Revolution Snaps Home Winning Streak, 1-0

Matt Bernhardt
May 24, 2008

Columbus' perfect home record was shattered tonight by a familiar nemesis. The New England Revolution snatched a victory at the death of regulation as Kheli Dube was first to a deflected penalty kick in the 89th minute, slamming home the rebound between Will Hesmer's legs. The loss is the Crew's first in five games this season.

The goal came about after referee Richard Herron awarded a penalty kick to the Revolution. Steve Ralston went fishing, dribbling across the top of the penalty area looking for either a gap in the Crew defense or a foul. Unfortunately for the Crew Soccer Nation, Ezra Hendrickson took the bait and tripped Ralston from behind. Herron had no choice but to point to the spot.

Shalrie Joseph stepped to the spot to take the penalty, but as he has done twice before this season Will Hesmer stood tall to make the save. Guessing correctly to his right, he deflected the ball away to his left as the stadium erupted. Recent Revolution revelation Kheli Dube was first to the loose ball, tucking it home between Hesmer's legs as he leapt to attempt a save.

With the loss, Columbus allows New England to climb into a tie atop the Eastern Conference. Depending on results tomorrow, there could be a three-way logjam should Chicago defeat New York. The Crew's record falls to 6-2-1 with 19 points, while the Revolution climb to 6-3-1 with the same point total. Sigi Schmid's charges obviously hold a game in hand.

Columbus' next match is next Saturday, May 31st, at Chivas USA. New England's next action is this Thursday as the team hosts DC United in the weekly ESPN contest.

Selected Sigi Schmid Post-Game Quotes

"I've got no arguments with the penalty. Dube's either very, very fast or he was in the box early, so we'll assume he's just very, very fast."

What was the thought process behind only using one sub?

"People sometimes want to see subs for the hell of making subs...The team was playing well, and there was no need to make changes. I'm not going to make changes just for the sake of making changes."

What positives do you take away from tonight?

"The positive is that we're disappointed."

"This is a speed bump, we've got to make sure that its not a detour."

You said you didn't have an issue with the penalty call...

"You always want players to get into the box, because it changes the dynamics for a defender.

"At the end of the day, the referee didn't cost us [the match]. Hesmer made a big save, and at the end of the day we created enough chances."

What can we expect at the reserve game tomorrow?

"I don't think you'll see a lot of reserves tomorrow. I wouldn't expect to see a lot of Crew players tomorrow."

Match Stats

Scoring

0-1 89' Kheli Dube (unassisted)

Attendance: 15,621

Lineups

Columbus

William Hesmer, Frankie Hejduk, Ezra Hendrickson, Chad Marshall, Danny O'Rourke, Brian Carroll, Brad Evans, Eddie Gaven (Emmanuel Ekpo 83'), Robbie Rogers, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Alejandro Moreno

Unused Subs: Andy Gruenebaum, Jason Garey, Andy Iro, Steven Lenhart, Adam Moffat, Jed Zayner

New England

Matt Reis, Chris Albright, Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Mauricio Castro (Khano Smith 79'), Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Steve Ralston, Wells Thompson (Sainey Nyassi 46'), Kheli Dube (Amaechi Igwe 89'), Kenny Mansally

Unused Subs: Doug Warren, Adam Cristman, Argenis Fernandez, Gary Flood