Brotherly Game - Match #31: Philadelphia Union Vs. New England RevolutionThe beautiful game with a Philadelphia attitudehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48005/brotherlygame-fave.png2012-10-06T22:57:14-04:00http://www.brotherlygame.com/rss/stream/32286332012-10-06T22:57:14-04:002012-10-06T22:57:14-04:00Philadelphia Union 1-0 New England Revolution
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MR5UuCEsvFdfyZ9ru9U0ZNy5IvU=/0x160:2921x2107/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/853081/153583371.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Chris Gardner - Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A late goal by Jack McInerney led the Philadelphia Union to a 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution Saturday night at PPL Park.</p> <p>Heading into this game, there were a few teams in MLS who had performed consistently worse than the Philadelphia Union over the course of the 2012 season. One of those teams, the <a href="https://www.thebentmusket.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New England Revolution</a>, visited PPL Park Saturday night and left 1-0 losers.</p>
<p>On the whole, the game was pretty level, with perhaps New England having a slight advantage over the Union in terms of chances. But while the game was not going great for the Union, they would ultimately get the game's only goal off a free kick in the 73rd minute. <span>Jack McInerney</span> headed in a free kick from <span>Keon Daniel</span> to put the Union up for good.</p>
<p>In the 89th minute, <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110923/benny-feilhaber" class="sbn-auto-link">Benny Feilhaber</a> was shown a second yellow for a poor challenge, and would subsequently be sent off the pitch. Remember that time when Union fans wanted to see Benny Feilhaber join the Union? Those were good times. Also times of hope, promise, excitement, and OH GOSH WHY COULDN'T WE HAVE THOSE TIMES BACK!</p>
<p>Following the international break, the Philadelphia Union will travel to Houston to take on the playoff contending Dynamo.</p>
https://www.brotherlygame.com/2012/10/6/3466904/philadelphia-union-new-england-revolution-recap-jack-mcinerney-benny-feilhaber-red-card-lulzJustin F.2012-10-06T17:43:19-04:002012-10-06T17:43:19-04:00Match #31: Union vs. Revolution Game Thread
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kyKMqBFQEj8WvIHwZxK3tqQ4-5k=/0x125:4000x2792/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/839413/153334669.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jonathan Daniel - Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Two teams already eliminated from postseason contention meet at PPL Park. Philadelphia enters after an impressive road win, while New England is coming off a disappointing road defeat.</p> <p><b>Philadelphia Union starting XI</b>: MacMath, Okugo, Valdes, G. Farfan, Gaddis, Carroll, Lahoud, Gomez, M. Farfan, Daniel, McInerney</p>
<p><b>Philadelphia Union bench</b>: Konopka, Pfeffer, Torres, Adu, Albright, Hoppenot</p>
<p><b><a href="https://www.thebentmusket.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New England Revolution</a> starting XI</b>: Shuttleworth, Alston, Barnes, Soares, Simms (c), Rowe, Purdie, Felihaber, Fagundez, Guy, Bengston</p>
<p><b>New England Revolution bench</b>: Reis, Toja, Imbungo, Brettschneider, Cardenas, Gavin, Nyassi</p>
<p>The Philadelphia Union are not a good soccer team. The New England Revolution are not a good soccer team. This will likely not be a good soccer game. But, as it is, the eliminated from post-season Philadelphia Union are hosting the eliminated from post-season New England Revolution.</p>
<p><b>Prediction</b>: The Philadelphia Union have never lost to the New England Revolution, and with the Union on a bit of a hot streak, odds are that is likely to continue with the Union playing at home against a team shockingly worse than them. <b>Union win 2-0</b>.</p>
<p>The game can be seen at 7:00 PM on CSN. Talk about the game below with other Philadelphia Union fans. Go Union! DOOP!</p>
https://www.brotherlygame.com/2012/10/6/3465944/philadelphia-union-vs-new-england-revolution-game-thread-october-6Justin F.2012-10-06T12:29:15-04:002012-10-06T12:29:15-04:00Chatting With The Bent Musket About The Revolution
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-YdVjc9Lf7CSnQzHpVFJZLAg9EA=/2x0:3997x2663/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/821587/149512212.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Drew Hallowell - Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Brotherly Game discussed tonight's Philadelphia Union - New England Revolution game with The Bent Musket, SB Nation's Revolution site. Steve Stohr, managing editor of The Bent Musket, answered questions submitted to him by me. For my answers to Stohr's questions, check the Bent Musket.</p> <p><b>The Brotherly Game: <span>Lee Nguyen</span> is apparently one of the best midfielders in Major League Soccer, if Revolution head coach <span>Jay Heaps</span> is to be believed. What's your take on Nguyen this season?</b></p>
