Revolution vs. Union 2013: New England Drops Rivalry Week Fixture to Philadelphia 1-0
The New England Revolution and Philadelphia Union were grouped together as "rivals" for MLS Rivalry week, and they will clash on Saturday in Chester, PA. PPL Park is traditionally a disaster area for the Revs, but after reversing their run of bad luck at Toyota Park last week, they'll look to continue the trend this weekend.
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An ugly, sloppy, chippy match led to an inevitable defeat for the boys in blue. Losing hurts, but hey at least it's not like we lost to an actual rival, right? Come commiserate with us.
The Revolution lost at PPL Park to the Union yet again, and for the third time running, it was Jack McInerney providing the late heartbreak. Here are our player ratings. Corey and Abram were our only contributors this week, as Steve, Matty and Brendan were unable to rate.
In what can only be described as a tight and tense affair, both the Revs and Union have found it rather difficult to orchestrate any semblance of rhythm in the first half.
The first half was mostly void of solid offensive output, but it was Lee Nguyen giving Revolution fans the first moment of excitement in the 22nd minute when his seemingly harmless, long free kick continued to knuckle and caught Zac MacMath off guard, causing the Union keeper to unconvincingly parry the shot away.
Minutes after A.J. Soares earned a yellow card in the 27th minute, Philadelphia orchestrated their best offensive chance of the first half when Sheanon Williams' long throw in into the Revs' penalty area caused a moment of trepidation in defense, and when the ball fell to an open Michael Lahoud, the Union midfielder launched a shot well wide but it served as a warning shot to the Revs' defense.
New England nearly found the opener in the 35th minute when Nguyen slickly slid a clever through ball to a streaking Jerry Bengtson, but the Honduran's attempt at slotting the ball home was kicked out by a sprawling MacMath.
The first half ended shortly after a Lee Nguyen free kick found nothing but the Union wall, and with both teams headed to the locker room searching for an offensive catalyst in what seems to be a worsening weather pattern, the second half certainly looks like it may be more of the same.
History has not been kind to New England in this "rivalry", but the Revs should be up to the challenge today. Below are the lineups and in the comments is where you can join us for the live game thread discussion. Don't miss out!
The Revs will employ the same formation but with 3 notable personnel changes. Scott Caldwell and Bobby Shuttleworth make their 2013 Revolution debuts while Kelyn Rowe slots in at right-midfield in the Starting XI.
Coming fresh off a win over arguably their most hated rival, The New England Revolution must now face-off against the Philadelphia Union in a forced “rivalry week” show-down.
For the second straight week, the Revolution have to travel to a place that's never been kind to them, facing the Union at PPL Park. Scott Kessler of the Brotherly Game filled us in on some details about Philly's team, including some surprising thoughts on Le Toux, Hackworth, and their value to the team.
