Trip to Utah too much for Revs

SALT LAKE CITY -- Getting results from three games in 10 days can be a tall order for any team. Throw in the fact that each match took place in a different time zone, at a different altitude and on a different surface, and it could be seen as near impossible.

Two games in the New England Revolution looked up to the task, getting a 2-0 win at Houston and then a 1-1 draw at home to the New York Red Bulls.

But their visit to Salt Lake City just three days after the match with New York was a bit too much. The Revolution scored first but allowed a scrappy Real Salt Lake to claw their way back and hand New England a 2-1 loss. It was the Revs' first defeat since the beginning of May.

After such a long stretch of good results for the league's best team, it was hard to put a finger on one single cause for the letdown. Whether it was the long flight across two-thirds of the continent, the merciless Rice-Eccles surface, or playing at altitude in the Wasatch Mountains, the Revolution couldn't get into a rhythm and string together some possession.

"We were second tonight, to everything," said Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston. "We got outplayed tonight, so we can't make any excuses there. I wish it was that easy that we could pinpoint it and make some changes during the game. We couldn't pass the ball. Mentally, we were reacting late to everything."

One player not reacting late for the Revolution was Adam Cristman, who scored the Revolution's lone goal on the night. Cristman shared the same feelings that as a whole it wasn't his team's night, but he also saw some of the few bright spots.

"We had some moments at the end of the first half, where we were able to put Salt Lake under pressure," said Cristman. "That gave us the opportunity to attack them more from half-field rather than starting from the back."

That might have been the case later in the half, but Cristman's goal started from as far back as you can get -- goalkeeper Matt Reis. In the eighth minute Reis sent a long clearance downfield that took a huge artificial turf-induced bounce to reach the Salt Lake penalty area.

Cristman chased after the rocketing ball, racing past defender Nat Borchers and then not pulling up as RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando charged toward him. A moment of indecision between the two RSL defenders allowed Cristman to get up and flick the ball over Rimando and into the open net.

"A lot of guys would have given up on it and he made it," said Ralston. "He was always working and stuck his head in there when it could have gotten whacked but he ended up scoring this goal."

It was an opportunistic finish for Cristman. And as Ralston points out, it came at a valuable time for the Revs.

"It was good because we were getting hammered pretty good," said Ralston. "I don't think we really had any touches in their half and we got that goal. It took a little of the pressure off at the moment so it was good."

But the Revolution lead lasted all of three minutes when Jay Heaps nodded a free kick Reis for an own goal. RSL's second goal came an hour into the match when Tino Nunez gathered a deflection in the penalty area and pounded it past Reis.

New England head coach Steve Nicol noted the game-winner was a goal that came as a product of the cement-like surface at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

"It was a typical game that you get on this field," said Nicol. "I guess the goal that won the game sums it up, the ball hits their man on his backside and he scores. It kind of sums it up."

In addition to the surface, there are plenty of other reasons why Nicol is not bothered his team only has to make one trip to Utah this season.

"It doesn't help when you're at altitude and it's a lot warmer than you're used to ... we won't be sad to see the back of this place," he said.

The loss snapped a seven-game unbeaten streak, dating back to a May 3 Revolution loss at home to Chicago. The stretch of results helped to catapult New England to the top of the MLS overall table, and although the loss doesn't help that cause the Revs know they need to move past an off night and focus on their next outing.

"Being unbeaten for a stretch doesn't mean anything to the team, to the players," said Cristman. "It's good from a results standpoint, but it's not like we care about the stretch. We don't want to be losing games, that's for sure. We keep doing the same things we've been doing -- we've got a lot of games coming up. We've just got to take care of our bodies. We've got a nice long week of training ahead; we haven't had that in two weeks. It will be good to have some normal training, and get to do some of the extra stuff on the side, and go from there."


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Nunez turns heads with game winner

SALT LAKE CITY -- Tino Nunez hasn't received the same degree of fanfare as several other players acquired by Real Salt Lake during this past offseason. But the rookie forward is quickly showing he might rival any first-year player on the roster before the season is in the books.

Nunez made a game-turning play in the 60th minute, scoring the go-ahead goal to lift RSL to a 2-1 home victory against the New England Revolution on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

It was the first career MLS goal for the former California-Santa Barbara star and it helped Real extend their unbeaten streak to five games -- tying a club record.

Nunez barely registered as more than a footnote when the season began, buried deep on the roster behind Kenny Deuchar, Robbie Findley, Fabian Espindola and Yura Movsisyan. But injuries to Espindola and Movsisyan opened up a quick path to daylight and valuable playing time.

When Findley went down with a mild concussion shortly before halftime, Nunez knew his chance to shine had arrived. And he was determined to make it count.

"That's my main focus right now," Nunez said. "Any a little chance I get, (I) just try to make the best out of it. Things are going well so far."

Things especially went well in the 60th minute when the rookie forward snapped a 1-1 tie in dramatic fashion.

Javier Morales collected the ball near the top of the area and let fly from long distance. His shot was deflected and the ball fell right to the feet of Nunez. He drove toward Matt Reis alone and, as the goalkeeper came off his line, rifled the ball behind him into an empty net.

Playing such a crucial role in taking down the Revolution is a satisfying moment for Nunez, who has worked hard in training sessions over the past month to earn the right to move up. It is also a big deal to teammates who feel like he has been rewarded for his dedication.

"No one has worked harder than him," fellow rookie Tony Beltran said. "It's great to see him get a winning goal tonight. He deserved it."

Real could argue for being equally deserving of a much-needed home victory against New England after stringing together a series of strong defensive performances in recent weeks.

RSL kept it going again against New England. Real extended their shutout streak to 283 minutes -- a new club record -- before yielding the match's first goal.

"Statistically, they're No. 1 and we've proven that we can play with the best teams in this league," Real goalkeeper Nick Rimando said.

It was a little bit of a scary moment when the Revs did score early. New England went up 1-0 in the eighth minute when Adam Cristman nodded the ball past Rimando.

New England goalkeeper Matt Reis set the goal up when he sent a long clearance downfield. While RSL defender Nat Borchers backtracked, Rimando came off his line as the ball bounced high into the air. Cristman then slipped inside Borchers and headed the ball over Rimando from the top of the area.

The Revolution did not enjoy their lead for very long. RSL tied it up in the 11th minute when Jay Heaps deflected the ball backward past Reis. Javier Morales swung a free kick into the center of the area to Robbie Findley. Heaps tried to block Findley as he went for a header, but ended up instead heading it past Reis.

Once RSL added a goal of its own to the tally, keeping New England in check turned out to be a simple task down the stretch.

"What's most pleasing about the win tonight was the way we handled ourselves when we had the one-goal lead," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "It shows that we're learning and we're improving. We finished that game off the way a good team does."


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Quakes see hope in United turnaround

WASHINGTON -- Though the fortunes of the San Jose Earthquakes and D.C. United this season are perhaps headed in different directions, their circumstances this season have remarkable similarities.

The teams came together Sunday afternoon at RFK Stadium. Both have had issues with chemistry and cohesion, by-products of either a new roster, as is the case with the expansion Quakes, or an unsettling influx of new players, as with United.

Both have had trouble scoring goals, though United have righted the ship and are now ringing the twine with regularity. Both teams are confident and have worked hard to alter their results.

But in the end, United have more talent in most of the critical areas than the Quakes and therein lies the primary difference between the two clubs, which was evident United's 3-1 win against the Quakes.

"We're chugging along and it's a shame really that we don't have more points than we have. We've played well a lot and not gotten anything out of the game so it's tough to take. I think the quality in the end showed with Emilio scoring -- he's a good player -- and a wonder goal by Martinez," said San Jose coach Frank Yallop.

Emilio scored United's second goal off a deflection in the 88th minute to cap the scoring at 3-1. Gonzalo Martinez scored a brilliant goal in the 55th minute to put United ahead for good that was preceded by goals for each side moments apart five minutes earlier.

United's Clyde Simms scored from distance in the 50th minute on a shot that hit two San Jose defenders before slowly rolling into the net behind a helpless Joe Cannon. Just seconds later, United goalkeeper Zach Wells fumbled a cross from the right flank which John Cunliffe stretched out and poked just over the line ahead of Bryan Namoff's clearance from the goalmouth.

"Our general play and all of the things we talk about coaching-wise and being structured is good, but talent-wise I think we are a little short right now. We've got three forwards who aren't even healthy right now which doesn't help," said Yallop.

The on-field issues are correctable and the team has not been short on effort regardless of their often frustrating results.

"We are not playing a solid 90 minutes," said midfielder Ronnie O'Brien. "We are playing 50, 60 minutes and those other 30 minutes in games we are getting punished. We've got 30 minutes (a game) that we need to work on and keep our concentration and I think we will get some more results."

"It's just disappointing, especially when we are playing well, to get the right time to score and I think that's been our problem really. We don't look overly dangerous all the time when we are in front of goal," added Yallop.

The Quakes have scored only 10 goals on the season, six of which have come on the road, and have been shut out seven times. United went through a similar stretch, scoring only one goal during a four-game losing streak before their recent surge.

"We need to be a little bit sharper in the final third and support each other better when we do have the ball," said Quakes forward Ryan Johnson, who was the only constant threat to United the entire match.

"When you watch D.C., when they get the ball, they have three or four guys around the ball at all times," he continued. "With us, we get the ball to one area, or we switch the ball or we play the ball up to the forwards, there is only one guy there to support, maybe only one option sometimes. These defenders are tough, they are not going to let you hold onto the ball more than three seconds -- you definitely have to play quickly."

Two similarities that have never wavered for each team, however, are using excuses to justify their results, as easy as that could have been and questioning their efforts at any point in the season.

"I think if I knew that we could solve the problem straightaway," said O'Brien jokingly. "We're trying. Obviously there is a period of getting to know each other but we are not using the expansion tab as an excuse. We do feel we are a good enough team and we've been in every game. For the most part, we are not getting trounced on. Without two deflected goals today we've done all right.

"I don't think you can ever question the effort," he continued. "Whether we have the quality or not, that's another thing, a different debate, but you can never question the commitment of the players. We went down to Salt Lake with 10 men and gave it all we got and got a result. We came out today and for the most part emptied the tank but didn't get the result in the end."


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Clark experiences highs and lows of soccer

HOUSTON -- Over the past two years, Ricardo Clark has experienced the highs and lows of soccer. The midfielder has had the low of missing the MLS Cup Final in each of the last two years through suspension, missing last year's repeat championship as part of a nine-game suspension levied after he kicked FC Dallas midfielder Carlos Ruiz late in the regular season.

But this year, Clark has felt the high of competing against world powers such as Spain and England in friendlies for the United States national team.

Clark has shown great promise on the Houston Dynamo squad and on the national team, but in order to compete at the highest level, he knows he must improve.

"Just playing at a higher level. When you get to play against good teams like England and Spain, you have to think and react, be at a higher level," Clark said. "Those guys are playing fast-paced every single day, so when you get there, it is like jumping into something new because you have to adapt very quickly. Every aspect of the game is quicker, so that's what I have to add to my game."

Clark said playing against England at Wembley Stadium on May 28 was both challenging and fun, but it was an experience he will learn from.

"Those guys are playing at a high level day in and day out," he said. "They are playing at the highest level you can think of. I think a couple of those guys came off the Champions League finals the week before. That just goes to show you the type of players you are playing against. You just soak in the experience and learn from the game and playing against them."

The experience is one Clark hopes to bring to the biggest stage of all -- the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

"Even though it is far away, I definitely have that in my sights," he said. "Only time will tell, but I have to keep working hard and hopefully get that opportunity."

For now, Clark, who has started and played in 10 games this season and has an assist to his credit, is trying to help fill the void created with midfielder Dwayne De Rosario and forward Brian Ching playing for their respective national teams.

With Ching expected back in the lineup Saturday against Colorado, the void won't be as big, but Clark knows it's there.

"You have to elevate your game to fill the void because those are key players on your team, especially De Rosario," Clark said. "You have to step up your game because he's an engine on this team. We've dealt with it in the past -- missing key players and having the younger players stepping up when their chance comes. That's what it's all about come Saturday."

The international experience he has had this year and in years past has helped him improve with the Dynamo, Clark said. Now, he wants to take his game to the next level.

"It's definitely helped out because you are playing at a higher level when you get to the international team," Clark said. "That helps out your game and every aspect of your game. Then, you get back here, and it's like you are helping your team out even more because you are able to compete better. I am just trying to get more call-ups with the international team. I'm just trying to make the most of my opportunities when I get there."

After a slow start, the Dynamo have turned things around and are competing for the top spot in the Western Conference with Los Angeles. Slow starts are nothing new for Clark, who joined the Dynamo in 2005.

"I guess typical Dynamo year. We started off kind of slow," Clark said. "Ever since San Jose in that first year, we start off kind of slow. We have kind of the same core, so every year we started off slow, but we have picked it up as season goes by."

With the ship appearing to be righted in recent weeks, Clark and the rest of the team have a third consecutive MLS Cup in their sights.

"We have a lot of experience on this team," Clark said. "We have a lot of guys. We have a lot of energy on this team from the younger players. That's what we expect to see. We expect to be top of the league. We just need to keep this going for the rest of the year. Hope to get a repeat."


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Ellinger brings experience to FCD staff

FRISCO, Texas -- When FC Dallas named Schellas Hyndman as their head coach on Tuesday, the Hoops gained a new boss with an impressive pedigree in college soccer. During his introductory press conference, Hyndman confirmed that John Ellinger, head coach for Real Salt Lake from 2005 through 2007, would be his top assistant, suddenly bringing someone with real experience to his backroom staff.

The two have been friends for nearly two decades, so when Hyndman contacted him, Ellinger was very receptive about returning to the MLS coaching ranks. On Wednesday morning, FCD went through their first practice under the new regime.

"We have known each other for probably over 20 years," Hyndman said. "We spent a lot of time together and I always had a lot of respect for him as a coach and a friend. I had him in for a few of my clinics and was really happy when he took the Real Salt Lake job because I thought he needed something that brought something different into his life like coaching professional players and older players."

Hyndman feels that despite not making the MLS Cup Playoffs in his two-plus years with RSL, Ellinger did his best.

"In that situation, I thought he did well and did what he was asked to do but unfortunately, they made a change," he said. "It was kind of a bittersweet situation because I'm sure he felt bad being let go, but the sweet part is that now we have him here with us. I know how much he will be able to help me as a friend, a knowledgeable person and someone who knows the league."

Ellinger, who was 15-37-16 for RSL before being reassigned within the club's organization last May, considers his time as an MLS head coach a great learning experience.

"You learn a lot," he said. "Expansion is tough for anyone, but you make mistakes. If you had opportunities to do it over again, there are some things you would change and some things you would keep the same but might handle differently. You know you made mistakes and will learn from them like anyone else in any other position. That goes from acquisition of players, draft and everything else."

But that doesn't mean that he didn't enjoy his time on the Wasatch Front.

"I totally enjoyed the environment," Ellinger said. "I thought Salt Lake had a great fan base. There was a good, solid base there and that was fun. There were good people in the front office who were very supportive. (RSL chairman) Dave (Checketts) wanted to keep me around (as technical director) and I tried that for a while. But I felt that I needed to move on to other opportunities and hopefully, something would pop up down the road where I could be on the field again."

He is clearly glad to be back on an MLS training field.

"It feels very good," Ellinger said. "My wife and daughter were asking me why I was acting weird yesterday (Tuesday) and I told them because I had to go to a practice. I really missed it but I didn't know how much I missed it until I started coming to games again. I was walking across the parking lot, coming to the games and thought yes, I can do this again.

"The opportunity presented itself and I'm glad that it worked out. I'm happy to be here. Schellas (Hyndman) and I have always had a good working relationship and have a lot of respect for each other. We had a couple of meetings and it worked out. I feel like I can add a lot to this program and am glad to be here."

Since Hyndman isn't yet well-versed in league rules and things like the salary cap, he plans to rely heavily on Ellinger to give him a crash course.

"To understand NCAA rules, you had to take courses to learn what you could do, what you can't do and now, I'm learning a new rulebook and I don't know it," Hyndman said. "So, I'm relying on John not only to give advice on salary caps, players and maybe even new players and knowledge about the opposition.

"He's able to bring a lot of things to me and give me a much greater comfort zone because there's not that much of a learning curve. If I was doing this by myself, I would be very nervous to take this challenge on because everyone would be looking to me for answers and I don't have them. I'll have them in a few months, but today, I don't have them. That's why I'm counting on him."

