game.

Twelve minutes later, a Javier Morales corner kick led to a volley from Kyle Beckerman that Shuttleworth palmed away. But while Shuttleworth was on the turf following the initial save, Olmes Garcia beat Andrew Farrell to the ball and fired into the lower left corner to give Salt Lake the lead.

“They started to play well,” Heaps said. “You have to give them credit, they’re a good team and they move the ball well. There are going to be spells when they get ten, fifteen passes in a row. They didn’t break us down until the second when we gave them a little too much and they punished us.”

The Revolution were fortunate to get a penalty kick late in the game to equalize. But Sene, who converted the only penalty kick he was afforded last season, shouldn’t have faced Rimando, one of the league’s best spot-kick stoppers. Sene, who came on as a substitute, is still finding his form after being sidelined since last summer rehabilitating a torn ACL.

“Lee Nguyen is our penalty kick taker,” said Heaps. “We have contests and the players work on it. Saer was our kick taker last year and he’s coming back into form. It’s a bad spot to be in in the 90th minute.

Nguyen wasn’t on the field because he was substituted in the 74th minute for Juan Toja. But the Revolution had other capable penalty-takers on the field. One was Guy, who had the hot foot having scored earlier. The other was Jerry Bengston, who Sene took the ball from.

“I was sending prayers and positive thoughts Saer’s way the whole time,” said Guy. “I think it was definitely going to come down to either Jerry or Saer. When you miss one, it’s you’re always going to say the other one should have taken it. But if he had put it away there would have been no problem.”

A win would have pushed New England back into playoff position. Still, four of the Revolution’s next five games are at home, meaning that there are still plenty of opportunities to move up the standings. New England have to learn keep attacking, no matter what the lead, starting now with a game against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

“We don’t have to wait this long to turn this one around,” finished Guy. “This isn’t going to hinder us in continuing to get points.”

Outlook: There was no reason for the Revolution to lose this game. This one hurts, and it's all down to the fact that they stopped attacking after they scored. Real Salt Lake pick up a very valuable away result.

Final: Revolution 1, Salt Lake 2

90th minute stoppage time- Sene has his penalty kick saved by Nick Rimando.

90th minute- Salcedo sees his second yellow, gets a red card, and gets sent off. Referee calls a penalty kick for the Revolution.

89th minute- And Real Salt Lake takes the lead. Olmes Garcia puts it into the goal. Kyle Beckerman fires a bullet that Shuttleworth stops. But Beckerman is there to pounce on the rebound.

83rd minute- Former Revolution midfielder Kenny Mansally enters the game for Devon Sandoval for Real Salt Lake.

77th minute- Velasquez takes a shot, has it stopped by Shuttleworth. Sandoval buries the rebound into the back of the net to level the game.

76th minute- Bobby Shuttleworth makes a big save, he dives left to stop a point-blank header by Devon Sandoval off a Ned Grabavoy cross.

74th minute- Juan Toja on for Lee Nguyen (NE)...Toja draws a booking seconds into taking the field.

73rd minute- RSL tacking on the pressure but the Revs stay strong. Shuttleworth has made two saves tonight.

64th minute- Revolution starting to stay back in defend, but Saer Sene replaces Diego Fagundez.

60th minute- Revolution playing with some swag since taking the lead.

51st minute- Kelyn Rowe dribbles down the right flank and crosses into the center of the penalty area. Ryan Guy connects with the cross and volleys first-time into the back of the net. That's his first goal of the season and the fourth of his Revolution career.

48th minute- Fagundez takes a shot and has it saved by Rimando

Halftime

45th minute- The Revolution looked good at the start of the half while Salt Lake didn't really show anything. Both teams need to improve in the second half.

36th minute- Salcedo gets yellow carded for elbowing Chris Tierney. Ugly play.

27th minute- This game just got very dull. Not really any chances on either side.

17th minute- Both teams starting to get careless with the ball but the Revolution still look like the better team.

7th minute- Bengston gets in behind, cuts past Rimando, loses his angle and then passes to Fagundez. Fagundez whiffs, ball falls to Nguyen who gets it back to Bengston. Bengston has shot deflected over the crossbar. Someone needed to put that chance away.
6th minute- The Revolution have been the more offensive team through the first five minutes.

3rd minute- Bengston nearly connects with a cross from Lee Nguyen, but Chris Schuler dealt with it well.

First Half

Lineups

New England: GK: Shuttleworth; D: Farrell, Goncalves, McCarthy, Tierney; M: Rowe, Nguyen, Caldwell, Guy, Fagundez; F: Bengston...Salt Lake: GK: Rimando; D: Salcedo, Wingert, Beltran, Schuler; M: Grabavoy, Morales, Gil, Beckerman; F: Sandoval, Plata

The Revolution have acquired US National Team forward Juan Agudelo from Chivas USA in exchange for an undisclosed amount of allocation money. Agudelo, 20, is one of the US' most exciting prospects and has already flourished in big game situations.

He scored the game-winning goal off the bench in a friendly against South Africa in 2010 at age 17 and the tying goal in a 1-1 draw against Argentina in New York in 2011.

Agudelo joined Chivas USA last year as part of a four-player trade with the New York Red Bulls. The Red Bulls groomed the Colombian-born Agudelo in their academy, and he immediately caught the eyes of major clubs around the world such as Millionarios and Celtic.

