Revolution vs. United: Preview and Game Notes

The New England Revolution are facing D.C. United at RFK Stadium on Saturday night. RFK hasn't been a forgiving place for the Revs historically, and this season United already hung a 3-2 defeat on the Revs back in May. That said, United will be missing their best player in 2011 MLS MVP Dwayne De Rosario, and their recent results haven't been the best as they've tumbled from the top of the Eastern Conference to the fringes of the playoff race.

REVOLUTION INJURY REPORT

According to website release (Sept. 11)
QUESTIONABLE: Blair Gavin (L disc irritation), Sainey Nyassi (R adductor strain)
OUT: Saer Sene (L torn ACL)

According to team twitter (Sept. 14)
QUESTIONABLE: Chris Tierney (L knee sprain)
OUT: Saer Sene (L torn ACL)

D.C. INJURY REPORT

OUT: Dwayne De Rosario (MCL), Lance Rozeboom (L torn ACL), Daniel Woolard (Concussion-like symptoms), Stephen King (inguinal hernia repair), Josh Wolff (lower back disc herniation)

PREDICTED LINEUPS

REVS (4-4-2): Reis; Alston, Barnes, McCarthy, Lechner; Nguyen, Simms, Feilhaber, Guy; Bengtson, Fagundez

UNITED (4-4-2): Hamid; Korb, McDonald, Jakovic, Russell; DeLeon, Kitchen, Saragosa, Najar; Pontius, Pajoy

TEAM NOTES

• Saturday's match is the 59^th all-time, regular-season meeting between the New England Revolution and D.C. United, the Revs' most-faced opponent in club history ... this will be the 66^th overall meeting between the two clubs, who have played four MLS Cup Playoff matches and three U.S. Open contests
• D.C. leads the all-time, regular-season series between the two clubs, 27-23-8 ... the Revs are 8-17-4 at D.C., but have won two of the last three meetings at RFK Stadium
• Saturday's game will conclude the regular-season series between the two teams ... D.C. United is already 2-0 against the Revs this season, defeating New England, 2-1, at Gillette Stadium on April 14, and 3-2, when the teams last played on May 26, at RFK Stadium
• New England's loss against D.C. United on April 14 snapped the Revs' six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1) against United since the start of the 2009 season ... last season, the Revs won their home opener, 2-1, on March 26, and later picked up their first road victory of the season, a 1-0 win at D.C., on July 20
• The Revs' 2011 series win marked the first time either team won three consecutive season series ... United won the season series in back-to-back seasons in 1997-08 and 2003-04, while the Revs picked up their first consecutive season series wins in 2009 and 2010, before winning the season series again last year
• Eight of the last 10 meetings - including the last five matches - have resulted in one-goal games ... the teams have played to just one draw in that stretch - a 1-1 finish on April 17, 2009 - while the Revs' 2-0 win on April 3, 2010, was the largest advantage for either team during that stretch
• The teams have met in three postseason series, with D.C. holding a 2-1-1 edge in those matches ... however, the Revs defeated United, 1-0, in the most recent playoff meeting on Nov. 5, 2006, to win the Eastern Conference Championship at RFK Stadium and earn a berth in the MLS Cup 2006

Player Notes

• Saer Sene has one goal and one assist in two career appearances against D.C. United ... Sene scored when the teams last met on May 26 at RFK Stadium and recorded his first career assist on Jose Moreno's goal in the April 14 meeting at Gillette Stadium
• A.J. Soares and Stephen McCarthy are the only other current Revolution players to score a goal against United ... Soares recorded his second career goal on a header on May 26, 2012 at RFK Stadium ... McCarthy scored the lone goal - his first career game-winning goal - last season in the Revs' 1-0 win at RFK Stadium on July 20, which snapped the team's nine-game winless streak
• Chris Tierney has four assists in eight career appearances against United ... Tierney has also recorded the game-winning assist in three of the last six meetings against D.C. ... last season, Tierney assisted Stephen McCarthy in the game's only goal on July 20, and picked up game-winning assists in both meetings with D.C. in 2010 ... additionally, Tierney earned an assist in the 3-2 loss earlier this season on May 26
• Lee Nguyen has recorded one assist in two appearances against D.C. ... Nguyen assisted Jose Moreno's goal on April 14, at Gillette Stadium
• Matt Reis is the Revs' all-time leader in games played in goal (25) against United... Reis has a 8-11-6 record with the Revs against D.C., with four shutouts and a 1.54 goals against average
• Clyde Simms made his first career appearance against his former club on April 14 at Gillette Stadium ... Simms made 182 appearances - including 147 starts - in seven seasons with D.C. United, from 2005-2011 ... the Revs selected Simms in Stage 2 of the 2011 Re-Entry Process ... Simms missed the last meeting with left ankle tendonitis
• Blake Brettschneider made his first appearance against his former club on May 26 at RFK Stadium ... Brettschneider made 15 appearances in his rookie season with United in 2011, scoring one goal and recording two assists ... the Revs signed Brettschneider on March 6, 2012

Broadcast Information: TV: CSN, 7:30 PM EST; RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub, 7:30 PM EST