New England Revolution

There's no doubt Jack Warner is a smart man.

The CONCACAF chairman and FIFA VP observed the revenue machine that UEFA's club competitions brought in and stared intently at two cash cows in his own backyard: Mexico and the United States.

Under the guise of fairer competition for clubs from smaller countries, a new tournament was devised to replace the old Champions' Cup. Not doing a good job of hiding his inspiration, Warner named the new tournament the CONCACAF Champions' League.

With the potential for eight of the sixteen teams coming from countries with huge money-making potential in the US and Mexico, Warner set out to draw bigger ratings and exposure for clubs traditionally overlooked because of the country they belong to.

Eight teams qualified directly, while the other eight had to come from preliminary rounds. The two Mexican teams qualified without breaking a sweat.

Ironically, Warner's two primary interests met head to head when MLS club New England Revolution met with Joe Public FC, a team primarily owned by the Trinidad and Tobago businessman.

Public soundly defeated New England, adding to a growing list of disappointments for a team with four MLS Cup defeats in four tries through its history. Adding to Warner's concern, the other MLS club in the preliminary round, Chivas USA, was unceremoniously bounced by Panama's Tauro FC.

With the total number of games (and highly priced tickets) to be held in the comfort of US stadiums, MLS' reputation as a regional giant took a ghastly hit.

Nearly at the end of the first round, D.C. United was easily defeated at home by Costa Rica's Saprissa, with reigning MLS Cup champs Houston Dynamo still to make their debut at home against El Salvador's Luis Angel Firpo.

Things get worse for D.C. as they were placed in the competition's "Group of Death". Along with Saprissa, Mexican giants Cruz Azul and Honduras' Marathon round out the foursome.

With their upcoming game being a visit to Honduras against Marathon, D.C. could very likely start out the competition with two negative results.

Houston's foursome is slightly more forgiving. Five time Mexican league champions UNAM Pumas head the group, while Luis Angel Firpo and Panama's reigning champions, San Francisco FC completing the table of opposition.

With two of their biggest cards already out of the running and one of the two that remain off to a slow start, the question is: Can MLS salvage the tournament? What kind of showing will it take to appease critics that already point out the early failures?

While Mexican clubs have cruised to better results in the current tournament utilizing "B" squads and mostly youth squad players, can the talent in MLS truly be overstated?

Or is it that MLS clubs still have a difficult time adjusting to international competition? After all, since the league's inception in 1996, only two teams (DC United and LA Galaxy) have won a CONCACAF tournament.

Either way, MLS' superior investment and somewhat proven international talent should prevail someday. Until then, supporters from smaller countries and schadenfraude-loving Mexicans can rejoice with headlines like this:

Joe Public trounce American club; Chivas USA bullied by Tauro.

I can just see Mr. Warner now, simultaneously cheering for his club and squirming at the dollars he's hemorrhaging already.

What do Brad Friedel, Tim Howard, and Kasey Keller all have in common? First, they are all American goalkeepers; and second, they've all played in Europe. There is one American goalkeeper, however, that has stuck with MLS ever since he was drafted into the league. That man is Matt Reis, goalkeeper for the New England Revolution.

Reis made a name for himself in college, when he was goalkeeper for UCLA. In the 1998 MLS College Draft, he was picked third in the last round by the LA Galaxy. However, he didn't see much playing time because the Galaxy had Kevin Hartman as their keeper.

In 2002, Reis was traded to the Revolution for a draft pick. Once again, he started as a backup. However, he broke through and got the starting job midway through the 2004-2005 season. From then on, Reis would go on to prove that he was the goalkeeper of choice for the Revs. He has been a finalist for the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award twice, in 2005 and 2006; and has helped the Revs win a couple competitions, including the US Open Cup in 2007 and the Superliga in 2008.

I was able to contact the Revs and received permission to interview Matt Reis by email. I want to thank the Revolution and Matt Reis for taking the time to do this.

1. Question: Where do you see the league in five years?

    Matt Reis: “I see it expanded into quite a few other markets and spread all the way across the country. I think that we’re making small steps. We will get this next collective bargaining agreement done and the players can their rightful share of the pie and we can kind of grow the league together.”