On the recommendation of current US National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, Agudelo has spent the offseason participating in training stints with the likes of Stuttgart and Liverpool. Klinsmann appears to like what he sees, even if Agudelo had an injury-riddled 2012 season, as he has called him up to the national team twice in the last 12 months. On Nov. 14, 2012, Agudelo rewarded Klinsmann's faith in him by assisting on Michael Bradley's game-tying goal in a friendly against Russia.

Not only does Agudelo have quick pace and a knack for being in the right place at the right time, but he also can score with any part of his body. Each one of his 11 goals in MLS is unique -- that's something the Revolution haven't had in a striker since Taylor Twellman.

Nevertheless, Agudelo is young and still developing. It also looks as though he will play the set-up man for Revolution forwards Jerry Bengston, Diego Fagundez, and Saer Sene.

The Revolution have scored just four goals through the first eight games of the season, and only one of them has come from a forward. That's a problem that Agudelo should help address.There needs to be more output from the strikers and less reliance on the defense if the Revolution are going to contend for a playoff spot this season.

The Revolution's newest forward is expected to arrive in New England later this week. The Revolution host Real Salt Lake at Gillette Stadium Wednesday night.

Take a look down below at what Agudelo has done. The first video is his first-ever international goal. The second is one of his most memorable goals for New York.

Kristian Cardillo

The MLS Players' Union released the 2013 salaries of every league player on Monday. The Revolution look, for the most part, like they know how to play moneyball. But the salaries of some players who haven't earned minutes in months is just head scratching.

Kalifa Cisse is the Revolution's highest paid player, making $400,000. Cisse was the most expensive off-season acquisition, though he more or less replaced Benny Feilhaber, who made the same amount but was traded to Sporting Kansas City during the off-season.

The Revolution's off-season acquisitions cost varying amounts. Chad Barrett earns $105,000 but has only played in three games. Andy Dorman makes $125,000, which is $94,130 more than his salary was when he left the Revolution in 2007. Jose Goncalves makes $75,000, though the Revolution may have negotiated to pay less of his salary when they signed him on loan from FC Sion. Bilal Duckett makes the least of the off-season newcomers with a $35,125 salary.

Scott Caldwell, the Revolution's second home-grown signing, is making $46,500. Andrew Farrell, who was the first overall pick at this year's draft, makes $80,000. The rest of the Revolution rookies (Gabe Latigue, Donnie Smith, Luis Soffner) are making $35,125.

The Revolution's starting lineup last Thursday night against Portland cost them $33,133. The New York Red Bulls starting lineup in their last game was $272,707.

Several of last year's players saw their salaries increase. The list below shows this year's players and their 2013 salaries followed by their 2012 salaries:

Player	2013	2012
Matt Reis	$165,000	$157,000
Bobby Shuttleworth	$80,004	$44,101
Darrius Barnes	$71,467	$68,063
AJ Soares	$103,345	$76,450
Chris Tierney	$82,265	$73,125
Stephen McCarthy	$87,120	$51,700
Tyler Polak	$65,000	$60,000
Clyde Simms	$87,500	$75,000
Diego Fagundez	$99,996	$55,000
Ryan Guy	$48,510	$44,100
Lee Nguyen	$73,600	$44,000
Sainey Nyassi	$88,200	$84,000
Kelyn Rowe	$90,000	$75,000
Saer Sene	$200,000	$138,000
Jerry Bengston	$132,000	$120,000
Juan Toja	$275,000	NA
Dmitry Imbongo	$90,000	$69,999

Head Scratchers:

• Sainey Nyassi has yet to make an appearance in 2013 and played just 11 minutes in 2012. His salary increased by $4,200 this off-season to $88,200


• Chad Barrett took nearly a 50 percent pay cut in signing with the Revolution after playing with the LA Galaxy for $220,000 last year. Still, he has only played in three games this year.


• Dmitry Imbongo's salary went up by $20,000 to $90,000 and he is occupying a roster spot. He has looked very sharp this year, but has scored just one goal in his short time with the Revolution. If his scoring output doesn't rise, expect his option to not be picked up.

Some of the Revolution's salary increases are likely due to league rules involving the salary cap and player contracts. Other increases may be because of undisclosed contract negotiations between the player and club.

Using only these numbers, the Revolution have used $2,429,166 of their $2,950,000 salary cap.

The highest-paid players in MLS overall are:

Player	Base salary	Total compensation
F Thierry Henry, New York	$3,750,000	$4,350,000
F Robbie Keane, Los Angeles	$4,000,000	$4,333,333
M Tim Cahill, New York	$3,500,000	$3,625,000
F Landon Donovan, Los Angeles	$2,500,000	$2,500,000
F Marco Di Vaio, Montreal	$1,000,008	$1,937,508
F Obafemi Martins, Seattle	$1,600,000	$1,725,000
F Danny Koevermans, Toronto	$1,250,000	$1,663,323
F Kenny Miller, Vancouver	$1,114,992	$1,132,492

Two weeks after being ousted by Bayern Munich by a 4-0 aggregate margin in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, Juventus gave their faithful reason to celebrate by winning their second consecutive--and 29th all-time-- Italian Serie A title. What pretty much the entire Italian and world soccer communities knew would happen officially happened on Sunday when Juventus defeated Palermo 1-0, confirming them as Italy's 2012-2013 league champions.

With three games left in the season, Juventus, who are 14 points ahead of second place Napoli, can switch on cruise control as they enter the off-season.

In truth, Juventus have been cruising for the last two years. Last year, they earned the Serie A title, going undefeated through the entire 2011-2012 season. And though they lost three games this season, Juventus still managed to finish in first place despite the added pressure and fatigue of a long Champions League campaign.

