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.

Last Friday, on the 100th anniversary of US Soccer's founding, the US women's national team played the second-ranked Germans to a 3-3 tie in Offenbach, Germany. Though the US wasn't victorious, the fact that the American women not only played the day of the centennial but also entered the game as the world's top-ranked team was a reminder of just how far women's soccer -- and women's athletics in general -- have come.

One hundred years ago, the events of last Friday would have been a dream for women, who still couldn't vote and rarely attended college. When the US Soccer Federation was formed in 1913, soccer was very much thought of as a man's game. There were organized female tournaments at the club level in England as early as 1918, though the first official Women's World Cup wasn't until 1991. On top of that, the US Soccer Federation didn't put a women's team on the field until 1985.

The women's game started earlier internationally. In 1969, an unofficial European tournament similar to today's European Championship was launched and featured France, England, Denmark, and host Italy. The tournament was played again in Italy in 1979 and was expanded to seven other European nations. The tournament was officially adopted by UEFA (Europe's administrative soccer body) in 1982 and still exists today as the Women's Euro.

Europe has always been a few steps ahead of America in regards to soccer, although US women have dominated the sport from the start.

The US women's national team has never been ranked lower than second place by FIFA, the governing body of world soccer. It has finished in the top three at every World Cup, winning twice. It has also won four of the five Olympic Games that have included soccer, finishing second at Sydney 2000. The US has a 404-58-57 all-time record, giving it a 76.0 winning percentage.

The US men's team has been at it since 1913 but hasn't come close to the level of the women's team in international play. But perhaps by the time a women's team was first fielded in 1985, things had been in place to ensure that the US women would be successful.

The passage of Title IX in 1972 was instrumental. Universities around the country built women's soccer programs, which turned into the breeding grounds for future national team players and coaches.Today, college teams like North Carolina, Stanford, UCLA, Florida, and others continue to supply players to the national team.

In 1986, orth Carolina coach Anson Dorrance became the second coach of the US team. He not only accumulated a 66-22-5 record, but also discovered or developed key American players like Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, Kristine Lilly, Julie Foudy, and Joy Fawcett.

That generation of players won the World Cup in 1991 and are still called pioneers of women's athletics. But today's generation of players has gone from pioneering to building. The most recent undertaking is the creation of a stable, professional soccer league.

Unfortunately, that's the one area in which American women's soccer has continued to struggle. Since 2003, two professional leagues have failed due to financial constraints and low attendance. Nevertheless, this new generation of players have pressed on and have, for the third time, helped resurrect a professional women's soccer league.

The new National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) will kick off this weekend and is expected to be much more financially durable than the previous leagues. The league is important for three reasons. One, it allows women to train domestically at a high level and is direct competition for European women's leagues. Two, it gives the US national team an arena to find and evaluate players after they succeed in college. And three, it gives young girls who dream of playing soccer a steppingstone.

Most female players have been worried at one time or another that they would be unable to play soccer professionally. But in creating and maintaining the NWSL, today's players are not only building a league for themselves, but also creating an avenue for US Soccer to find the next world champion players.

Bobby Shuttleworth stands in front of his net exasperated following the Revolution's 1-0 loss to Dallas on Saturday after nearly ushering his team to another shutout and positive result. (photo credit: Kristian Cardillo)

FOXBORO, MA- Putting the ball in the back of the net continues to be a problem for the Revolution, who fell 1-0 to Western Conference leaders FC Dallas (4-1-0, 12 points) on Saturday night and extended their scoreless streak to three games. Meanwhile Dallas snapped a streak of its own, getting its first victory at Gillette Stadium since July 16, 2003.

With the attack fumbling, the defense, which entered the game having allowed only one goal in three games, had added pressure to retain its form. And though Bobby Shuttleworth, in goal for Matt Reis (knee), and the back line dealt well with Dallas most of the game, they eventually caved in the 87th minute when Blas Perez scored the winner off a cross by David Ferreira.

The result extends the Revolution's (1-2-1, 4 points) scoreless drought to 298 minutes. It's also the second consecutive time this season that Shuttleworth has seen a positive result fly away because of a late goal.

"It’s frustrating [losing on late goals in both my starts]," said Shuttleworth. "There’s no other way to put it. I don’t think we gave away a whole lot, and they get a half chance in the 87th minute and we’re punished for not moving forward with our chances. It’s definitely frustrating."