2. Question: Internationally, the United States has a reputation for solid goalkeeping. Tony Meola, Tim Howard, Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller, etc. What is it about soccer in America that produces such quality goalkeeping?

    Matt Reis: “I think it’s a fact that Americans play a lot of sports that involve hand-eye coordination: a lot of football, basketball, baseball, volleyball. When kids grow up, they grow up playing a lot of different sports, and it helps just in your hand-eye coordination. As a goalkeeper, you not only need to be a good soccer player, you have to be a good athlete.” 

3. Question: Do you think that MLS clubs need to concentrate on bringing in more homegrown talent or bring in other foreign players?

   Matt Reis: “I think it’s a mix of both. I think it’s important to grow players in the United States and bring them along young. I think it’s important to identify young players and put them in situations where they can excel. I think it’s also important to bring in quality international players who want to be here, who want American soccer to succeed and who are still viable even if they are into their 30s.”

4. Question: What would you be doing if you had not taken up soccer?

   Matt Reis: “I would be a beet farmer in Idaho.”

5. Question: What do you like to do when you’re not with the club?

   Matt Reis: “I like to spend time back in California with the family and friends, doing stuff with my family and just relaxing.”

 

6. Question: Are you still known as the club jokester?  I remember back in 2004, your little joke on April Fool's Day.   I hear people sometimes bring that back up.

   Matt Reis: “We have a lot of jokesters on the team, but I have passed the mantle on to some of the younger guys on the pranks. But you never know when another one is going to come. The key to a good prank is for the person not to know it’s coming. You can’t pull pranks all the time, because they’re going to expect it. You have to expect the unexpected.”

7. Question: Where do you see yourself in five years?

   Matt Reis: “Still playing. Hopefully going on another streak of consecutive minutes played and have four or five MLS Championship rings.”

There you have it folks. Matt Reis has spoken. If you enjoyed this interview and would like another MLS player to be interviewed, just suggest him on the comment board down below and I'll see what I can do.

The New England Revolution climbed to within two points of Eastern Conference leaders Columbus with an emphatic 4-0 victory against Chivas USA on MLS Primetime Thursday at Gillette Stadium.

Steve Ralston scored a goal and added two assists to pace the Revolution upon his return from injury. Taylor Twellman added a goal and an assist and Jeff Larentowicz also scored as the Revolution returned to their winning ways by reversing the scoreline they saw twice a week ago.

The result felt harsh for Chivas, who held the Revs scoreless and nearly went ahead before Twellman scored eight minutes after the break. Three subsequent goals, including two in stoppage time, flattered the Revs but displayed the advantage the home side held for most of the game.

Ralston returned to the lineup after a three-match absence due to back spasms. He joined Taylor Twellman up top with Shalrie Joseph tucked in behind. Nicol opted to return to a 3-5-2 formation with Ralston's return. The extra berth in midfield brought Pat Phelan into the team alongside Jeff Larentowicz in central midfield.

Chivas USA's injury concerns continued with Maykel Galindo, Jesse Marsch and Raphael Wicky still out with injury. Claudio Suarez was fit enough to make the bench. The continued concerns meant Francisco Mendoza operated in the center of midfield alongside Paulo Nagamura. Daniel Paladini earned another start after his first career goal last weekend.

Mendoza presented Twellman with a gilt-edged chance after just four minutes. Looking to play a square pass to Nagamura along the top of his own penalty area, Mendoza instead passed directly to Twellman. The Revs striker bore in on goal but only managed to tuck his effort around the far post when most expected him to slot home past Dan Kennedy, making just his second career start after an injury to Zach Thornton last week.

Twellman did better to turn a Ralston free kick towards goal. Ralston's scoop pass caught the Chivas defense flatfooted to find an unmarked Twellman. The ball wasn't easy for Twellman to deal with and he managed to direct it towards goal only for Kennedy to deny him with a dive to his right.

The home side was on top during the early stages, looking renewed and comfortable in possession. But Chivas gradually came into the game and grabbed more of the ball when possible. Atiba Harris lashed well over after doing all the hard work to outmuscle Michael Parkhurst.