Their recent success should earn them more recognition next year among followers of world soccer, who tend to exclusively follow the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga, and the German Bundesliga. To many, the style seen in the Italian league isn't flashy or exciting enough. But while many of the other Serie A teams aren't as intense as some teams in other leagues, Juventus have definitely gone about their business in style.

Just see a clip of Andrea Pirlo crossing the ball or creating space with an inch-perfect pass. Take note of Gianluigi Buffon's prowess between the goal posts. Look at Claudio Marchisio control the midfield. See Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli combine to anchor one of the stingiest defenses in the world. And take note of how many different scoring options Juventus have on the field.

What's more, Juventus are a living, breathing phoenix metaphor. Forced down to the Italian Serie B second division by the Italian Soccer Federation in 2006, Juventus lost most of its core after being found guilty of participating in betting.

This caused most of Juventus' best players to move to other teams in Europe, forcing the club into re-birth.

So from 2007 to 2011, most of Juventus' mission was re-branding. It's been a very bumpy road. During that stretch, Juventus were dreadfully inconsistent. They struggled to rebuild their core. They were perennially absent from Champions League. They were no longer thought of as favorites to win the league title.

Last year, everything seemed to fall into place when they opened up a new stadium, won the title, and qualified for Champions League. The phoenix was re-born and the re-branding was complete.

Only one thing is still missing: when the Federation relegated Juventus in 2006, they also stripped them off "due stelle"--two stars, in English-- the two league titles they won during the alleged betting scandal.

Many of Juventus' players and fans insist that those titles should never have been taken away, to the point where the phrase "30 sul campo" (30 on the field) is embroidered on their jerseys below the crest.

Next year will be especially critical for Juventus, as it's their chance to win the 30th star.

That kind of story shouldn't go unnoticed.

Aside from that, the fact that Juventus have performed this well is impressive. They went toe-to-toe with Italy and Europe's best. Though they didn't go undefeated in Serie A this season, they suffered just three losses. The highlights of their Champions League campaign include going undefeated in the Group stage to finish first and preventing Chelsea from reaching the knockout round.

And though they lost to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, they fared much better than Barcelona, who lost to Bayern in the semi-final by a 7-0 aggregate score.

Juventus may not have a Lionel Messi and may not quite be good enough to be considered the best team in the world. They do, in truth, have more winning to do. But they are, for certain, one of world's best football clubs.

That 30th star may not be too far away.

By Julian Cardillo, Globe Staff

Revolution coach Jay Heaps must be ecstatic to know that he will get the most out of his defenders, no matter which ones he selects to start or how he aligns them on the field. That was made clear Thursday night as a hybrid New England back line preserved a 0-0 result at Portland for the Revolution's fifth shutout of the season.

Against one of the league's best attacking teams, the shorthanded Revolution pulled off the tricky task of exiting the Pacific Northwest with a positive result.

Without defenders Chris Tierney (suspension), A.J. Soares (hamstring), Andrew Farrell (knee), and Kevin Alston (disabled list), Heaps's remaining pieces turned in another solid result. Jose Goncalves and Stephen McCarthy played together in central defense for the third straight time, while Darrius Barnes made his first start at left back.

The Revolution also slotted Bilal Duckett -- who was recalled from the Rochester Rhinos of the USL-Pro -- at right back.

Everyone did their part, but Duckett was most impressive, helping shut down Portland's attack despite having not trained with the Revolution since early preseason. Duckett traveled 2,705 miles to Portland to meet up with the team.

“It’s been a crazy week,” said Duckett, who now will return to Rochester. “I couldn’t be happier to be up here and fight and get this point with these guys.”

“I think people probably wondered early on this year how [the Rochester affiliation] was going to work,” said Heaps. “Bilal came from Rochester, we got him here, sat down with him, got him up to speed.

"That’s the good thing about having a player playing four or five games when we don’t have as many reserves. He stepped in, went 90 minutes, and did a pretty good job.”

Bobby Shuttleworth did his part in goal as well, making nine saves for his third clean sheet of the season. The fifth-year professional is asserting himself as the Revolution's first-choice goalkeeper.

“Bobby did a nice job," said Heaps. "It’s the second game in a row he’s played really well. It’s not an easy environment.

"I think he’s reading the game well. It wasn’t like he was making spectacular saves, but he was making saves because of being in the right position, which is better than a spectacular save for me.”

Shuttleworth's best saves came in the second half when Portland stepped up the pressure. In the 54th minute, he saved a point-blank volley from Ryan Johnson. He came up with a more impressive stop in the 84th minute when he fully extended to his right to stop Diego Chara's curling effort for the upper left corner of the net.

“I think we were super-organized in the back," said Shuttleworth. "We all kept our lines, kept our shape, and were able to keep a clean sheet.

"I think it shows the depth we have on this team. Jay has done a great job of creating the competition and creating depth. You can see guys are coming in and doing really well. We aren’t missing a beat.”

Though the Revolution had to rely on defense and had less possession, they looked dangerous at times. They have some momentum going into their next game, which is Wednesday at home against Real Salt Lake.

A victory in that game would put the Revolution back into playoff contention in the Eastern Conference, and they are in position to build on that momentum since five of their next six games are at home.

“I think this is a big stretch for us," said Shuttleworth. "I think we need to go home and take care of business and make it difficult for teams to play us at Gillette.”