The return of Jerry Bengston, who was away last week with the Honduran national team, plus starting Diego Fagundez, was expected to provide ample firepower for the recently gun-shy attack. But aside from not finishing, the Revolution had a sloppy passing game and only won 38 percent of the possession in the first half. Fagundez had the team's only shot on target in the first half, a slow rolling effort from 18 yards out that Raul Fernandez gobbled up in the 36th minute.

"We got a nice speech [from coach Jay Heaps] at halftime saying that we needed to work harder and that our possession was slow," said Fagundez, who earned his first start on the left flank.

"I think that the first half, there wasn’t enough movement, there wasn’t enough playing the ball quickly and a lot of what we worked on all week just seemed to go away," added Heaps.

The Revolution tried to put Heaps's halftime words into play, though they remained sloppy and still couldn't break through. They did, however, create the second half's first scoring chance.

In the 58th minute, Toja crossed a failed clearance by Dallas into the center of the penalty area for Bengston, who had his headed effort tipped over the crossbar by Fernandez.

Then, New England's offensive pressure folded and Dallas took over. Kenny Cooper headed a cross by Jackson into the goal in the 63d minute, but had his effort called offside by the linesman. He was replaced by the eventual goal-scorer Perez a moment later. Next, Lee Nguyen cleared a header by George John from a Michel corner kick off of the goal line in the 66th minute.

Kevin Alston replied just two minutes later, picking up possession in Dallas's penalty area after two defenders crossed legs and coughed up the ball. Alston went for the loose ball, took a touch, went in alone on Fernandez, but fired right at him. Toja tried again from close range, off a feed from Bengston in the 77th minute, but had his effort stopped once more by Fernandez.

It appeared that the Revolution's shutout streak would continue until Perez broke through and scored in the 87th minute. He found space in between AJ Soares and Jose Goncalves, heading a cross by Ferreira in off the left post and past the diving Shuttleworth for his first goal of the season.

"It looked like [David] Ferreira just kind of cut it back and there were two guys at the back post," explained Shuttleworth. "Perez got up and headed it across, and to be fair, he put it in a good spot, probably the only spot I couldn’t have saved it."

Even with a defense in good form, mistakes will happen or opposing teams will come up with a tactic that produces a goal. On Saturday, the Revolution weren't hurt by a defensive error. They were hurt by their offense, which couldn't complement the defense's performance by scoring a goal. Converting on any of their five shots on target would have made the difference.

"Right now our play is a little bit out of sync with what our runs are, and that’s where I think we just have to continue to get better every week," said Heaps. "Obviously, we practice [finishing] and practice it. I mean, it’s something that we do a lot of. Maybe we do it too much. We work on those things and you want to get yourself in a place to finish. I thought tonight we had chances to score and we didn’t and so, we go back and work harder as a staff, as a team to take care of those chances when we get them."

The Revolution have a bye week, giving them plenty of time to find their scoring boots before they visit the Seattle Sounders April 13.

By Julian Cardillo, Boston.com Correspondent

Since 2008, Major League Soccer has allowed each team to sign local players from their academy programs directly to their senior team. The Revolution has been one of the league's most successful teams in adding homegrown players, signing forward Diego Fagundez (Leominster, MA) in 2010 and midfielder Scott Caldwell (Weymouth, MA) last December.

According to league rules, up to two homegrown players do not count against a team's salary cap. Players need to have spent at least one year with their local team's academy program, lived in their club's territory, and met more unspecified league requirements to be eligible for a homegrown contract.

It's been a popular way to keep young, local players with the teams they grew up with, especially since some of the 70 players that have signed homegrown contracts have become regular fixtures with their teams or moved beyond American professional soccer.

Here are the top five homegrown players in league history:

5. Ashtone Morgan, Toronto FC

Credit: Toronto FC

Ashtone Morgan joined Toronto FC's academy in 2008 at age 16. Now 22, Morgan has been a member of Toronto's senior team since 2011, emerging as a regular starter at left back. Morgan, who was the TFC Academy's first-ever graduate, has also begun earning looks from the Canadian national team. In 2011, he was Canada's U-20 Player of the Year. He earned his first international appearance in September of 2011 for a World Cup qualifier against Puerto Rico. Toronto decided to sign the speedy defender to a multi-year deal just a few months into his professional career. That's a testament to Morgan's skill, seeing as Toronto have struggled since they joined the league in 2007 and have seen a slew of defenders come and go. But Morgan appears to have found a home in Toronto, being one of the only defensive players to be offered a contract extension.