Chances still fell primarily to the home side. Ralston played through an advantage call to skip down to the end line and cut inside. Ralston's shot looked destined for the far post, but Kennedy came out to cut down the angle and push the effort away from danger.

When Chivas did manage to go forward, Razov was on the end of the buildup. A long-distance drive forced Matt Reis to push the ball around the post before Razov flailed at a dangerous cross from Jorge Flores.

Chivas spurned two glorious chances to go ahead just after the halftime interval. Jim Curtin crept behind the defense yet couldn't connect with a free kick while Reis fumbled the ball out over the end line. Harris sent a header towards the far post from the resulting corner kick. Michael Parkhurst stayed on his post and hacked the ball clear.

Just as Chivas looked to grab control of the match, the Revs struck. Referee Jair Marrufo could have whistled play dead at midfield after Shalrie Joseph was fouled at midfield. Instead, play continued and the Revs exploited that advantage. Twellman and Ralston connected with Ralston sending a low cross across the face. Twellman slipped through Nagamura and Carey Talley to thump home at the near post.

The Revs pressed forward in search of a second. Curtin nearly facilitated the process by deflecting a timid Khano Smith shot towards goal and forcing Kennedy into an acrobatic save in the process. Kennedy was then forced into another save at the near post by Twellman.

Larentowicz scored the killer second with six minutes to play. Smith's cross was headed out and collected by substitute Wells Thompson. Thompson nodded on to Ralston, who laid a ball back for Larentowicz to fire home from 22 yards.

Smith got the goal his running deserved as the match entered stoppage time by muscling Bobby Burling off the ball and slotting home inside the far post as the match entered stoppage time.

Ralston capped the night by ringing his effort off the far post to finish off a move spurred on by a crossfield pass by Twellman to ensure the Revs would break their three-match winless streak.

Behind the play of MVP candidate Guillermo Barros Schelotto, the Columbus Crew downed the New England Revolution 4-0 at Crew Stadium on Saturday night, their fourth consecutive win—increasing their lead in the Eastern Conference to five points ahead of the Revolution.

Schelotto, the MLS Player of the Month for August, continued his string of contributing to Crew goals, with a goal and two assists from the first three scores. It gave him two goals and eight assists from the last 10 Crew goals.

With Schelotto resting on the bench for the final seven minutes, his streak ended when ex-Revolution midfielder Pat Noonan set up substitute forward Jason Garey for his second goal of the match in the 90th minute.

The Crew took a 2-0 lead into the break thanks to Schelotto. He put Columbus ahead in the 39th minute with his sixth strike of the season and added his league-best 17th assist in the 45th minute when his free kick was headed in by rookie defender Andy Iro for his first goal.

Columbus dominated the weary Revolution in the first half but had nothing to show for it until a sloppy play turned golden. Robbie Rogers got free down the left side and pushed a grounder into the box for first-year forward Steven Lenhart, but Lenhart was marked and the ball rolled through.

Schelotto raced in and got to the errant ball first and had a hefty strike from about eight yards that left goalkeeper Matt Reis with no chance to make the save.

Schelotto and Iro connected in stoppage time for the two-goal cushion. Schelotto lined up 25 yards left of goal and lofted a service into the box where the 6-foot-5 Iro was left open for a snap header.

The Crew had 16 of the 18 shots in the opening 45 minutes and eight of nine that were on goal.

Columbus did not let up in the second half and Garey took a pass from Schelotto off his chest, settled and put a left-footer home for his second goal of the season. The 18th assist for Schelotto moves him into a third-place tie for most in an MLS season.

New England came in battered and tired from a busy summer schedule of SuperLiga, U.S. Open Cup and CONCACAF Champions League matches. Its 32nd game was a 4-0 loss Tuesday to Joe Public of Trinidad and Tobago that eliminated the Revolution from the Champions League. Meanwhile, the Crew played their 27th match in all competitions on Saturday.

The Crew were missing U.S. defender Frankie Hejduk and forward Alejandro Moreno (Venezuela) from the first 11 and the Revolution were minus starting defender Gabriel Badilla (Costa Rica) because of national team duties.

