Revolution defeat UCF in preseason opener

The New England Revolution kicked off the 2011 preseason with a 2-0 victory over the University of Central Florida on their campus grounds earlier this evening.  Rookie midfielder Ryan Kinne put the Revolution on the board in the 35th minute, while Shalrie Joseph scored the insurance strike in the 60th minute.

Rookie Ryan Kinne struck first for the Revs in his first preseason match on Friday. (Photo by CHRIS ADUAMA/aduama.com)

Though the Revolution have significantly changed their roster since the end of the 2010 season, just three players that weren’t part of last season’s roster were part of tonight’s starting eleven.  Newly signed French defender Didier Domi and rookie defender AJ Soares were among the new faces to start, while Kinne played for an hour.

Zak Boggs, who has yet to sign a new contract with the Revolution, came on as a substitute at right back in the 13th minute after Kevin Alston re-aggravated his hamstring.

It took the Revolution no time to create chances, though the game’s first goal did not come until the 35th minute.  A Marco Perovic corner kick found Chris Tierney in the penalty area, who had his shot deflected into the path of Kinne who volleyed in a shot for the match’s opening goal.

The Revolution nearly doubled their lead just a few moments before the halftime whistle, as Ilija Stolica volleyed a shot off the crossbar.

New England carried their first half momentum into the second half, as Shalrie Joseph doubled the Revolution’s lead in the 60th minute by redirecting a Chris Tierney freekick toward goal.

Joseph’s goal turned out to be his last contribution of the game, as he and eight other players were subbed out in the 61st minute.  Seth Sinovic, who came on for Didier Domi, nearly added a third goal in the 84th minute, but his curling shot hit the post.

From a tactical standpoint, the Revolution were able to put three of their four pre-season goalkeepers between the pipes.  Clint Irwin, who joined the team on trial, was the only goalkeeper not to play tonight.

New signings Ousmane Dabo and Franco Coria did not appear tonight because both are still waiting the necessary paperwork to join the Revolution.  However, both the Revolution’s defense and midfield saw almost every player on the preseason roster play.  Andrew Sousa and Sainey Nyassi both split corner kicks when they came on in the 61st minute , while Stephen McCarthy and Andrew Sousa paired up in midfield following the Joseph-Phelan combination.

Alan Koger and Steven Perry were the only forwards to not hit the field tonight.  Perovic and Stolica did have their chances, but mostly from set pieces.  Kheli Dube and Zack Schilawski nearly combined on more than one occasion after they came on in the 61st minute.