FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- No one should be surprised to see the New England Revolution and Chicago Fire tangle in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
The two teams have met in the Eastern Conference playoffs in each of the last three seasons. New England has emerged victorious all three times on its way to three consecutive MLS Cup defeats.
Chicago turned the tables during the 2008 regular season, disposing of the Revs in all three games of the season series by a 9-1 aggregate.
The recent trend won't be helped by New England's recent run of poor form. The Revs haven't won in six league matches (0-4-2) to slide down the Eastern Conference standings.
"We've gone through a lot in the past couple of months since SuperLiga," Revs midfielder Jeff Larentowicz said. "We've had some ups and a lot of downs. It's another chance for us to show what we've got."
Despite the season series and the poor form heading into the playoffs, Larentowicz expects the playoff series to feature closer, more competitive games.
"We're two teams that have had lopsided affairs this season," Larentowicz said. "When it all comes down to it, it's going to be like years past because it's the playoffs now."
Even if the games and results remain the same, it won't be exactly like years past for the Revolution as injuries and suspensions have robbed New England of key contributors. Steve Ralston and Taylor Twellman are out injured and aren't expected to play. Khano Smith won't play in the series either while serving a three-match ban.
But the physical battles between the two sides aren't likely to taper off and both sides will try to buckle down to ensure they advance to the Eastern Conference Championship, Revs coach Steve Nicol said.
"We'd like to go out and play, but the nature of the playoffs and the nature of us and Chicago, there will certainly be a physical element to the game," Nicol said. "To earn the right to play, you've going to have to win that physical element first. Hopefully, we'll do both. It's no use to both teams if it's just a fight. We want it to be a soccer match. We don't want a boxing match."
Nicol will have to alter his starting XI to adjust the absences of Ralston, Twellman, Smith and the suspended Gabriel Badilla.
Kenny Mansally will partner Kheli Dube at the front of Nicol's 4-4-2 formation. The duo are roommates off the field and will try to replicate their off-field camaraderie on the pitch as they did earlier this season. Dube and Mansally partnered in two Revolution wins back in May and Dube scored in each of those games.
Dube and Mansally will provide a different look than the traditional Revolution pairing where Twellman floats in his usual predatory spots while Dube runs off of him. The new pairing will interchange more, swapping roles depending on the situation.
"You have more legs, more enthusiasm," Nicol said. "They probably make too many runs. They've both played together earlier in the season and they did really well. Kheli scored some goals. We're pretty confident they'll do well."
After not starting a league game since Sept. 27, Mansally can't wait for the opportunity.
"I've been dreaming of it for a long time," Mansally said. "For a while, I've come off the bench and played 20 or 25 minutes. Now I will get the chance to start. We were working hard today and we'll work hard [Thursday]. We want to get the results we are used to."
Mansally thinks ingrained chemistry with Dube will help on the field as the duo tries to replace Twellman's ample playoff production -- 10 goals in 21 games -- and replicate the team's torrid regular-season form -- 9-4-3 -- without its star striker.
"We keep talking because we live together," Mansally said. "When we're off, we sit at home doing some work. We keep talking while we're there, playing video games. It'll be easier for us."
Changes will also sweep through the rest of the team. Mauricio Castro will return to the left side to cover for Smith, opening the right wing for Sainey Nyassi. Jay Heaps moves into the middle with Michael Parkhurst to create an opening for Chris Tierney at left back.
"There are some circumstances that have led to me getting the opportunity," Tierney said. "I'm not going to think about that. I'm going to do the best that I can. I've been in a couple of big games already this year with the SuperLiga final and a couple of league games. I'm hoping the experience I've gained there will help me out [Thursday] night."
Tierney and his Revolution defenders will need all the help they can find against a Fire attack that has sliced up the Revs this season. Chicago's pace has proven a significant challenge for the Revolution defenders as wingers Justin Mapp and Chris Rolfe funnel the counter attack through midfield fulcrum Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
"Every one of them, you have to close the ball quickly," Nicol said. "If you let Rolfe, Mapp and Blanco have time on the ball, they'll hurt you. We want to play, but when we do lose possession or they have possession, we need to make sure we close up the holes quickly and close the ball quickly."
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