This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Finding yourself on the wrong end of the league standings, eager for goals and desperate for a win, a scoreless draw may not strike you as the most attractive result.
But a 0-0 result proved a suitable remedy Saturday for Real Salt Lake at the end of a four-game trip, entering Gillette Stadium to face a New England Revolution team that leads the MLS in points (18) and goals (18).
Throw in the added obstacle of an 82nd-minute red card to substitute Ritchie Kotschau, leaving RSL with 10 men for the rest of regulation plus four minutes added time, and Jason Kreis' team can take solace in heading back to Salt Lake with a point and a second straight clean sheet after a 0-0 draw.
"We faced a lot of challenges tonight, first and foremost playing against a N.E. team that seems to be able to score at will," said Kreis, who picked up his fourth draw in five games since taking over the helm of RSL on May 3.
The Revolution (5-2-3, 18 points) showed their attacking intent early on, and nearly found a breakthrough in the eighth minute. Revolution midfielder Khano Smith latched on to a delicately weighted pass from Shalrie Joseph that fell into the space behind defender Nikolas Besagno on the left flank. Smith fought off the initial tackle from Besagno, and found Taylor Twellman at the top of the 6-yard box. New England's leading scorer beat RSL goalie Nick Rimando, but the header bounced off the top off the crossbar, and RSL survived the early scare.
RSL (0-3-6, 6 points) stayed organized defensively. It had to. It was playing the Revolution for the counterattack, especially trying to isolate Freddy Adu on the right and left flanks. Adu, on his 18th birthday, was always the most dangerous for RSL in attack and had the best opportunity in the opening half. Receiving a pass from Mehdi Ballouchy, Adu collected the ball on the right flank, beat defender Michael Riley inside, but could not get his left-footed shot on target to trouble goalkeeper Matt Reiss.
"I would like to get those shots on goal next time, but at least we were creating chances," said Adu.
The second half saw a more conservative approach from RSL, but the game was suddenly turned on its head upon the introduction of Kotschau in the 81st minute. The defender was not a full minute into his RSL debut before a crunching tackle from behind on Bryan Byrne earned him a straight red card, setting up a frantic finish for RSL.
"Once we went down we knew it was going to be a struggle the last 10 or 15 minutes," said Rimando. "We came out, and we were organized, and I think they were getting frustrated we were so organized."
That organization was not without its tense moments, as substitute Andy Williams blocked an Andy Heaps header off the goal line in the 89th minute.
"To pick up another shutout on the road is big-time for my team," Kreis said after the game. "And I think that they should all be right now patting themselves on the back."