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| Sunday, October 13, 2002 21:39 EST |
Revs overcome more adversity
By Marc Connolly
[Special for ESPN.com]
FOXBORO, Mass. -- If the New England Revolution were a baseball team, it would be the Anaheim Angels. That is, a true gritty bunch of individuals who grind out every win as a unit, bend but don't break at nearly every turn and define the endearing term of "dirt dogs" to the fullest extent.
So it was fitting that their Major League Soccer semifinal series-clinching 2-2 tie over the Columbus Crew on Saturday was played amid spraying rain, mud and temps dipping into 40s at the immaculate grounds of the Big Razor. What was also fitting was how this side gave up two goals in the last 10 minutes of regulation after securing a seemingly-cushy 2-0 lead in the early moments of the second half.
"Nothing is ever easy," sighed Revs "interim" head coach Steve Nicol, who should have his temporary status on his business card ripped to shreds after the job he has put in the second half of the season. "I'm proud of all the guys to get from last to MLS Cup. It's a credit to them, and it's been done with a lot of hard work and faith in each other."
Somehow, someway this collection of no-names, international neophytes and MLS lifers banded together to move on to next week's MLS Cup against the L.A. Galaxy despite not having their only true star -- the scoring machine that is Taylor Twellman, who has a sprained right knee -- and one of their most reliable starters-- right back Jay Heaps, sitting out a one-game suspension for a red car earned in Game 2 -- sitting up in the owner's box behind Bob Kraft.
"It was so hard to sit up there and watch," said Twellman, not on the pitch for a game or practice for the first time since joining the Revs from 1860 Munich last winter, and is questionable for next weekend. "But every game is final to this team and everyone worked all day long. This team fights through adversity. To come from where we came early this season to where we are is amazing and has been fun to be a part of."
It's no secret that New England favors a defensive style of game, as there always seems to be at least eight players behind the ball. That was no different on Saturday. But anyone who thought the Revs would sit back in a 4-5-1 or bunker down throughout the game to secure the tie it needed to advance was wrong. Not only did the Revs come out of the gate with an offensive mindset, but they also did it with flair.
Steve Ralston's goal in the 17th minute looked like something that San Jose might have scored. It came off a deft back-heel pass at the top of the box from Leo Cullen to Ralston, who continued his run from right to left behind his teammate to receive the backend of the 1-2 combo before one quick touch and a superb finish to the side netting past keeper Jon Busch.
"He does that all the time in practice, so I knew it was coming," said Ralston, who usually plays the role of John Stockton (19 assists compared to five goals this season) rather than Karl Malone on the score sheet. "I ran at it full speed and wanted to keep my touches to a minimum to keep my angle, which is why I hit it with my toe so quickly."
Ralston laughed at the goal and how it came about, knowing that the words "fancy" and "Revolution" go together as well as Clint Mathis and Octavio Zambrano.
"We don't have the flair and skill level that we had in Tampa, but we work our butts off up here," said the 28-year old right midfielder. "There are no egos or superstars on this team, just a group of guys who want to win. And it's the most fun group I've ever played with."
Fun? It wasn't always that way. Not last year certainly, when they were ninth out of 12 teams in the standings. And watching them play? It was like watching C-Span. Even though Twellman found the back of the net early on and established himself as a striker to be reckoned with game-in and game-out, it wasn't really until Fernando Clavijo was let go in late May that the tide started to turn in the Bay State.
"Coach Nicol came in and demanded effort," said versatile defender Rusty Pierce, the team's David Eckstein. "It is unacceptable to him if you don't go all out. You can't get away with it at practice, either."
Trading away Mamadou Diallo, Ted Chronopoulos and Andy Williams after just seven games seemed to switch up the locker room chemistry, as well. Before the World Cup even rolled around, this team had already been overhauled and began having closed-door meetings, where they looked themselves in the mirror and realized they were out of excuses and had too much talent not to be a menace to the rest of the teams in the league.
"Things could have gone one of two ways (when everything transpired) -- we could have really played poorly and fell to the bottom of the table, or we could have turned it around and never looked back," said Pierce. "We chose the latter."
It took a collective effort and a less-than-glamorous style playing in Nicol's 4-4-2, where the wingbacks roam up the flanks next to never and the central midfielders often look like extra defenders. It hasn't been pretty and no style points will be awarded by the league's pooh-bahs at next week's MLS Gala, but this isn't gymnastics or figure skating.
"We're a blue-collar team, no doubt," said Cullen. "We have 11 guys who work for each other and a bench full of players who only care about winning and not their own minutes. On paper, no one looks at us and thinks we can win a game. But hey, we all know our roles and do the little things.
"This isn't Serie A or English Premier League soccer (attractive), but it's quite effective."
No doubt. Columbus is filled with offensive players that play with a unique skill and can be as colorful as the in-peak foliage that's surrounding southern Mass. Right now. But they were turned away, pushed off the ball and kept in check throughout the series, save for the five-minute span on Saturday when two goals were scored, including an own-goal by Carlos Llamosa off a Dante Washington head ball.
New England will once again be an underdog against the skillful Galaxy come next weekend. However, it would be unwise for anyone to count out a squad that now has a 8-1-3 record and has trailed for a mere 14 minutes of the last 1,045 since August 24, especially with a goalkeeper like Adin Brown, who is having a run through the postseason (four goals let up in six games that includes 4 shutouts) reminiscent to the one turned in by Tony Meola in 2000.
For those who do count the Revs out, know that they're listening and ready to prove themselves all over again.
"We heard that (DaMarcus) Beasley and (Chicago Fire Coach Bob) Bradley said they were going to be in the MLS Cup before our (first-round) series," said Pierce. "We also found out about (Jeff) Cunningham and others in Columbus guaranteeing a victory. It got fired up in the locker room."
It showed throughout the series.
The Angels may not get past the equally-upstart Minnesota Twins in the ALCS, but one team that has no business being in its sport's championship game is already there awaiting its next opponent. And it's at home. It may even be contested in close-to-freezing temperatures, as one cannot predict mid-fall New England weather.
Perfect for a dirt dog.
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