However, New England did have forward Taylor Twellman in the lineup after taking a shot to the face Aug. 30 in a collision with Los Angeles goalkeeper Steve Cronin. Twellman has been a Crew killer with nine goals, the most of any Revolution player in the rivalry.

For the Crew, Danny O'Rourke returned from suspension for yellow card accumulation to take Hejduk's place at right back. Also, Lenhart took Moreno's spot for his second start but first in five matches. He went 42 minutes against Colorado on July 27 before earning a red card and a two-game suspension for throwing an elbow. Lenhart nearly ignited the late-arriving crowd in the seventh minute after Schelotto headed the ball to him. Lenhart did a bicycle kick that Reis parried over the bar.

The Crew came close again six minutes later but the pipe proved to be the Revolution's ally twice. First, Schelotto sent a free kick from 25 yards toward the upper left corner. Reis made a leaping save but the ball smacked the crossbar and came back to Brad Evans at the edge of the goal box. His header was on target but it also kissed the bar.

New England absorbed more pressure in the 19th when Brian Carroll unleashed a strike from 19 yards that Reis had a clear vision on to makes the save. The Revolution finally had a scoring chance in the 27th with Twellman turning around Iro at the top of the penalty area before firing into the midsection of goalkeeper Will Hesmer.

Noonan made his first appearance against the Revolution in the 74th minute. His rights were obtained from New England after his return from Norway's Aalesunds FK last month. Noonan then sent a through ball to a streaking Garey to put an 90th-minute exclamation mark on the victory that saw Columbus hold a 27-4 advantage in shots, including 14-1 on goal.

Chivas USA and the New England Revolution both had a chance to redeem their poor starts in the Champions League today. Unfortunately, both clubs failed to do so. 

New England Revolution - Joe Public FC (0:4, 1-6 on aggregate)

The New England Revolution had the first chance to redeem themselves.  They hosted Joe Public FC (Trinidad & Tobago) at the Gillette Stadium. JPFC had a 6-1 aggregate lead after defeating the Revs last week, 2-1. 

The Trinidadian football club came out with all guns blazing as they repeatedly beat down the Rev's defense.  In the 17th minute, the visitors got their first of four goals. Gregory Richardson, who reportedly has gained interest from the Columbus Crew, received a well-placed pass, slipped through the Rev's back line, and fired a shot into the far side of the net. 

New England needed a minimum of two goals to force extra time, Wells Thompson and Brandon Manzonelli both created a corner kick opportunity, but both attempts missed.

Shalrie Joseph should have tied the game after 36 minutes when Jay Heaps played a ball into his run, Joseph walked in along the byeline, but dragged his shot wide from a tight angle.

As the clock came to halftime, Joe Public was able to add to the score as Richardson scored once again, managing to get past the defensive line and beat goalkeeper Matt Reis. 

If the Rev-faithful had some inch of hope going into the second half, it disappeared almost instantly.  JPFC had some great combination play as Roen Nelson managed to slide a shot past Matt Reis three minutes into the second half.

The Revs improved a bit after their opponent's third goal, but it was too little, too late.

Gregory Richardson completed his hat trick when Silan Spann created some space for him and he finished to the far post with a thumping strike. But the night ended in misery for Heaps after he was issued his second yellow card in the 90th minute to cap a performance the Revs hope to forget.

Joe Public will begin its Group C schedule away on September 17th against Impact de Montreal.

Chivas USA - Tauro FC (1:1, 1:3 on aggregate)

Chivas had a chance to advance as they took on Tauro FC (Panama) at home in the Home Depot Center, and did slightly better than their MLS counterparts, the NE Revs. 

In the 12th minute, Chivas striker Justin Braun saw a shot cleared off the line, an early warning of Chivas’s attacking intentions.  

Eight minutes later, Roberto Nurse ran clear of the defense and was hauled down as he rounded Tauro goalkeeper Willington Dominguez. The referee pointed to the spot immediately, but failed to give Dominguez a deserved red card. Sacha Klejstan’s spotkick was denied by the Tauro goalkeeper, as he dove to his right to save the strike.

But the miss energized Chivas. In the 36th minute, Atiba Harris saw a glancing header ricochet off the bar, and in the 42nd minute, the Goats finally broke through. Again it was Nurse in the center of the action, a cross from the left side by Jonathon Bornstein was knocked down by Kljestan, and Nurse executed a perfect swivel shot that crashed into the back of the net.

In the second half, the Trinidadian football club came out determined to turn the game around. Things looked bright for the visitors as Jonathan Bornstein picked up his second yellow card and was forced to be sent off.  Chivas's good fortune had come to an end.  They desperately needed a second goal to force extra time and they were down to ten men.

Just three minutes after Chivas was reduced to ten men, Jean Alberto Mclean gave Chivas a scare with a 25-yard effort that sizzled just over the bar. Then, Edwin Aguilar hit a hard shot that forced Dan Kennedy into his first save on the night. 

Eventually, Tauro's aggression paid off as Luis Moreno got past defender Jim Curtain and placed a shot into the net.  The score was now 1-1, with Tauro in control.

Several good chances fell to Chivas late.

The first one to substitute Jorge Flores, who smashed a left-footed shot aimed at the lower corner that Dominguez stretched well to save. Second, when Pancho Mendoza had a clear path to goal but his shot was deflected wide just in time. Then, just before the final whistle, Alecko Eskandarian had a breakaway saved by Dominguez, the final embarrassment in the Goat’s premiere CCL adventure.

Tauro now moves on to the group stage, joining Group D with Mexican side Santos Laguna and Guatemalan clausura champions Municipal.

Other Results From Preliminary Round:

Montreal Impact - Real Esteli (0:0, 1:0 on aggregate)

Future Preliminary Round Matches:

Sept. 3 -

Puerto Rico Islanders - LD Alajuelense

Hankook Verdes vs Cruz Azul

CD Marathon vs AD Isidro Metapan

Sept. 4 -

San Francisco FC vs Deportivo Jalapa

Pumas UNAM vs Harbour View FC

The Columbus Crew were the only Eastern Conference team to win and by doing so moved to the top of the division and the MLS overall table to round out Week 23 of the Major League season.

LA Galaxy 2 New England Revolution 2
Landon Donovan scored a pair of goals for the Los Angeles Galaxy, but Shalrie Joseph’s first goal of the season helped the New England Revolution grab a 2-2 tie.

Joseph’s goal in the 71st minute helped New England (11-6-5) extend the Galaxy’s (6-9-7) winless streak to 10.

D.C. United 0 Red Bulls 0
A missed penalty kick by D.C. United’s Jaime Moreno allowed the New York Red Bulls to leave RFK Stadium with their unbeaten streak at six games.

D.C. United’s (10-10-2) playoff push has been hampered by injuries and D.C. added another name to the list when top scorer Luciano Emilio left in the first half with an apparent puled groin.
The Red Bulls (8-6-8) are 3-0-3 in the first past six games.

Crew 2 FC Dallas 1
Guillermo Barros Schelotto had two assists, giving him a league-leading 16 on the season, to give Columbus the MLS lead with 40 points.

The Crew (12-6-4) overtook New England, which tied Los Angeles earlier Saturday.
The loss kept FC Dallas (6-8-8) winless in its past three games

Chivas USA 2 Toronto FC 1
Atiba Harris scored deep in extra time to give Chivas USA a 2-1 victory and deny Toronto a rare road point.
Harris scored in the fourth minute of an announced four minutes of stoppage time for Chivas’ first win in eight games. The win moved Chivas (7-9-6) into third place in the Western Conference, while Toronto (7-10-5) fell to 2-9-0 on the road.

San Jose Earthquakes 2 Kansas City Wizards 1
Darren Huckerby scored again to lift San Jose out of last place in the Western Conference for the first time all season.

The the expansion Earthquakes are on a seven-game unbeaten streak (3-0-4) that has pushed them one point ahead of Colorado.

The loss left the Wizards at 6-8-8 and bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Houston 2 Chicago 1
The Houston Dynamo’s two-month surge to the top of the Western Conference has included five wins, five shutouts and one loss in eight matches.