4. Diego Fagundez, New England Revolution

Credit: New England Revolution (photo credit)

Born in Uruguay's capital of Montevideo, Diego Fagundez moved with his family to Leominster, Mass., when he was 5 years old. He joined the Revolution Academy at age 14 and subsequently signed a professional contract with the Revolution in 2011 at 15. It took Fagundez a few months before former coach Steve Nicol rewarded him with playing time. But on Aug. 6, 2011, Fagundez earned his first appearance off the bench with his team trailing Chivas USA by two goals. Fagundez drew a penalty kick within moments of taking the field, which cut Chivas' lead in half. A few minutes later, he scored his first professional goal by collecting a forty-yard pass, rounding the goalkeeper, and slotting the ball into the back of the net.

Skill-wise, Fagundez can go toe-to-toe with almost anyone on the Revolution roster. Talent-wise, the sky is the limit. The Revolution signed Fagundez to a multi-year deal earlier this month, though the youngster is still competing hard for playing time. But the beauty of Fagundez's play is that he makes something happen almost every time he's on the field. He's got the foot skills, positioning, and scoring ability to make a formidable soccer career. Unfortunately for the US national team, Fagundez appears to have chosen to represent his native Uruguay at the international level.

3. Juan Agudelo, Chivas USA

Credit: US Soccer

Juan Agudelo, 20, actually signed as a homegrown player for the New York Red Bulls. Interestingly enough, the Colombian-born Agudelo earned his name in top-down fashion rather than bottom-up. He earned a call to former US national team head coach Bob Bradley's camp for a friendly against South Africa while he was struggling for playing time in New York. Agudelo came on as a substitute against South Africa for his first international appearance and proceeded to score the game-winning goal. He scored his second international goal less than a year later in a 1-1 tie with Argentina in front of his homecrowd at New York's MetLife Stadium.

Agudelo was traded to Chivas USA last year in a multi-player swap. Though he's not a power scorer, he is still one of the US' best young attacking players. He appears to have his heart set on continuing to represent the US national team. Agudelo has followed the advice of US coach Jurgen Klinsmann to train during the MLS offseason. During his downtime with MLS, he has trained with the likes of Stuttgart, Liverpool, Celtic, and West Ham United.

2. Bill Hamid, DC United

Credit: DC United

Generally, young goalkeepers wait years before they break into the starting role with their respective clubs. Not only has Bill Hamid become the regular starter between the pipes for DC United, but he has also started earning serious looks with the US national team. He signed for United in 2009 after playing for the club's youth team and made his first professional appearance on May 5, 2010.

Hamid, 22, is arguably the league's best young goalkeeper. Not only can he stop shots, but he confidently commands his penalty area and knows how to organize his back line. He has a career 1.20 goals against average and a save percentage of 73 -- better than most goalkeepers in MLS' all-time player register.

Hamid has just one appearance with the US national team, though he has participated in most of Jurgen Klinsmann's training camps. Hamid could be the player who steps in for the US in goal in the future.

1. Andy Najar, DC United

Credit: DC United

Andy Najar, 20, is probably the beacon for Ashtone Morgan, Diego Fagundez, Juan Agudelo, Bill Hamid, and the 65 other homegrown player contract holders. Young players want to play professionally, earn notoriety, represent their country, and make it big. Najar has done all of the above.

He's no Lionel Messi and he's made some questionable decisions on the field (see referee disrespect here) but Najar's career is very much on the rise. He left DC for Belgium's Anderlecht on a permanent, $3 million deal in January. The 2010 MLS Rookie of the Year has also represented Honduras at the Olympic Games and is beginning to get attention from the senior team.

At 5-7, Najar was never a physically imposing player in MLS. He is known more for his quick passing and darting runs down the flank. Najar took to MLS quickly, becoming a regular starter not long after he made his professional debut in March of 2010. From then on, Najar's confidence only went up as he established himself as a player who could change a game and make a difference. He finished his DC career with 10 goals and 11 assists.

