New England Soccer Today

The Warm Up: #DALvNE

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

A Fourth of July clash against FC Dallas awaits the aptly-named New England Revolution on Saturday at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Tx. Kickoff is set for 9:00pm ET.

The Revolution enter Saturday’s contest winless in nine of their last 10 league matches, and losers of their last three. Making matters worse: the Revolution haven’t scored a goal against Dallas since 2011, and haven’t beaten them in over six years (2009).

On the other side of the pitch, Dallas is coming off a morale-raising 2-0 win over Lone Star state rival Houston Dynamo last weekend, a victory that put the brakes on a six-game winless run. But a walloping in Wednesday’s 6-2 U.S. Open Cup loss to Sporting Kansas City certainly won’t serve as a confidence booster.

Below is a breakdown of each team and the match.

THE TEAMS

FC Dallas (7-5-5, 26 points), sixth in the Western Conference
New England Revolution (6-7-6, 24 points), second in the Eastern Conference

WHAT’S AT STAKE

For the Revolution, Saturday’s match is an opportunity to quiet some of the grumblings about another summertime slide. The locals have hit the skids around the summer solstice in three the four seasons that coach Jay Heaps has been at the helm, and after dropping their first home game in nearly a year last week, a victory would not only put them back at .500 – it would temporarily quiet some of the critics.

Like the Revolution, Dallas hasn’t played their best brand of football as of late. After kicking off the season strong, the Hoops have fallen on hard times. Their six-game winless run had them plummet from first place to sixth, barely above the red line in the Western Conference. It’ll be interesting to see which version of Dallas – the one that dropped a 6-2 Open Cup loss or the one that seized a 2-0 win over Houston -shows up on Saturday.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Revolution: With key defensive cog Andrew Farrell serving his red card suspension, former Dallas defender London Woodberry – who’s been a revelation at right back for the Revolution – will likely start in Farrell’s place.

Dallas: Fabian Castillo poses the greatest threat to the weakened Revolution backline, without a doubt. The Colombian striker has torn up opposing defenses all season, and with Mauro Diaz nearby, Castillo could provide all the Fourth of July fireworks needed at Toyota Stadium.

NOTABLES

-The Revolution’s last win in Frisco came in 2008, when the locals took a 1-0 victory over the Hoops on Apr. 24, 2008.

-Dallas midfielder Kyle Bekker played NCAA soccer at Boston College. He also suited up for the now-defunct Worcester Hydra in 2012.

-Prior to retiring from his playing career in 2005, Dallas coach Oscar Pareja suited up for the Revolution in 1998. Pareja’s boss – technical director Fernando Clavijo – managed the Revolution from 2000 through the first few games of the 2002 season.

LOOKING AHEAD

Following Saturday’s match, the Revolution will head to Red Bull Arena for the first time in 2015 to face the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, Jul. 11. Kickoff is set for 7:00pm.

Leave a Reply