<p><b>The Bent Musket:</b> I believe he is one of the best midfielders in Major League Soccer, or at least one of the best creative ones. He's got incredible skill, technique, and vision, and without him this Revs' team would be in truly rough shape right now. I'm talking worse than Toronto tough shape. I mean, he's the second leading goalscorer on the team. You can't understate that value.</p>
<p>I'd say the only knock on him has been his inability to deal with the really physical teams in this league, but that's been a knock on this entire Revolution roster. To be fair to Lee, he has no one protecting him since Shalrie was traded. You guys won't get a chance to see Nguyen because he's out for the rest of the year after having shoulder surgery, but next season I think he'll become a force if the Revs can put the right talent around him.</p>
<p><b>BG: Heaps and <span>John Hackworth</span> are at similar points right now - disappointing teams with some youth and nothing to play for beyond future jobs and pride. What is the fan base's opinion of Heaps heading into the offseason?</b></p>
<p><b>TBM:</b> Mixed, really. Some people think Heaps is on the right track and just has to deal with some rookie coach hiccups before he really hits his stride. Others look at the record and the deteriorating style of play and believe he doesn't have what it takes to turn this team around. I think it's undeniable that Heaps was getting this team to play attractive, effective soccer early in the season. What has happened since then is a mystery, but the general consensus is that most people wouldn't necessarily be upset to see Heaps get a second season, but he's going to be on a short leash</p>
<p>I think with Hackworth, he has the benefit of the fan base knowing that a crazy person screwed it all up before he took over, so you can't throw this whole season on him. There's a little of that with Jay, where he's being forced to undo three or four seasons of mind-boggling personnel and team-culture decisions by Steve Nicol (really didn't have a great end to his career here), but Jay has had an entire season and offseason.</p>
<p><b>BG: I think it's fair to say that Jerry Bengston has been quite the acquisition, especially in comparison to another striker that was brought in this season. Is he the biggest threat on the Revolution, at the moment, offensively, or should <span>Saer Sene</span> be expected to command the game once again (note: asked while forgetting that Sene tore his ACL)?</b></p>
<p><b>TBM:</b> Saer will command the offense again next season, if current performances are to be believed, although he obviously won't on Saturday because he's out for the season. In terms of this weekend's game, it's Jerry all the way, but that's because half this squad is on the treatment table. Bengtson has, as you said, been quite the acquisition, but he hasn't hit his stride with his teammates yet. I'm also not sold on him being quite as effective a poacher as Sene, who conjured up goals out of nothing on several occasions. I think once the chemistry between Jerry and his providers in midfield starts really clicking, you'll be looking at one of the most potent strike partnerships in the league for 2013.</p>
<p><b>BG: <span>Diego Fagundez</span> has appeared in 17 games for the Revolution this year, but hasn't received much in the way of minutes in those games, despite five starts (552 minutes total). In some ways, Fagundez's situation is similar to the Union's situation with <span>Zach Pfeffer</span> and the team's other Home Grown Players. Is there any concern about his development and is it possible that Heaps may increase his playing time prior to the end of this season?</b></p>
<p><b>TBM</b>: Heaps has already increased Diego's playing time by a wide margin. He started a few matches in the last month and put in some decent performances. There's definitely a little concern that Diego's being brought along too slowly, but it's important to remember that he's only 17, and he so far has shown difficulty mixing it up with some of the more physical sides in MLS. He has time to continue his development, and being called into Uruguay's U-20 camp next week should be another big leap forward for him. If it were me, I'd be throwing Diego into the fire on a consistent basis right now, trying to give him an idea of what he can expect as an everyday MLS player, but that's why I'm not paid to coach. I think Jay's handled Diego's development just fine so far.</p>
<p><b>Projected Lineup</b>: Shuttleworth; Alston, Soares, McCarthy, Barnes; Cardenas, Simms, Feilhaber, Rowe; Bengtson, Imbongo</p>