The Boston Breakers will need Cat Whitehill (right) to step up and command the defense in 2013 (photo credit: Kristian Cardillo)

By Julian Cardillo, Globe correspondent

SOMERVILLE -- The Boston Breakers need to shore up their defense before they kick off the 2013 season April 14 against the Washington Spirit in the brand new, National Women's Soccer League. On Tuesday night, the defense was hung out to dry too often as the Breakers fell, 3-2, to Sky Blue FC in a preseason game at Dilboy Stadium.

Against Sky Blue, veteran defender Cat Whitehill, now in her second season with Boston, paired in central defense with Kia McNeill, recently signed from Atlanta, while Bianca D'Agostino started at left back and Canadian national team midfielder Rhian Wilkinson slotted in at right back.

The learning curve for this group of defenders has been steep.

D'Agostino is a converted midfielder and made her first appearance at left back on Tuesday. And Wilkinson is still getting used to playing right back since she's played in midfield for her most recent international games with Canada.

"D'Agostino is new to being a defender, Whitehill and McNeill are used to leading their own backlines, and Wilkinson has had a huge adjustment with us because the way she plays for Canada and the way we want her to play is different," said Breakers coach Lisa Cole.

Heather Mitts, whom the Breakers signed via the allocation draft in February, unexpectedly announced her retirement two weeks ago. A veteran of two World Cups and three Olympic Games, she would have aided Whitehill in transitioning the new defenders to a new style of play.

Casey Short, whom the Breakers signed in the first round of the college draft, tore her ACL and will likely be out for the entire season. She was expected to add another dimension to the defense. Her absence now only provides Cole with a shorter list of options for the backline.

Whitehill will be charged with establishing familiarity in defense, though 2 1/2 weeks worth of training sessions and preseason matches should help her in the gelling process.

She already communicated to Cole what the team needs to work on defensively in their next session.

"Two of the goals on Tuesday were all about marking," Whitehill explained. "I just told Lisa that we need to work on marking in the box for next week. I want that to be a focus, not just for defenders."

Whitehill will need help from her goalkeepers too. And there's plenty of work to be done in that department. Cecilia Santiago, Mexico's starting goalkeeper, will join the Breakers later, but doesn't speak English, a setback in establishing familiarity between her and the backline.

Santiago's understudy, Colleen Boyd, played the entire game on Tuesday and made important saves, while also making key errors. Boyd didn't challenge a cross off a corner kick that led to Sky Blue's second goal.

"Boyd is a young player, she made young player mistakes," said Cole. "She's young, she's still learning. On that corner, she's 5-10, she should dominate in the air. She’s at least got to go out and make a challenge on the cross."

"It takes a while to get used to a new defense, and I think that's preseason blues a bit," added Whitehill. "It's only the second game we've played together. Boyd and I are still sorting out each other and she's still sorting out the defense."

"But she's a tall goalkeeper. If she can own the box the way we know she can, then we'll be successful. She just has to gain the confidence and slowly but surely it's coming."

By Coryn Doncaster, Globe Correspondent

The New England Revolution have loaned four players to their USL PRO affiliate, the Rochester Rhinos, for the Rhinos' upcoming season.

Defender Bilal Duckett, forward Matt Horth, midfielder Gabe Latigue, and defender Tyler Polak will join the Rhinos this week.

Rochester's season opener is April 13 at VSI Tampa Bay FC. The Revolution are allowed to take back any of the four players during the loan period.

“Bilal, Matt, Gabe and Tyler are young players who should benefit from consistent playing time,” said Revolution general manager Michael Burns in a statement. “We have a very deep roster this year, and having these four players get time in Rochester will benefit their professional development, as well as our club’s depth.”

By Julian Cardillo, Globe correspondent

Matt Besler and Omar Gonzalez may have fewer than 10 international appearances between them, but their central defense combination helped the US claim a valuable point away at Mexico. Playing at Estadio Azteca, a place where the US has never won a competitive match, Besler and Gonzalez commanded the back line like veterans and kept the game level at 0-0 from minute one to minute 90.

Geoff Cameron patrolled the flank as right back and performed well, while DeMarcus Beasley struggled all night as the replacement left back. He was cautioned in the eighth minute for tackling Javier Aquino and was exploited on the left side for most of the game.

Besler and Gonzalez were able to cover for Beasley while Brad Guzan, who replaced the injured Tim Howard (neck), made two saves on the game and confidently dealt with every cross that came his way.

Guzan and his defense were able to thwart Mexico's potent offensive weapons that include Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, Giovani Dos Santos, and Andres Guardado. The trio helped earn Mexico a 14-1 edge on shots over the US, plus 15 corner kicks.

That Guzan made so few saves is an indicator that Mexico's finishing was off. By the time the half hour mark arrived, both players and spectators started getting impatient. Mexico tried to force the perfect play, though the US was equal to challenge every time on defense.

Mexico also had two good shots for a penalty kick, one in each half, both of which were denied.

The result leaves Mexico's team scratching their heads. They walked into the game with a 13-0-1 record against the US at the Estadio Azteca, but couldn't create the decisive play. They are also now winless through their first three games of the final stage of World Cup qualification, sitting next to last in the six-country group with three points.

Meanwhile, the US will be celebrating a hard-fought point and will move into third place behind Honduras and Panama. The top three teams qualify automatically for Brazil 2014, with the fourth place team going to an intercontinental playoff with New Zealand for a spot at the World Cup.

The result also provides the US team with the sense that they're on the right path, especially after last week when it was leaked that some players were frustrated with Head coach Jurgen Klinsmann for his tactical and game time decisions. Klinsmann appears to have silenced his critics for the time being, though there are still seven games to go.

For the players, the result will bring confidence and a sense of belonging. Talk of no Howard, Landon Donovan, and Carlos Bocanegra made it seem as though this young group of players were like sheep without shepherds. But despite their youth and inexperience, players like Besler and Gonzalez were excellent in a difficult situation. Guzan filled in honorably for Tim Howard. And Clint Dempsey seems to be settling into the captain's role in the absence of both Donovan and Bocanegra.

The teams will play each other again in Columbus, Ohio Sept. 10. Their next game is June 7 at Jamaica.

France's goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, center, lies one pitch after Spain's Pedro Rodriguez Ledesma, right, scores during their World Cup 2014 qualifying soccer match at the Stade de France in Saint Denis, north of Paris, Tuesday, March 26, 2013. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

By Julian Cardillo, Boston.com Correspondent

Spain fought hard to earn a 1-0 win over France at the Stade de France in Paris on Tuesday, reasserting themselves as the leaders of Group I. France went toe-to-toe with the defending World Cup and European Champions but eventually caved in the 58th minute when Pedro sloppily made the ball go into the net off a Nacho Monreal cross.

France attempted to rally for a draw in the final third of the match but were unsuccessful due to the goalkeeping of Victor Valdes, in for Iker Cassillas (arm), and being cut to 10 men after Paul Pogba was shown his second yellow card and sent off in the 77th minute for clipping Pedro.

Though away from home, Spain controlled the match from the opening kickoff. They maintained their possession-based style, inching their way up the field with patient, deadly passes.

Xavi got the game's first look, finding himself open in the six-yard box off a Monreal feed in the 5th minute, though he sent the ball over the crossbar. In the 32nd minute, Pedro found his way into the penalty area via a long ball from Xabi Alonso. He took one touch and rounded French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who then brought down Pedro. Referee Viktor Kassai did not award a penalty kick, despite serious protest from the Spanish players.

France came up with the first half's best scoring chance in the 39th minute when Mathieu Valbuena sent Franck Ribery into the penaltly area on a breakaway. Ribery's first touch was too heavy and he needed to fire earlier than he wanted, allowing Valdes to block shot from sliding into the net.

Spain resumed their offensive approach in the second half, putting heavy pressure on the French backline. But France came close to preventing Spain's goal.

First, Patrice Evra nearly slid Monreal's cross away from Pedro. Once Pedro shot, the ball deflected off of Lloris and flew weakly toward the back of the net. Lloris, on the turf, gave one last attempt at clearing the danger by attempting to punch the ball clear, but he inadvertently ensured that it would find its way into the net.

France sought an immediate response, with Blaise Matuidi's shot from just inside the penalty area saved by Valdes in the 64th minute.

