Same Sad Story: Fire Fall Short in Foxborough

By: Johnathan | November 10th, 2007

In a tightly contested match at Gillette Stadium, one moment of brilliance from Taylor Twellman was enough to send New England through to the final. Chicago started the match on the attack, creating several chances in the first half hour. Surprise selection Paulo Wanchope had perhaps the best chance to put Chicago ahead on 29 minutes when he slipped his marker and headed a Cuauhtémoc Blanco free kick agonizingly wide.

As the cagey and physical nature of the beginning of the match started to settle down, New England began to attack with authority. The Revolution were determined to make their lengthly possession count. In the 38th minute, New England’s Wells Thompson sent a seemingly innocuous cross to Taylor Twellman. The ball was deflected into the air, and although marked tightly by both Dasan Robinson and Logan Pause, Twellman managed to settle under it. With his back to goal, the Revolution forward struck the ball with a fantastic overhead kick, sending the ball past a helpless Matt Pickens and into the back of the net. The goal was Twellman’s second in as many matches.

New England confidently carried the lead into half time, but the one-goal deficit seemingly galvanized the Fire as they came out firing early in the second half. New England’s defence were equal to the task however, as Michael Parkhurst and Grenadian international Shalrie Joseph were excellent in front of an equally impressive Matt Reis.

As the half wore on, Chicago found it increasingly difficult to hold possession in the attacking third as the Revolution’s persistent search for a second goal kept the Fire on their back foot. Chicago had a chance to equalize late in the game as Gonzalo Segares’s blistering left-footed volley caught everyone but Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis off-guard.

Deep in the second half, Taylor Twellman tumbled to the ground in the area, but his penalty appeals fell on the deaf ears of referee Kevin Stott, who was more than willing to let the match continue nearly uninterrupted. Neither side could feel too aggrieved though, as the referee also remained unconvinced by Chicago star Cuauhtémoc Blanco’s frequent trips to the ground.

Late substitution Calen Carr injected some much-needed pace into the Fire attack and was unlucky not to direct his free header into the goal in the final seconds before stoppage time. The three extra minutes were a frenzied attempt by Chicago to snatch a goal, but Matt Reis and the New England backline simply did not let up.

The win sent the Revs through to their third consecutive final, although they have yet to lift the trophy. New England will play the winner of Houston and Kansas City. Chicago’s elimination means Fire captain Chris Armas has likely played his last match.

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Scoring Summary:

NE: Taylor Twellman (Wells Thompson) 38′

Chicago Fire: Matt Pickens, C.J. Brown, Dasan Robinson (Diego Gutierrez 46′), Gonzalo Segares, Logan Pause (Calen Carr 88′), Chris Rolfe, Chris Armas, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Wilman Conde, Paulo Wanchope, Chad Barrett (Justin Mapp 77′).

Substitutes Not Used: Jon Busch, Floyd Franks, Bruno Menezes, Bakary Soumare

New England Revolution: Matt Reis, Jay Heaps, Michael Parkhurst, Avery John, Wells Thompson (James Riley 82′), Shalrie Joseph, Jeff Larentowicz, Steve Ralston, Khano Smith, Taylor Twellman, Pat Noonan (Adam Cristman 86′).

Substitutes Not Used: Andy Dorman, Marshall Leonard, Abdoulie Mansally, Sainey Nyassi, Doug Warren