Behind Brian Mullan’s go-ahead goal Sunday evening, Houston(9-5-8) improved to 7-1-3 at home this season as they beat the Chicago Fire (10-7-5) 2-1.

Scoring for Chicago for the first time was U.S. star Brian McBride who was making his first start of the season.

The first matches of the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League are over. After the dust settled, there were some surprises in who came out the winners and losers.

CHIVAS USA—TAURO FC:  Chivas USA went down faced off against Tauro FC in Panama. The seven-time Panamian champions easily defeated Chivas 2-0. From the outset of the match, Tauro looked like they were in control.

Panamian international, Edwin Aguilar became the first player to score in the tournament when he scored in the seventh minute to put Tauro ahead. Later in the 67th minute, Aguilar struck again when he chipped the ball past the Chivas goalkeeper. The second match in the series will be at the Home Depot Center on September 2nd.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION—JOE PUBLIC FC:  While Chivas was being defeated by Tauro, the Revs weren't doing much better. The Revs went to Trinidad to face Joe Public FC in what was supposed to be an easy win.

Unfortunately, Joe Public managed to get a convincing win 2-1. On the bright side though, Joe Public wasted many chances. Six minutes after half time, Gregory Richardson scored to put Joe Public up 1-0.

Substitute Jamal Gay came on for Joe Public and scored another goal in the 70th minute putting the home side up, 2-0. Six minutes later, Sharlie Joseph from the Revs was brought down in the penalty box.

That allowed Mauricio Castro to take a cool penalty for the Revs bringing the final score, 2-1. The second match in the series will be at the RFK Stadium on September 2nd.

Other Results:

Cruz Azul 6 - Hankook Verdes 0

Montreal Impact 1 - Real Estali 0

LD Alajuelense 1 - Puerto Rico Islanders 1

Recently, CONCACAF announced that they would begin a Champions League, a virtual carbon copy of UEFA's Champions League. Joe Guarr, a MLS community leader here on the B/R, recently wrote about the new tournament. If you missed that article, here it is (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/50650-concacafs-answer-to-the-uefa-champions-league).

Well, the preliminary rounds of the Champions League are set to kick off today, as two MLS clubs face off against two Latin American clubs. The winners of the two matches will advance into the group stages of the tournament.

First up, Chivas USA from Los Angeles will head down to Panama and face Tauro FC.  The match will kick off at 8pm ET. The last game that Chivas played was a scoreless draw with the San Jose Quakes on Saturday.

This is the first match in which Tauro FC will play a MLS club. The last match Tauro FC played was against Chorrillo FC, in which Tauro won 3-0.

The only other Panamain club that played against an MLS club was back in 2003, when Deportivo Arabe Unido faced the Columbus Crew in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Crew won 4-2 on aggregate after losing in Panama but then winning back in Columbus. 

Chivas defender, Bobby Burling said of the upcoming match: "I don't know much about the opponent we are playing but going down there, we are looking for the win obviously. I think everybody is excited, despite how early we are here ... we want to win the trophy, we want to advance. I was talking to a couple of the guys and nobody knew much about Tauro. It's going to be interesting and we are excited."

At the same time the Chivas match is going on, the New England Revolution will be in Trinadad facing off against Joe Public FC. The last match that the Revs played was a 1-1 draw over Toronto FC on Saturday. Taylor Twellman managed to score but Chad Barrett equalized for TFC.

Unlike Tauro FC, JPFC knows MLS clubs very well. Back in 1998, DC United demolished Joe Public in the Champions Cup quarterfinals at the RFK Stadium, 8-0. The next year, Joe Public once again made it to the Champions Cup quarterfinals in Las Vegas. There, the Chicago Fire defeated them, 1-0. 

The last match Joe Public played was a loss to Defence Force FC on Saturday. They are now fifth in the T&T Pro League, fourteen points behind the leader.

In a statement to the Trinidad Express, ex-Rapids defender Keyeno Thomas said: "I think we can match them once we are up to scratch on the day. I have played in the MLS and the difference in the standard of play isn't great. We have some good talent in our squad as well and some experience too. I believe once we can settle early and work to our plan, then a good result is a definite possibility."