France pushed forward despite losing Pogba in the 77th minute, but weren't rewarded. Valdes thwarted their final chance by parrying Evra's header off an inch-perfect Valbuena cross in the 87th minute.

Valdes' performance preserved Spain's victory in a game the French thought they could take. France had a two-point lead over Spain for control of Group I going into the game, with the group winner earning an automatic berth to Brazil 2014. But now only an upset will prevent Spain from winning the only nine-country group in European qualification.

France could reach the World Cup via home and away playoff just as they did four years ago. But being in a group with one less team takes six points off the table, which makes qualifying harder because France would need more points than at least one of the other group runners-up to move to the playoff round.

Europe

Almost everything went as expected for Europe's competitors on Tuesday. Belgium, Italy, Germany, Montenegro, and Netherlands maintained their group leads. Russia, Switzerland, and Bosnia-Herzegovina did not play, but remained first in their respective groups. Portugal is in second place behind Russia in Group F with 11 points, though the Portugese have played two more games than Russia. Montengro maintained first place in Group H, rallying late to earn a 1-1 draw with England. European teams in danger of not qualifying for Brazil 2014 that played in South Africa include Serbia, Denmark, Slovenia, and Slovakia. Belgium and Russia, who haven't qualified for the last two World Cups, have looked particularly impressive in qualification.

North America

The biggest game will be Mexico against the United States, both of whom are favorites to reach Brazil 2014. As of now, Honduras leads the six-team group with one win and one tie. Honduras look as if they'll definitely compete at the World Cup. Panama look out-classed, having barely managed two draws. Jamaica and Costa Rica look like they'll duke it out for fourth place, which goes onto an intercontinental playoff against New Zealand for a spot in Brazil.

Asia

Japan could have officially qualified for the World Cup by beating Jordan on Tuesday, but instead fell 2-1. Nevertheless, they still lead their group by six points. And with the top two countries earning World Cup berths in this double-hexagonal stage, Japan will still likely qualify for Brazil. In Group B with Japan is Australia, who have qualified for the last two World Cups, but have been struggling in this qualification process. Australia is currently in third place and had to rally for a 2-2 draw against Oman on Tuesday, a very unconvincing performance for a team that is supposed to qualify easily for the World Cup. It's much more of a dogfight in Group A, where Uzbekistan lead the group with 11 points with second place Korea Republic following close behind with 10 points. 2022 hosts Qatar still have a shot to qualify too, tied for third with seven points with Iran. The two third place teams in Groups A and B will move on to a home and away playoff with each other for the fifth and final qualifying spot out of the Asian zone.

South America

Argentina tied lowly Bolivia 1-1 on Tuesday but retained their lead of the nine-country group. With Brazil qualifying automatically for the World Cup as hosts, this may be Argentina's group to win. Colombia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Chile all look like viable World Cup competitors, though only four teams can qualify automatically. With half the process complete in the South American zone, Argentina look like favorites not just to qualify, but to perform well yet again at the World Cup. True to recent history, Paraguay, Peru,and Bolivia look out-matched and don't appear to be at a level where they can compete with the other group members.

Africa

Former US head coach Bob Bradley's Egypt defeated Zimbabwe in a qualifier today, making them a shoe-in for the next and final round of Africa's qualification process. Countries are currently playing in ten four-team groups with the winners moving on to a knockout round. The knockout round features a home and away playoff for the ten group winners. Tunisia and Congo look like they'll definitely make it through to the knockout round, though it's too close to call in the other seven groups.

Oceania

New Zealand have rounded up World Cup qualifying in the Oceania with 18 points, finishing unbeaten against New Caledonia, Tahiti, and Solomon Islands. But to qualify for Brazil, they will need to defeat the fourth place team in North America's region in a home and away playoff scheduled for November 15 and 19.

By Julian Cardillo, Boston.com Correspondent

The US' World Cup qualifying campaign won't turn into a soap opera. Brian Strauss' Sporting News article about players' lack of faith and growing impatience with head coach Jurgen Klinsmann took the back burner last Friday when the US defeated Costa Rica, 1-0. Nevertheless, doubts will continue to swirl over Klinsmann's direction, especially if the US loses tonight's game at Mexico.