FINAL: Revolution 0, Portland 0

Outlook

New England: The Revs will be exceedingly happy for getting a positive result at a very difficult away venue, even if it was a 0-0 result. Jay Heaps must be really happy to know that no matter who he plugs in on defense, they will perform. Darrius Barnes and Bilal Duckett were solid at the back filling in for their injured and suspended teammates. This was an important result for the Revolution, who can go back to Foxborough and try to extend their unbeaten streak to three games against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday...Portland: It's two points lost for the Timbers, who entered the game with one of the league's best offensive records having not yet been shutout this season. Donovan Ricketts kept them in the game with some key saves against the run of play. And though they've extended their unbeaten streak to seven games, Caleb Porter will be very unhappy that his team was unable to secure a victory.

Second Half

90th minute- 0-0 is the final. Both teams trading blows in the last 15 minutes, but this one was meant to end all square.

76th minute- Is there a goal in this game?

67th minute- Revs trying to refind their attacking legs, as Heaps brings Saer Sene on for Diego Fagundez.

63rd minute- Portland certainly the more attacking team, Piquionne comes on for Ryan Johnson.

57th minute- Timbers' Mikael Silvestre gets injured. He looks like he'll come out.

52nd minute- Bobby Shuttleworth with a big time saves on Ryan Johnson. Oof, that was close.

46th minute- Scott Caldwell comes on for Kalifa Cisse; it's the Revs' and the game's first substitution

First Half

45th minute- Great first half by the Revs. They really frustrated Portland. But they need to attack and get forward or expect Portland to pressure them like there is no tomorrow in the second half.

40th minute- Portland have had the better of the chances and possession in the last few minutes, but the Revs' backline has stayed strong.

33rd minute- Revs and Portland trade punches. No team is really better than the other thus far.

25th minute- Revs have looked pretty positive so far. They have had less shots than Portland, but they've managed the crowd and have done pretty well in midfield.

15th minute- Timbers nearly score as Valeri springs Nagbe. Big save by Shuttleworth, who gets it away.

10th minute- Revs going toe-to-toe with Portland. If they keep this up, they may be able to get something out of this match.

4th minute- Revs have looked pretty positive so far, but Portland have looked a little bit more decisive with their passes. Both teams obviously feeling each other out.

1st minute- And we're off!

Lineups

New England (2-3-2, 8 points) 4-1-4-1...GK- B. Shuttleworth; D- D. Barnes, S. McCarthy, J. Goncalves, B. Duckett; M- K. Cisse, R. Guy, K. Rowe, L. Nguyen, D. Fagundez; F- J. Bengston

Portland (3-1-4, 13 points) 4-5-1...GK- D. Ricketts; D- M. Harrington, M. Silvestre, M. Danso, J. Jewsbury; M-D. Chara, W. Johnson, R. Wallace, D. Valeri, D. Nagbe; F- R. Johnson

Keys to the Game

New England: Maintain defensive shape with newcomers Darrius Barnes and Bilal Duckett. Control the midfield and pressure the Portland defense, which has so far been very weak this season...Portland: Use tight marking to prevent the Revolution from going forward. Attack the flanks, be relentless on the attack.

Jose Goncalves (right) has been instrumental for the Revolution's backline and that will have to continue on Thursday night against Portland with many of New England's first-choice starters unable to play due to injuries or suspension (photo credit: Kristian Cardillo)

The Revolution's defensive depth will certainly come in handy when they take on the Portland Timbers on Thursday night at Jeld-Wen Field. On Wednesday, the club recalled Bilal Duckett from his loan spell with the Rochester Rhinos of the USL Pro to potentially start in defense against Portland and also announced that the league had suspended and fined left back Chris Tierney for a tackle on Sebastien LeToux in Saturday night's 2-0 win over Philadelphia.

New England will also be without defenders AJ Soares (hamstring), Andrew Farrell (knee), and Kevin Alston (disabled list). So Duckett and Darrius Barnes will likely earn their first starts of 2013, while Jose Goncalves and Stephen McCarthy will make their second consecutive start together in central defense.

“This is why you have depth,” said head coach Jay Heaps. “If there’s an injury here or there, you’ve got to make sure that the guys are ready to go.”

Portland has arguably been the most interesting team through the first two months of the season. New Head Coach Caleb Porter has turned the Timbers into a team that plays attractive, fast, attacking soccer. And though the Revolution's defense has so far been one of the best in the league, Portland's offense will present a tough challenge to New England's thin backline.

Jamaican international and Boston native Ryan Johnson has been the Timbers' main offensive threat, with four goals so far this season. But the speedy attacker is even more dangerous because of his Timbers teammates, who have been relentless in creating scoring chances for him to put in the back of the net. Chief among these goal creators is Diego Chara, probably the Timbers' next best offensive catalyst behind Johnson, whose three assists are tied for the league lead.

"Each guy that's stepped in has done the job," says Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth of the Revolution's defense so far this season. "I can't say enough about the backline. All those guys have been really tremendous. We need to keep building on that, keep our shape, keep our lines, and keep it nice and tight back there."

Goncalves has been instrumental in central defense, pairing well with both Soares and McCarthy. His wisdom from having played in various European leagues appears to have transferred to MLS without delay, though he could be in for his biggest challenge yet in organizing and communicating with Barnes and Duckett.

Barnes is a natural center back, but will probably play left back since Goncalves has already played with McCarthy three times in central defense. Meanwhile, Duckett could be making his first-ever appearance with the Revolution, probably at right back. The Revolution backline is capable of helping capture a positive result, though both the defensive newcomers and mainstays will need to sync together immediately and avoid lapses.