<p><b>TBM</b>: There's a chance you could see some tinkering in the starting XI, obviously. In defense it's unlikely, since those four are the only fully-healthy defenders. Reis might start over Bobby, but I get the sense that the end of the season is Bobby's to use for his development. In midfield, you could easily see <span>Blair Gavin</span> or <span>Juan Toja</span> get their first starts instead of anybody, and up top Diego could always get the nod over Imbongo. However, this is the lineup that Heaps brought out against Houston, and I'm not sure I expect it to change.</p>
<p><b>Scoreline prediction</b>: 1-1</p>
https://www.brotherlygame.com/2012/10/6/3464612/match-31-chat-preview-new-england-revolution-the-bent-musket-mlsScott Kessler2012-10-05T22:27:48-04:002012-10-05T22:27:48-04:00Union host Revs in battle of bottom dwellers
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/b7qWd9IHhWeke-QxicLcnoMo54E=/0x191:4000x2858/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/791207/149511908.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Drew Hallowell - Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Two teams already eliminated from postseason contention meet at PPL Park. Philadelphia enters after an impressive road win, while New England is coming off a disappointing road defeat.</p> <p><i><b>Setting: </b>Saturday, October 6 at PPL Park in Chester; kickoff scheduled for 7:06:30 PM Eastern</i></p>
<p><i><b>Broadcast Information: </b>CSN Philadelphia (JP Dellacamera, Bob Rigby), with coverage beginning at 6:30 PM Eastern with a pre-game show, SportsRadio 610 WIP (Tony Limarzi, Peter Pappas) / CSN New England and 97.5 The Sports Hub (Brad Feldman, Jeff Causey) in New England / MLS Live, Direct Kick (CSN Philadelphia feed; Direct Kick blacked out in New England)</i></p>
<p><i><b>New England's Record: </b>7-16-8 (29 points, ninth in East)</i></p>
<p><i><b>New England's Last Match: </b></i><a href="http://www.thebentmusket.com/2012/9/29/3430908/revs-vs-dynamo-ricardo-clark-boniek-garcia-mls-2012-season"><i>L, 2-0 at Houston</i></a></p>
<p><i><b>Philadelphia vs. New England This Season: </b>1-0-1 (</i><a href="http://www.thebentmusket.com/2012/7/29/3200888/philadelphia-union-2-1-new-england-revolution-2012-mls-sene-mcinerney-adu-eastern-conference"><i>New England 1 @ Philadelphia 2 on July 29</i></a><i>; </i><a href="http://www.brotherlygame.com/2012/9/1/3286130/philadelphia-union-new-england-revolution-draw-bleh-bleh-bleh"><i>Philadelphia 0 @ New England 0 on September 1</i></a><i>)</i></p>
<p><b><i>For the New England Perspective, Visit </i></b><a href="http://www.thebentmusket.com/"><b><i>The Bent Musket</i></b></a></p>
<p>Coming off arguably one of their more impressive wins of the season, a 3-1 road win against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/">Chicago Fire</a>, the hottest team in the Eastern Conference and the most difficult to beat at home, the Philadelphia Union are back at PPL Park to host the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thebentmusket.com/">New England Revolution</a>. Unlike the last handful of opponents for Philadelphia, the Revs aren't a playoff hopeful that the Union can play as spoiler against, a role they've seemingly relished. Indeed, this will be one of the few times all season that the Union are playing a team below them in the standings. One could make the argument that this theoretically makes Philadelphia the favorite to take three points, but ... well, we know better than that at this point, don't we?</p>
<p>New England has but one win in its last fourteen (1-9-4). They're without top offensive players <span>Lee Nguyen</span> (five goals, two assists), and continue to be without <span>Saer Sene</span> (11 goals, three assists), as well as defensive regulars <span>Stephen McCarthy</span> and <span>Chris Tierney</span>. Honduran international <span>Jerry Bengtson</span> and teenager <span>Diego Fagundez</span> are expected to start up top. They probably deserved a little better than a 2-0 defeat in Houston, but no points are no points, and <span>Jay Heaps</span> was not particularly thrilled at his team's inability to finish, though to be fair injuries have certainly not helped New England. But the big hoopla around the Revs over the last week has to do with reports that the Kraft family is investigating a site in Revere, Massachusetts for a possible soccer-specific stadium. With the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.onceametro.com/">New York Red Bulls</a> out of Giants Stadium, and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.centerlinesoccer.com/">San Jose Earthquakes</a> about to break land on a long-overdue stadium of their own, the Revs are second only to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blackandredunited.com/">D.C. United</a> in terms of awful stadium setups. Revere is <a href="http://www.thebentmusket.com/2012/10/5/3461116/revolution-stadium-defending-revere-wonderland-somerville-assembly-square">hardly a perfect site</a>, and a deal seems pretty unlikely. But when it comes right down to it, isn't it better to have a soccer-specific stadium in a not-perfect place than continuing to play in Gillette Stadium? It's a very similar situation to where the Red Bulls were a few years, and frankly, while Red Bull Arena is out of the way and hard to get to for some Red Bulls fans... having Red Bull Arena tops still being stuck at the Meadowlands any day of the week.</p>
<p>The Union seem to have had a weight lifted off of their collective shoulders since being officially eliminated from the playoffs. Their play has been markedly improved over the past couple of weeks, and they have two wins and a loss-that-should-be-a-tie to show for it. One could reasonably ask where this type of commitment has been over the past couple of months, but who knows. The team's midweek match in Chicago brought up an interesting storyline that had been present throughout much of the season but had disappeared since the end of summer, and that is the oddly inconsistent play of Zac MacMath. He'll make a dynamite save one minute, and give up a weak near post roller to <span>Dominic Oduro</span> the next. MacMath seems to have made a habit of cheating off the near post, and every once in a while an opposing player will pick up on that and take full advantage. Sound positioning is the key reason why MacMath is able to make some of his tremendous saves, so positioning also being a weakness for him presents an interesting conundrum for MacMath and Union goalkeeping coach Rob Vartughian to work on in the coming weeks and months. The Union will be without fullback <span>Sheanon Williams</span> due to yellow card accumulation suspension, so look for either <span>Chris Albright</span> or <span>Gabriel Farfan</span> to fill in on the backline.</p>
<p><b>Likely starters:</b></p>
<p>Philadelphia: MacMath; G. Farfan, Valdes, Okugo, Gaddis; Carroll, Lahoud; McInerney, Gomez, Hoppenot; Martinez</p>
<p>New England: Shuttleworth; Alston, Soares, Barnes, Purdie; Cardenas, Guy, Toja, Rowe; Fagundez, Bengtson</p>
<p><b>Injury updates:</b></p>
<p>For Philadelphia, Bakary Soumare (right knee menisectomy recovery), <span>Krystian Witkowski</span> (concussion symptoms), and <span>Danny Cruz</span> (left big toe sesamoid stress fracture/right Achilles strain) are out. Freddy Adu (left quad strain) is "questionable". Gabriel Farfan (right ankle contusion/right hamstring strain) is "probable". As previously mentioned, Sheanon Williams is unavailable as he serves a one-match disciplinary suspension for yellow card accumulation.</p>
<p>For New England, Flo Lechner (right knee MCL sprain), Lee Nguyen (right shoulder surgery), <span>Tyler Polak</span> (right foot sprain), Saer Sene (left knee ACL surgery), Chris Tierney (left knee sprain/left hamstring strain), and Stephen McCarthy (concussion-like symptoms) are all unavailable. <span>Clyde Simms</span> (right calf strain) is "questionable". <span>Sainey Nyassi</span> (concussion) is "probable".</p>
<p><b>Of note:</b></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">Jorge Gonzalez is listed as tomorrow's match referee. In 87 career MLS matches, Gonzalez has called an average of 25.1 fouls per match, handed out an average of 3.3 yellow cards per match, given a total of 26 red cards, and has awarded a total of 23 penalty kicks.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;"><span>Gabriel Gomez</span> and <span>Michael Lahoud</span> are both one yellow card away from receiving an automatic one-match disciplinary suspension for yellow card accumulation.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">The Revs haven't won on the road since March 31, when they defeated the Galaxy 3-1 in their only road victory of the season to date.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">The Revs have scored 10 of their 37 goals in the first fifteen minutes of matches. They've scored 19 of their 37 in the first thirty minutes of matches. If you shut 'em down early, there's a decent chance you'll keep them shut down.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">The Revs have been shutout 11 times this season, matching a club record set in 2000.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">Philadelphia, Toronto, and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://delete.sbnprivate.com/">Chivas USA</a> are the only teams in MLS with a losing home record this season. Philadelphia (6-7-2) has the opportunity tomorrow and in their season finale against New York to fix that.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">The Revs have still never beaten the Union in their history.</span></li>
</ul>
<div>If you're heading down to PPL Park tomorrow evening, enjoy the match! If not, we hope you can join us here tomorrow night for a gamethread.</div>
https://www.brotherlygame.com/2012/10/5/3462772/match-preview-philadelphia-union-vs-new-england-revolutionBen Feldman