But regardless of the score of tonight's game, don't expect to see Klinsmann, the players, or even the Federation hit the panic button.

Strauss' article aside, the US is not favored to win in Mexico City tonight. They have a 1-22-1 record at tonight's venue, Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The US' only victory there was in a friendly last August by a 1-0 score, a result that seriously battered Mexico's pride and will motivate them more tonight. Mexico also has only two ties so far in the final stage of World Cup qualifying due to lapses and blown leads, and will push even harder for a result against the US.

With those kinds of odds stacked against them, neither the US players nor Klinsmann can afford to worry about one article.

But players are well aware of the cauldron of opinion, sensationalist, and analytical pieces churning together in the soccer world. And while pieces like Strauss' gain momentum, players and coaches simply ignore them and do their jobs.

Klinsmann faced a journalistic firestorm, again for his coaching strategies, before the 2006 World Cup where he helped Germany finish in third place. All of the US players are subjected to that kind of scrutiny too, though it happens more often in Europe than the states.

Strauss' research on the innards of Klinsmann's coaching was noteworthy. But so is Klinsmann's inability to find a goal scorer and his arduous task of teaching his players to consistently employ an attacking, possession-based style.

Klinsmann may need to work on his communication with players and find a better way to teach his tactics. But he consistently demands that players play to their potential. And players won't play to their potential if there are internal disagreements between the team or against the coach. Klinsmann seems to be aware of that. It's the reason that he has training camps that are closed to the public. It's why coaches in every sport sit down with their team when times are tough.

Klinsmann will likely continue to stay cool over allegations that he's out of touch, even if he loses tonight against Mexico or anytime down the road. If Klinsmann has a discussion with his team, expect the players to rally around their coach again.

By Jason Mastrodonato, Globe Correspondent

Final, 0-0: The Revolution might have gotten the better of the play, but their scoring chances were few and far between in their home-opener on Saturday afternoon. With their top two forwards missing from the lineup and an atmosphere at Gillette Stadium that provided unpredictable winds, getting a clean impression of this new Revolution team might have been difficult. But grinding out a physical game against a tough opponent, and earning a point in the process, is always a positive.

The takeaway... Hold your breath. The Revolution do have goal-scorers on this team. Jerry Bengtson (with the Honduras national team) and Saer Sene (recovering from knee surgery) can each cause defenders fits. The creativity in the midfield is fun to watch. This team is capable of playing European-style soccer, with fast-moving passes on the ground and a focus on possession. It should get better.

The big picture... The Revolution (1-1-1) moved into a tie with D.C. United for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. They host F.C. Dallas next Saturday at 4 p.m.

Across the field... The offense: Chad Barrett was solid in his Revolution debut, with his high-energy style of play appreciated in a windy game that saw the ball spend a lot of time in the air. Coach Jay Heaps said Barrett played good, but he was subbed out for Ryan Guy in the 64th minute because Barrett is not yet in the best shape. He was a late arrival to training camp. With the windy conditions, the game was generally a tough one for forwards.

The midfield: The defensive midfield, with Clyde Simms and Scott Caldwell, played solid. They pushed possession up the field and were quick to clear out the chances Sporting KC presented. They were beat occasionally by Benny Felihaber, but overall won the battle. The offensive midfield, with Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe and Juan Toja, generated consistent possession. They were often a bit sloppy, creative in their play production but without the finishing effort. That's to be expected this early in the season. The signs were positive. This is also where Diego Fagundez and Andy Dorman can add value in a different type of game. Heaps said he considered bringing each of them on the field in the 65th minute, but decided against it. Heaps said the risk of losing something defensively didn't out-weight the possible reward. The rhythm of the game wasn't heading in a direction that favored the crafty Fagundez, in particular.

The defense: This was where the Revolution were at their best on Saturday. Across the back four, Kevin Alston, Jose Goncalves, A.J. Soares and Andrew Farrell were impressive, not only at preventing chances, but often creating them with productive passing. At one point, Farrell, the top overall pick in last year's draft, was caught too far up the field and KC's Claudio Bieler earned a breakaway seconds later. But the aggression that Farrell has shown, and the fact that Heaps is OK with his outside backs getting forward, shows that this Revolution team should be more offensive than those of the past.