Because of his background with the U.S. under-17 national team, Ellinger is already very familiar with such FCD players as Eric Avila, Dax McCarty, Blake Wagner and Anthony Wallace. He also knows Michael Dello-Russo and Abe Thompson from a stint with a youth program in Maryland.

"About five of the guys, I had when I was in residency and they came through the program with me," Ellinger said. "I remember (Michael) Dello-Russo from when I was director of coaching for the youth club Soccer Association of Columbia when he was a soccer rat with long, blonde hair. Everything for me has been a learning experience. It's funny how I did some sessions at Schellas' clinic and we would sit and chat about MLS. It's funny how it all turns out sometimes."

Like Hyndman, Ellinger has taken a long look at the current FCD roster and likes what he sees.

"It's an extremely talented team," he said. "The strength of this team has to be its midfield. You've got six or seven guys that could go out on any given day and play in either a four or five-man midfield system. You've also got some solid defenders."

Ellinger also agrees with his new boss that switching from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2 formation might be one alteration that greatly benefits the Hoops.

"For support purposes, that's why you go to a back four, to provide a little more stability in the back," he said. "Certain players seem to play better when they know there is a defender behind them. I think they take more risk offensively because they know they have that support behind them. I've always been a back four guy and so has Schellas. This team has established that they can play in a back three and that's a plus."

He is also impressed with the several options up top, including Thompson, who delivered a game-winner in stoppage time against RSL in June 2006.

"Offensively, if you take the three forwards that I've seen on the first team, Abe, Kenny (Cooper) and Dominic (Oduro), those are three solid and certainly effective forwards," Ellinger said. "They've all had their moments and I'm glad to be sitting on this side of Abe Thompson for the record. As many times as he scored against Salt Lake, I said OK. I gave him the first one but he was getting me angry after that."

Ellinger is also intrigued by how much young talent there currently is at FCD.

"It's actually unbelievable to see," he said. "Looking at a player like Brek (Shea), the physical parts of his game are unbelievable and he's 17 years old. The future looks extremely bright for FC Dallas. You look at what's going on with (FCD youth director) Chris Hayden and the youth program and the facilities, which are the best in the league and it's not just me saying that."


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Heaps comfortable on new flank

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When the New England Revolution acquired Chris Albright from the Los Angeles Galaxy in a SuperDraft day trade, Jay Heaps might have been forgiven for having mixed emotions.

On the plus side, the acquisition of an established veteran such as Albright immediately made an already-strong New England backline even more powerful. However, the addition of a player in whose position Heaps also played meant that the incumbent on the Revs' right flank had to be prepared for change.

The switch that followed has seen Heaps move to the left side of the Revolution's back three, a position he admits he had never previously played.

"In the offseason it really jarred me and I knew I had to step it up and enjoy the transition," said Heaps. "It's a change after playing in one position for nine or 10 years, it's new players coming at you so you get to see different games."

Though he embraced it, the transition, admits Heaps, was challenging and was one which took some getting used to.

"It was a shift mentally and I have actually really enjoyed the challenge," he said. "Once you get mentally set you feel comfortable there. We had a couple of bad games early but recently we've been solid and the four of us back there feel confident."

The bad games to which Heaps refers were respective 4-0 and 3-0 defeats at the hands of the Chicago Fire, matches in which New England gave up a variety of different goals. However, aside from those setbacks, the Revolution have conceded just eight goals in 12 games, demonstrating a defensive solidity that has played a major role in the rise of Steve Nicol's side to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

Playing on the left has also seen Heaps develop new playing relationships with teammates. After Khano Smith began the season ahead of him, Mauricio Castro has recently made the left midfield position his own.

"Mauricio has been great," said Heaps. "He works hard and holds the ball well so he is very easy to play with, like (Steve) Ralston. You know that when you are under pressure you can get him the ball. It's been a pretty good transition."

Although complacency was something Heaps was always keen to avoid even after years of playing in his previous position, he admits that he now places more emphasis than ever on preparing for upcoming opponents and breaking down his own performances after matches.

For example, ahead of Wednesday's game against New York, Heaps researched the way the Red Bulls' Dane Richards plays.

"I knew he was going to be pushed high on me so, going into the game, I knew a little of what to expect," Heaps said. "When we have a game coming up, I will look and see what teams are doing."