Offensively, the Revolution are progressing, having ended a 539-minute scoreless streak on Saturday against Philadelphia. Scoring goals will help take even more pressure of the defense, especially if the Revolution can put the ball in the net more than once. And while Portland are on a six-game unbeaten hot streak, they also have the third worst defensive record, having allowed 11 goals so far this season.

“That was exactly what we were looking to do; be dangerous on the attack, get chances and finish those chances,” said Ryan Guy, of the win against Philadelphia. “I think we probably could’ve finished a few more than we did, but the goals that we did score were quality goals. They were from the run of play, from some good passages of play and it felt like we kind of broke the seal, which we’ve been looking to do for awhile now.”

“[Portland is] a great test...I think we’re all confident that this is something that can stick and we can get a little bit of steam under our belts, get going and continue to score some goals and get points.”

By Nick Ironside, Globe Correspondent

Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis had a press conference at Gillette Stadium two hours before kickoff against the Philadelphia Union to give an update on his father-in-law’s condition.

John Odom, Reis’s father-in-law, was injured in the Boston Marathon bombing last Monday. Reis’s wife, Nicole, was running the marathon for the New England Patriots’ charitable foundation.

On Saturday, Reis spoke more in-depth about the immediate moment the bombings happened.

“The seven of us got to the finish line, probably about 10 minutes before the first blast happened,” Reis said. “About two minutes before the blast happened, I decided to move with my son…we moved toward the finish line.

“I dropped my son off to my brother-in-law, and told him I was going to go back and get his dad. I didn’t know at the time that [my father-in-law] was injured.”

After going back to help, Reis said he saw his mother-in-law crouched over Odom. Odom “…was moaning that his leg hurt and that he was in a lot of pain.”

Reis’s first reaction was to wrap his belt around Odom’s leg to act as a tourniquet. He also took of his jacket to apply pressure to the wound. According to Reis, the time between the bomb going off and Odom getting an ambulance was roughly 20 minutes.

“We were really fortunate,” Reis said. “He’s gone through eight or nine surgeries now. He has been taken off critical [condition] and has been moved down to serious condition. He doesn’t have a breathing tube in. He’s starting to talk and starting to communicate.”

Reis’s family has received support from the community, but says his teammates’ kind thoughts have been second-to-none.

“This is my second family here,” Reis said. “The guys in the locker room have been supportive like no other.

“It really makes you feel good inside, and it helps a lot. Soccer is my next love, and I love being here. It has been tough, but I think getting back to soccer has helped in getting back to somewhat of a normal routine.”

Reis and his family haven’t thought much about the two men who put the bombs down near Marathon Sports at the finish line.

“It hasn’t really been much on our family’s mind as to why they did it – any reason is not a good enough reason,” he said.

“To see what these people tried to do and how crudely they did it, what they tried to take from us…I guess they didn’t realize what that would do to our city and how it created such a love and support around the people that is has affected.

“Instead of creating hysteria and despair, they created a lot of hope.”

The semifinals of the Champions League will kick off on Tuesday as Bayern Munich will play host to Barcelona. In the other bracket, which will begin play on Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund will host Real Madrid. It’s the first time since 2000 that all the semifinalists are either from Germany or Spain, highlighting the intercontinental rivalry that has developed between both countries.

As a soccer nation, Spain has been top dog since 2007, winning the 2010 World Cup and the last two European Championships. Meanwhile, Germany hasn’t won an international event since winning the 1996 European Championship, though they have been top finishers more often than Spain. They’ve earned semifinal results in the last three World Cups and the last two European Championships, while the Spanish have more dated semifinal appearances, runners-up at the 1984 European Championship, and fourth at the 1950 World Cup.

Though players from all over the world represent Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund, the result of the Champions League Final holds serious bragging rights for Germany and Spain.

Both sets of fans have already clashed in support of their national teams, with Spain knocking out Germany at the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup. Starting Tuesday, Germans and Spaniards will clash over the strength of their respective soccer leagues.

While few dispute that both the German Bundesliga and Spain’s La Liga are two of the best soccer leagues in the world, there is much debate over which one is closer to the top. The Bundesliga employs the German strategy: a brick wall defense and a relentless attack. La Liga: fluid passing and creative offensive movement. The Bundesliga is more of a dogfight, with a slew of teams in the middle of the league table fighting for top spots while La Liga is more predictable as it is dominated by teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid who are perennially at the top of the table.

Ideally, the Champions League Final, which takes place on May 25 at Wembley Stadium in London, would be between Bayern Munich and Barcelona, the current league leaders in the Bundesliga and La Liga. Both teams are so good that they each send a large percentage of their rosters’ domestic players to play for the national team. So in many ways, a match between Bayern Munich and Barcelona could look a lot like a match between Germany and Spain, with just a few additions or subtractions.

So for those who are looking to stack German soccer against Spanish soccer at a high-stake setting, that match-up would be ideal.

Nevertheless, Bayern Munich and Barcelona will have to take each other out for a spot in the final. So that scenario is nonexistent. Still, a final featuring either Borussia Dortmund or Real Madrid would certainly not be disappointing, even though both teams are currently ranked second in their respective leagues’ standings.

All four teams thoroughly deserve to be in the semifinals. Each team finished first in its group. They've also ran through hoops in the knockout round.

Bayern Munich defeated Juventus by a 4-0 score in the round of eight, picking up an elusive win in Torino. Their German rivals Borussia Dortmund edged dangerous Shaktar Donetsk in the round of 16 and then Malaga in the round of eight.

Real Madrid downed Manchester United, last year’s runners-up, in the round of sixteen and then took down Galatasaray. And Barcelona fought off a 2-0 deficit against Milan in the round of 16 to win, 4-2, and move into the round of eight, where they appeared to have met their match against Paris Saint-Germain, but won in a penalty shootout.