Take the explanation from goalkeeper Matt Reis: "We want to encourage our outside guys to go and that’s why we have Clyde and Scotty there to help us. And we balance out with those three guys (in the attacking midfield) to help us ... It’s always a cat and mouse game and it’s always a situation where we have to be turned on for 90 minutes, because you saw the one chance they got was just a direct ball played over the top."

The goalkeeping: The 37-year-old Reis played a good game, stopping Bieler on a breakaway and earning his second shutout in as many games this season. Young Bobby Shuttleworth should challenge Reis for playing time, but the veteran appears to have the job for now.

Quote of the day... Coach Jay Heaps: "For me, Kansas City is one of the best teams at grinding out a game like that. And I think it showed a lot of our guys, coming out and fighting them and making it a difficult battle."

77th minute, 0-0: Toja bent a free kick from about 22 yards out, but it sailed just over the crossbar. The Revs have officially recorded their first shot. One more needed to tie the franchise-low.

73rd minute, 0-0: Bieler found himself all alone at the top of the box after an over-the-top pass, but Reis made an outstanding play, rushing out and swatting Bieler's shot away.

71st minute, 0-0: It might have been overdue, but Felihaber just took a yellow card for diving. The theatrical midfielder went down in the box and the official whistled immediately. Simms was livid, thinking he had given up a penalty, but a pleading Felihaber was instead given the Ronaldo treatment.

64th minute, 0-0: The Revs made their first sub, sending midfielder Ryan Guy into the game for Barrett, whose playing style just didn't seem to match the flow of this game. Guy pushed Toja to the lone striker role. KC's Peterson Joseph entered the game for Saad.

60th minute, 0-0: Rookie right back Andrew Farrell is caught too high on the field, trying to join the attack, and KC almost makes him pay. Saad again got loose down that wing and swung a pass to Claudio Bieler, but Bieler's one-time shot sailed over the net. You appreciate Farrell's willingness to get forward, but the Revs have to compensate when he does.

57th minute, 0-0: The Revs, who made no changes at halftime, have continued the pressure in the second half, but still have yet to record a shot. They're flirting with the franchise record for least amount of shots in a game, which is two.

Halftime, 0-0. Three lines:
Revs' 18... KC hasn't had too many chances aside from a throw-in that bounced around and landed at Sapong's foot, but his shot deflected off the crossbar. Look for them to start playing shorter balls to feet as opposed to banging over-the-top passes that have resulted in nothing.

Midfield... Aside from Felihaber running around like he's playing against his former team or something, the Revs have dominated possession in the middle third. Scott Caldwell and Clyde Simms have done an excellent job pushing the ball forward, where Lee Nguyen and Juan Toja have been able to string together a few passes.

KC's 18... This is where the Revs have struggled. Barrett has been an energizer, stretching the defense with his constant movement, but his touches haven't been clean when playing with his back to the goal. The Revs, who ended the half with zero shots for just the 10th time in franchise history, may need to make an adjustment that plays to Barrett's strengths, or get someone with more creativity up there who can handle the ball and redistribute.

The Revs are controlling possession. They need a goal to show for it.

30th minute, 0-0: Kevin Alston out-hustled KC's Mechack Jerome to a loose ball and earned himself a free kick. Jerome was two days too late on the tackle and was issued a yellow card. Nothing came from the free kick for the Revs, who have the better of possession thus far.

22nd minute, 0-0: The Revs get two corner kicks, but the wind is making it tricky to find friendly noggins off set pieces.

19th minute, 0-0: A long throw in from KC landed at the feet of Sapong, who banged a shot that deflected off Clyde Simms and bounced off the crossbar and out.

16th minute, 0-0: The game's first scoring chance is started off the foot of former Revolution midfielder Benny Felihaber. Felihaber hit Soony Saad on a through pass down the left side and Saad quickly found C.J. Sapong running through the box, but Sapong's one-time shot sailed wide.

12th minute, 0-0: A scare for the Revs on a back-pass to keeper Matt Reis that bounced around due to the high winds. Reis chased it down and was able to find an outlet to prevent the scoring chance.

6th minute, 0-0: Chad Barrett (42 goals in 194 MLS games) is already impressing in his first start as the lone forward. Even without the ball, Barrett's high-energy game has kept the KC defense on its toes and forced pressure when the defenders have the ball.