While defensive solidity is his primary aim, Heaps remains keen to help his team at the offensive end and his role in the Revolution's equalizer against New York showed the value of joining in an attack. With New England struggling to create chances against a well-drilled Red Bulls backline, Heaps' lofted ball into the penalty area found Kheli Dube with space to lay off a pass to Ralston.

The Revs' captain applied the finishing touch to extend New England's unbeaten run to seven games. Meanwhile, Heaps enjoyed collecting his first assist of a season that has seen him reinvent himself for the sake of his team.


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Crew's Hernandez nearly set to return

COLUMBUS -- Before Nicolas Hernandez can repair his reputation as a goal scorer, he first must mend his body.

After two lengthy injury rehabilitations, the Argentinean forward is close to being back to full capacity in a first season with the Columbus Crew that has seen him make four appearances for just 34 minutes. The last came for the final 60 seconds or so against Kansas City on Saturday after recovering from a left knee bone bruise that sidelined him for nearly three weeks.

He followed that with 73 minutes in a reserve match the next day.

"Last week I started training with the group," he said. "I'm not 100 percent yet. With more minutes on the field I start to feel better. I need more minutes, with the reserve team, maybe friendly matches, to get more fitness."

His objective is to score goals as he did in his initial MLS season with Colorado in 2006 when he had seven -- along with six assists -- in 30 regular-season games to earn the team's MVP award. He slumped to one goal in 17 matches last season and although he was known for his hard work and willingness to play a midfield position, the Rapids shipped him to Columbus in February for Tim Ward and a draft pick.

The Crew are still waiting for the move to pay dividends since Hernandez has yet to take a shot.

"It's tough for me because I come here with a lot of expectations and I get an injury in my foot first then my knee," he said. "I've never been 100 percent with my possibilities to play and now it's starting to come together in practice and I hope to start playing more.

"I'm an offensive player, everybody knows that. I can play forward, on the sides, wherever they need me I can play to show what I can do on the offensive side of the field."

Cracking the starting lineup will be tough. Fellow countryman Guillermo Barros Schelotto was named to the MLS Best XI last year and is not going to be unseated. Forward Alejandro Moreno scored twice against the Wizards and has a team-high six goals. Meanwhile, in the midfield Robbie Rogers has scored five times patrolling the left flank and Emmanuel Ekpo has shown improvement on the opposite side in his first season in the league.

The return of Hernandez was one of many welcomed by the Crew recently, who seem to be getting healthier heading into summer. Defender Ryan Junge, midfielder Duncan Oughton and forward Jason Garey logged minutes last week in both the U.S. Open Cup match against Chicago and the game in Kansas City.

Also, midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi (left quad strain) was running and cutting at practice this week in anticipation of his coming off the injured reserve list next week; forward Guilherme So (back strain) is scrimmaging again and defender Gino Padula (left knee MCL sprain) played the first half of the reserve match vs. K.C. Sunday and is ready to return to the full team. His last MLS appearance was April 26.

"I know I'm not 100 percent because I've been out for awhile," Padula said. "I'm happy. I tested it in the reserve game and it felt good."

The Crew will also be bolstered for Saturday's match at Los Angeles by the return of midfielder Brad Evans from a one-game red card suspension and defender Frankie Hejduk after a stint with the U.S. national team.

"We've got a lot of guys coming back now. Hopefully, they'll be able to contribute," Moreno said.

However, it's not all sunshine beaming over the Crew camp. Midfielder Adam Moffat had season-ending knee surgery June 10 and defender Ezra Hendrickson will miss his second consecutive match due to a groin strain. Still, even the bad news has been tempered. When midfielder Eddie Gaven suffered a left ankle sprain during the Open Cup loss to Chicago it was feared he would be out 6-8 weeks. He said Wednesday that estimate has been halved.

A relatively healthy squad comes at a good after a tough schedule. The Crew bussed eight hours to and from its Open Cup match June 10 against the Fire in Peoria, Ill., and was at K.C. last Saturday. The upcoming match vs. the Galaxy at The Home Depot Center marks the team's third on the West Coast since May 10.

After Saturday, the Crew have only one away match (July 12 at Real Salt Lake) until after the All-Star Game.


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