The matches today are the first in a two-game series. The winners of the series will go onto the group stage. 

The winner of the Chivas-Tauro match will go to Group D, which includes Santos Laguna from Mexico, Municipal from Guatemala, and the winner of the preliminary match between LD Alajuelense from Costa Rica and the Puerto Rico Islanders. Such as Mexico's Santos Laguna, Guatemala's Municipal and a preliminary-round victor between Costa Rica's LD Alajuelense and the USL club Puerto Rico Islanders.

The winner of the Rev-JPFC match will go to Group C, where they will meet Mexican club Atlante, Honduran side Olimpia and the winner of the qualifying series between Montreal Impact (Canada) and Real Esteli (Nicaragua) in Group C.

DCU's average season just got a whole lot better as they defeated the New England Revolution 3-1 at the RFK Stadium to book their spot at the US Open Final on September 3.

DC United opened the scoring less than four minutes into the game as right back, Bryan Namoff ran down the right side of the field and sent a cross into the box where Emilio calmly headed it into the net. Things, however, got worse for DCU in the first half as the Revolution repeatedly broke down the opposing defense.

Eventually, Adam Christman of the Revs managed to get a goal as the ball bounced off DCU's rookie Joe Germanese. United went back on the attack the rest of the half; however, each chance they had turned up nothing. The two sides went into the break at one goal a piece.

DCU came out into the second half with all guns blazing as they repeatedly took shots at the Rev's defense. Soon, United had their second goal as Moreno and Quaranta hooked up to complete some fancy passes that allowed Quaranta to chip the ball over the goalkeeper's head and into the goal. DC United were up, 2-1. 

However, the Revs once again came back with a counter-attack that tested DCU's goalkeeper Zach Wells. Fortunately for United, Wells was able to save the ball and allowed DCU to hold the lead.

DC's Bolivian midfielder, Moreno, soon led the attack yet again. While moving forward, Rev's winger, Thompson, blatantly fouled Moreno, earning the New England player his second yellow card and sending him off the field.

From then on, the game looked to be DCU's, but United wasn't happy with a 2-1 lead.  They kept testing and testing the Rev's defense until eventually, in the 81st minute, Emilio was able to get past New England's defense and score the icing on the cake for United. The game would finish with United up, 3-1.

With the semi-final victory against the Revs, DC United will now face Charleston Battery from the USL in the finals of the US Open Cup.  The Battery defeated fellow USL club Seattle Sounders in a penalty shoot-out after 120 minutes produced a 1-1 draw. 

This will be the first time DC United has played in the cup final since 1997, when they lost to the Dallas Burn on penalties.

For the third time this season the Chicago Fire defeated the New England Revolution.  The perennial Eastern Conference contenders are currently the top two teams in MLS and both harbor championship hopes.

But on this night—and the previous two meetings between these two teams—Chicago had New England's number. They have won the three games by a combined score of 9-1.

This game was by far the most challenging of the three as the Fire had to come back from an early goal off the head of recently healthy striker Taylor Twellman. But thanks to a sinking knuckleball from Gonzalo Segares and a rebound from Wilman Conde, Chicago got the win and pulled to within one point of first place.

Chicago has been knocked out of the playoffs the last three seasons by the Revolution and the rivalry between these two teams seems to grow every year.

Budding rivalries like the Fire versus the Revolution are exactly what the MLS needs to continue pushing forward and improving their standing in the world of soccer.

Both Chicago and New England have been paving the road for the growth of MLS, especially in the past two seasons.

Chicago made one of the largest splashes last season when they signed Mexican international Cuauhtemoc Blanco. And they have continued their quest for international talent with the acquisitions of the Colombian, Conde, Lider Molina from Paraguay, and recently acquired Marco Pappa from Guatemala.

The Revolution have been one of the top teams in MLS over the last two seasons, finishing runner-up in the last two MLS Cups, and becoming the first MLS team to win the Superliga title.

These two teams are on the forefront, driving MLS in to the future that looks very bright. It is great to see this rivalry grow and blossom.