New England Revolution v Carolina Railhawks match report

Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Connecticut was the venue for the US Open Cup semifinal between the New England Revolution of MLS and Carolina Railhawks of USL-1. 4,000+ were on attendance last night as the Revs pulled an extra time win over the Railhawks, coming back from a 1-0 deficit. Both teams finished the game with less than they started, Carolina receiving two red cards, New England getting one.

The game started poorly for the Revs as Carolina scored int he 6th minute off of an overall lazy effort from the team. The same can be said for the entire first half as lethargic play littered the field, the majority coming from Pat Noonan who seemed either hurt or bored. Towards the end of the first half, a ridiculous Carolina dive sparked both teams into a frenzy, the ensuing scuffles eventually leading to the ejection of Shalrie Joseph (New England) and Connolly Edozien (Carolina). Minutes later, Jeff Larentowicz would cap off a remarkable team goal, equalizing in the final minute of stoppage time.

The second half was better from the Revolution, as head coach Steve Nicol had obviously had some choice words for the team. Though you can't really say they played well, the were improving as the game went on, and would soon be aided by the ejection of David Stokes 10 minutes from the end of regulation. At the end of ninety minutes, we were deadlocked at one goal a piece.

Extra time started well for the Revs as Pat Noonan scored what would prove to be the game winner only three minutes into the first period. The goal came from a strong midfield run from the Gambian debutant Sainey Nyassi, who had encouraging play for his time on the field. The Revolution didn't die though, and continued to fight, with Adam Cristman having a goal handed on a silver platter minutes from the end of extra time, but unfortunately botched the shot.

Overall the Revolution played ok, well enough to beat a USL side, but if they want to win the Cup, improvements to the attitude and approach to the game must be made. Without Shalrie Joseph, and a slim selection for the backline, the offense will have to carry a lot of the weight.

New England now travel to Pizza Hut Park, the site where two Cup finals have been lost, on October 3rd.