So in truth, Germany and Spain are already bragging. The success of each semifinalist is proof that they are the two best soccer nations in Europe, if not the world. The only thing left to do is find a Champion.

New England's Saer Sene (left) tries to get past New York's Brandon Barklage (right) (Kristian Cardillo)

The Revolution have some serious soul-searching to do. On Saturday evening, they extended their winless streak to five games, falling to the New York Red Bulls 4-1 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ.

No one – especially the Revolution (1-3-2, 5 points) – expected the game to be easy. The Red Bulls (3-4-2, 11 points) are always a difficult challenge away from home, particularly in the attacking third through Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill. But on top of that, the Revolution are dealing with the temporary loss of their teammate Kevin Alston, who is taking a leave of absence to treat leukemia, plus the psychological and emotional remnants of the Boston Marathon attacks.

"It meant a lot," said defender Chris Tierney, whose girlfriend was injured as a result of the bombings. "It’s been such a tough week for us. Obviously, the result didn’t go the way we wanted it to but it was a good distraction for us."

The defense, which entered the game with the league's best record, crumbled early, allowing goals from Dax McCarty and Fabian Espindola in just the first eight minutes. The defense would have to further adapt in the 18th minute when Stephen McCarthy entered the game for AJ Soares, who hurt his right hamstring while stealing the ball from Cahill.

Henry and Cahill both seemed to take their foot off the gas after Espindola scored the second goal, allowing the Revolution to take over on attack and take pressure off their defense. In flashes, the Revolution attack showed promise.

But for the most part, the Red Bulls seemed content with letting the Revolution keep the ball, as their passing sequences mostly led to nothing. It became very obvious that the Revolution players were expending a lot of energy in maintaining possession while the Red Bulls sat back, caught their breath, and absorbed the pressure.

Late in the game, the Red Bulls decided to break free as Henry and Jonny Steele scored in the 82nd and 89th minutes, respectively. Both goals were off of a counter-attack and were caused by a failed Revolution attack followed by the Red Bulls stampeding downfield in great haste, cutting past a stretched and tired backline, and pummeling the ball into the back of the net.

Shuttleworth, who started instead of Matt Reis (in Boston with his father-in-law, who was hospitalized as a result of the Marathon attacks), was not to blame for the goals. He did his part by making three saves, but was hung out to dry by his defense.

In turn, both he and the defense didn't have the support of the offense, as has been the case all season.

The Revolution's goal, sandwiched in between McCarty and Espindola strikes in the opening eight minutes, wasn't even scored by a New England player. Brandon Barklage deflected a Chris Tierney free kick into the back of the net for an own goal, snapping a 394-minute scoreless streak.

While Tierney's cross caused the goal to occur, a Revolution player has not scored in 478 minutes, the longest scoreless streak in team history.

"It was a wild start," added Tierney. "Not what we had planned on. We knew they were going to come out strong as they usually do at home. Unfortunately, they caught us with that early goal and that really hurt us. We did well to get back to 1-1 and had some chances at 2-1 but it just didn’t go our way."

"Unfortunately, the first couple minutes were when this game was decided," coach Jay Heaps told The Globe. "Our focus was not good. We made a game of it, but it still wasn’t there."

The first couple of minutes did not necessarily decide the game, as Heaps said. The Revolution finished with seven shots, four of which were on target. But given the amount of possession they had and the amount of energy they used trying to create chances, they had almost nothing to show for their efforts.

When it came time to shoot, the Revolution often hesitated. When the situation required maintaining possession, a pass was made to a player with little space. And when a play required patience, the Revolution rushed. Making quicker, more decisive plays could have led the game to finish 2-2 instead of 4-1. The Revolution had 82 minutes to turn the tables but didn't do it.

In a great spirit of compassion and sportsmanship, Red Bulls and the four bus loads of Revolution supporters entered Red Bull Arena to the song "Dirty Water" by The Standells. Players on both teams wore black arm bands that read "Boston" as a sign of support. The Revolution fell short, but they have no choice but to go back to the drawing board in hopes of getting those goals and those wins for the city and region they represent.

"We fought and we clawed back, but we could never get there,” Heaps finished. “Obviously, this has been a tough week for all of us. Six or seven of us were within a half-mile of the [marathon] tragedy.

“But this team is like Boston. We’re a tough team and Boston’s a tough city. We’ll be back and Boston will be back.”

Outlook:

The Red Bulls will be very happy with their victory, seeing as it propels them up the Eastern Conference standings where they rightly belong. For the Revolution, it's more struggles. They showed some of their best passing and possession of the season at times, but were chaotically unorganized in defense. You just can't blame Bobby Shuttleworth for all four of those goals. And yes, there may be a "1" next to "Revolution" on the scoreboard, but that was an own goal. So make no mistake, this team's scoring woes are not over. A Revolution player has not scored since they last won on March 9, a streak that is now 478 minutes long. Saer Sene, Jerry Bengston, Diego Fagundez have to do whatever it takes to shoot when it is most advantageous. And Jay Heaps needs to decide who his midfield core is.

Final: Red Bulls 4, Revolution 1

88th minute- Goodnight, Revolution. Red Bulls make it 4-1 as Jonny Steele scores.

82nd minute- Probably game over right there. Thierry Henry runs onto Jonny Steele pass and slots ball into the back of the net.

80th minute- Jamison Olave comes on. Could be trouble for the Revolution. He is a brick wall, even if he is carrying a slight injury.

