Fist off, I was so wrong about this game being star studded. The stars for both teams were gone due to international commitments, or injuries. With Ching, DeRosario, Barrett, Onstadt, Twellman, and Joesph out it truly was the place for young talent to shine. Unfortunately, no one really stood out among the youth players. My player of the game has to be New England’s Kheli Dube with the first assist and the second goal, though his goal celebration leaves a lot to desired. The Ralston goal in the 9th minute of the first half was the play of the game. It showed how much talent the Revolution has in their new and old players.
After some reflection, I have determined that this game was a good example of why American teams need to step up their talent levels, and strengthen their reserve squads. Houston has depth in talent and skill, yet this match did not showcase any of it. New England dominated their opportunities and showed the current champions that they are looking to take the title this year. With that said the Home team Houston fans provided an exciting emotional response the entire game.
The game broke down like this:
First Half–Both teams came out with a game plan of moving the game to the wide outs and moving up the wings as much as possible. NE came out in a traditional 4-4-2 and Houston came out in a 4-3-3(which left me scratching my head). Houston put mid-fielders in as forwards, and left their reserve forwards on the bench. I wondered did these mid-fielders have the killer instinct of a forward to look for goal at every chance? That doubt was put to rest early by a strong rush by Mullen in the opening minutes. But other than that chance the early play was sloppy at best, with poor passing and bad marking. That is when Dube crossed in a good pass to Ralston who took advantage of the defensive break downs. The 9th minute goal was simple and well placed. Soon after the goal, Houston switched to a 4-4-2 structure, and their game play improved. It was obvious they know their roles better in this formation, but still showed signs of frustration by playing long balls and making trapping mistakes. NE on the other hand was composed and played tight with strong marking. They continuously interrupted play and furthered the Houston frustration. Keep in mind the home team seemed to have the possession advantage throughout the half, yet the chances were not quality shots on goal. Houston defender Mulrooney tried to direct play and make runs forward, all the while showing good heart in his play and service. Going into the 35th minute, NE was moving the ball much more fluid and had good build up the field. And it was that quality of play that had them win a corner in the 35th minute, which led to the second goal of the night and game winner. NE’s Castro took the corner, and directed it into Dube who knocked it into Houston’s goalkeeper’s chest, and then into the goal. Caig, Houston’s keeper, should have had a hand on it, yet he somehow miss judged it. On the other end, Reis, the NE keeper, was solid and made every shot look easy to save. Leading into half-time Houston peppered the box with shot after shot, and yet nothing made it to the back of the net.
Second-Half–Much better play by both sides. Passing, control, and tactics were much more clear and clean. It wasn’t until the 59th minute that Houston finally put in a reserve forward Wondolowski came in for Davis, and their opportunities began to improve. Then during the 70th minute Caraccio came in for Mullen on the Houston side, and their offensive opportunities got even better then before. The NE defense held strong by Parkhurst and Albright closing down and interrupting chances. Then Parkhurst fouled Caraccio in the box during the 80th minute. Houston’s Holden took the penalty shot, and Reis was able to stop it in convincing fashion. The Revs simply played the entire game with better skill and patience. They were able to score early and control the mid-field effectively, causing frustration throughout the game. New England deserved to win this game and they did it on the road.
For Highlights of the game link to ESPN here:
