By Ridge Mahoney
Mexican striker Jose Manuel Abundis celebrated his Revs’ debut by heading in the second goal as New England clinched a playoff spot with a 3-1 thumping of Colorado Saturday.
The absence of Pat Noonan (only one goal and three assists in 14 games) has weakened the Revs’ attack and try as they might, Taylor Twellman, Clint Dempsey and Steve Ralston have sometimes struggled to produce and finish chances. They were shut out for the eighth time this season in Columbus (3-0) on Sept. 2.
Since then, they’ve won three and tied two and while not exactly filling up the nets with eight goals in those five games, they haven’t been shut out, either. Until a few weeks ago, Andy Dorman had been the team’s main offensive catalyst, but his more celebrated teammates are getting back on the beam.
With Abundis in the lineup playing as Twellman’ partner up front, Ralston had one of his best games this season; he put away a penalty kick in the fourth minute and delivered a superb cross that Abundis headed into the net for goal number two. The third goal typified their current mix of pluck and polish: Twellman, on the ground after being tackled, scraped a through ball to Dempsey, who cleverly chipped it over keeper Joe Cannon.
New England certainly was helped by the 65th-minute dismissal of Clint Mathis, yet the Revs were missing midfield anchor Shalrie Joseph and captain Joe Franchino as well as Noonan.
The Revs will play the Fire in the playoffs, with homefield advantage yet to be determined. The Revs trail second-place Chicago by two points; both teams play Columbus and D.C. United, whose postseason fates are sealed, in their final two games. If they finish tied on points, Chicago would win the head-to-head tiebreaker, 2-1-1.
In last year’s Eastern Conference final, New England scraped past the Fire, 1-0, on a Dempsey goal and escaped overtime only because a stoppage-time equalizer by Andy Herron was disallowed. The Revs fizzled out in MLS Cup 2005, losing to Los Angeles, 1-0, in a lackluster effort.
This year’s final is at the same venue, Pizza Hut Park in Dallas, and to get back there they’ll surely need three solid games as well as the offensive efficiency they showed against Colorado; they took only 10 shots, but eight were on goal, and three hit the net.