78th minute- Revolution finding their auxiliaries as they continue to push and maintain possession. Not much left in it. Is there a goal?

70th minute- Is there an equalizer in New York for the Revolution? Can the write the boat? Time ticking away...

64th minute- Revolution very fortunate as Bobby Shuttleworth takes down Henry in penalty area following an errant back pass by Chris Tierney.

62nd minute- Chris Tierney plays in a corner kick and Jose Goncalves slides onto it. The shot is tipped away by Robles.

58th minute- The Revolution are hanging in there but are really struggling to create opportunities.

53rd minute- Kalifa Cisse on thin ice right now after he commits a foul and gets another talking to from the referee. Both teams with very positive spells of passing to start the second half.

Halftime

45th minute- The Revolution escape the first half down by just one goal. They showed some of their best stuff in parts of the half, though in truth the Red Bulls reclaimed the momentum in the last ten minutes.

37th minute- Tim Cahill heads Henry freekick off the crossbar.

31st minute- Jerry Bengston rounds the keeper but loses his angle, sending his shot over the crossbar.

27th minute- It's been all Revolution since they surrendered the lead the second time. Tierney pops in a cross for Fagundez, who volleys it over the crossbar.

20th minute- The Revolution may have allowed two goals, but they look like they've calmed the game down and are doing well to create opportunities and keep the ball.

18th minute- Stephen McCarthy will replace Soares. It's his first appearance of 2013. Will be interesting to see how he gels with the rest of the defense.

13th minute- Soares goes down in his own penalty area and appears to be clutching hims hamstring. Doesn't look like he'll be able to continue.

8th minute- Wow. A shootout going on in New York. Holy smokes. Fabian Espindola cuts past Tierney and fires a low, hard shot into the back of the net past Shuttleworth. Let's see how the Revs respond to that.

6th minute- Brandon Barklage deflects Chris Tierney freekick off the turf and into the back of the net for an own goal. It's just the second goal the Revolution have scored this season, snapping a 394-minute scoreless streak.

4th minute- Dax McCarty score off a half-volley from just outside the penalty area. Just the third goal they've given up this season. Not at all the start they wanted.

First Half

Keys to the Game:

New England: the Revolution have only scored once this season and need to create more chances to put the ball in the back of the net. They need to control the midfield and possession...New York: Create chances and take control of possession early. Avoid defensive errors despite loss of Jamison Olave (injury).

Lineups

New England- GK:. Bobby Shuttleworth, D: Chris Tierney, AJ Soares, Jose Goncalves, Andrew Farrell, M- Lee Nguyen, Kalifa Cisse, Andy Dorman, Diego Fagundez, Juan Toja, F:- Jerry Bengston

New York: GK- Luis Robles, D: Heath Pearce, Roy Miller, Markus Holgersson, Brandon Barklage, M: Dax McCarty, Jonny Steele, Eric Alexander, Tim Cahill, F: Thierry Henry, Fabian Espindola

Match

New England Revolution (1-2-2, 5 points, 7th in Eastern Conference) at New York Red Bulls (2-4-2, 8 points, 5th in Eastern Conference)...Kick-off at 7 PM from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ.

On Tuesday, the Kraft family announced on behalf of the Revolution and the Patriots that it would match up to $100,000 in donations to support the recovery of the victims of Monday's Boston Marathon bombing.

“We are grieving for the victims of this senseless act,” said Robert Kraft, owner of both the Patriots and Revolution, in a statement. “It is not lost on us that this tragedy occurred on Patriots Day, at an event where our own staff and their families were participating, and where thousands of runners were raising money for charities with which we are associated either through our Foundation, our alumni or our friends."

Thirty-four members of the Patriots Charitable Foundation team participated in the marathon. The father of Nicole Reis, wife of Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis, was injured in the bombings. Reis's father-in-law remains in the hospital in critical condition.

"It was mayhem," said Revolution defender Chris Tierney, who was present for the attacks. "There were a bunch of us in the area enjoying the day. Some of us on the team actually ran into each other randomly on the streets. It was a tough day all around."

Tierney's girlfriend was also hospitalized as a result of the attacks. The Globe reported Wednesday that she is in stable condition.

The Revolution and the Patriots Charitable Foundations will collect donations online. Anyone who wants to make a donation can do so at revolutionsoccer.net/donate (in the field "Boston Marathon"). The Kraft family will match the first $100,000 donated.

"Our focus is on helping those in need and beginning the healing process," Kraft's statement concluded. "We hope by matching donations we will encourage more people to give.”

If only their offense would show up the way their defense has, the Revolution would have quite a 1-2 punch. But alas, that's not the case. On Saturday, the Revolution's wonderful defensive form and dreadful offensive form continued, this time in a 0-0 draw against the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field.

Defensively, the result is a positive one for New England (1-2-2, 5 points), which remains the league's best defensive team with four shutouts. But when it comes to scoring goals, the Revolution midfield isn't doing its part.

The Revolution spent most of the first half under heavy pressure from winless Seattle. When the defense won the ball back, the midfield would cough up possession almost immediately. Jerry Bengtson, playing as the lone forward in a 4-5-1 formation, rarely had the ball at his feet. By the end of the first half, the Revolution produced just one shot compared with eight by Seattle.

"We have to be better with the ball," said Revolution coach Jay Heaps. "A lot of our giveaways were unforced errors so it has to be better in that regard."

"Our first half wasn't very good. We weren't good enough with the ball. Second half was a little bit better. As the game went on we got more chances that were dangerous. We have to get those earlier in the match."

Any team that wants to score goals needs to possess the ball well and have myriad offensive tactics. That has been missing for the Revolution, who haven't scored or won since the season opener March 9. Their scoreless streak is at 388 minutes.

The midfield improved in the second half, particularly when Andy Dorman came on for Kalifa Cisse in the 64th minute. Dorman sped up the midfield's pace and made simple, accurate passes that led to a few chances at the end of the game. Nevertheless, Dorman can't do it alone. Even with him on the field, the Revolution finished the match with 31.9 percent of the possession.

Such a low possession percentage is unacceptable for a team trying to end a goal drought. The midfield needs to generate chances for the scorers to feed off of. That piece has been missing through the first two months of the season.

Had it not been for the defense on Saturday, as has been the case for most of the season, the result could have been catastrophic. Bobby Shuttleworth started in place of Matt Reis (knee) and made four saves. AJ Soares and Jose Goncalves combined well in central defense, finding themselves in the right place at the right time to head, slide, and tackle away most of what the Sounders came up with. Chris Tierney filled in admirably for Kevin Alston, helping continue the Revolution's solid defensive form.

"I've been training with these guys every day and I've played a lot of left back over the years," explained Tierney. "It's an easy transition for me. I'm just happy we kept another clean sheet. These guys have been rock solid defensively. [Shuttleworth] came up with some big saves when we really needed him"

"Defensively, we've got to be proud of the effort all the way through the team. Hopefully we'll get things clicking a little more offensively and we'll score some goals."

The Revolution need stronger midfield performances that create more chances. That's how they will score more goals. Bengtson has been in terrific scoring form with the Honduran national team in World Cup qualification, but has been limited to just one league goal this year because of a lack of service and activity by the midfield in the final third.

More scoring help could be arriving very soon through Saer Sene, who made his 2013 debut against Seattle after tearing his ACL last season. Sene, who led team scoring in 2012 with 11 goals, played 16 minutes on Saturday. His match fitness is expected to progress and he may see more time against New York next Saturday.

"He's not one hundred percent yet, but you can see some of the things he can do," added Heaps. "He kept the ball for us, made some good runs. His body looks good, but he's got to get his fitness up."

"It's a very special feeling to get back on the field," said Sene. "I feel very good. After the game I wanted to play more. I think this is a good step forward. The more you play, the more your fitness gets better."

With both the Revolution and Seattle Sounders in last place in their respective conferences, Saturday’s clash between the two at CenturyLink Field in Seattle could be decided by which team wants to end its winless woes the most.

Fresh off a 1-1 result at Santos Laguna that eliminated them from the CONCACAF Champions League, the Sounders have won just once in their last eight games and are on a five-game winless streak. But for the most part, the Sounders have trudged through their winless streak in style. That doesn't mean that they've turned mediocre soccer into an art form to earn sub-par results.

It means that the Sounders are playing well enough that, with just a little bit of fine tuning, they could be one of the league's best teams in a matter of weeks. A win against the Revolution could be the stepping stone Seattle needs to make its turnaround.

But the Revolution have been stepped on enough through their first four games of the year. They are currently in the midst of a 298-minute scoreless streak and haven't won since March 9. They are also dealing with the loss of Kevin Alston, who is taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team to treat a form of leukemia.

“It's tough, obviously,” said Revolution defender Chris Tierney, who may slot in for Alston at left back. “Everyone knows about the situation with Kevin. It's something we've sort of handled as a team and as a family. We obviously spoke with Kevin and all of our support is with him. We're thinking about him all week through training and as we play this weekend, but it's a job and we have to get on with it. We have to use it as motivation to work hard in his absence.”

If missing their friend and defensive leader isn’t motivation enough, coach Jay Heaps is assured that the hunger to win is.

“I don’t know many games we go into where we don’t feel all that desperate,” he said. “We just don’t have the luxury right now as a group. Every game, we need to get a result. It’s vital for both teams.”

Winning is never easy against Seattle – especially when the game is in Seattle. What is more, the Sounders aren’t playing like a team in last place in the Western Conference. The closeness of their league games, plus the fact that they earned a tie in Mexico on Tuesday – never an easy feat for an MLS team – is proof that the Sounders are capable of picking themselves up.

But the Sounders are perhaps under more pressure, as this is their worst start to a season in franchise history. The best thing the Revolution can do is to pile on more pressure – on the field during the game – through controlling the midfield, and resolute defense.

“They’ll have pressure on them to win at home," finished Tierney. "We’ll try to use that pressure against them and try to nip something.”

Kevin Alston will take an indefinite leave of absence from the Revolution to treat Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (Kristian Cardillo)

New England Revolution defender Kevin Alston has been diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and will be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team, the club announced on Monday morning.

CML is a rare, but treatable, form of leukemia that does not require hospitalization. Alston is expected to return to the Revolution at some point in the future.

"The Revolution fully supports Kevin as he begins treatment," Revolution General Manager Michael Burns said. "Right now, the most important thing for Kevin, and his family, is to concentrate on returning to full health. Kevin's had a tremendous attitude since the diagnosis and his positivity is an inspiration for all of us.”

Alston has started the first four games of the 2013 season at left back. Originally picked up as a right back by the Revolution as the 10th overall selection in the 2009 Draft, the speedy defender was switched to the left side last year. The Revolution have depth at left back through Chris Tierney and Tyler Polak.

If anyone wants to reach out to Alston, they can do so by sending him get-well messages and thoughts to the email GetWellKevinAlston@gmail.com or tag tweets with #GetWellKA.