MLS Review: RSL blasts New England

Posted Jul 3, 2010 by Nick Murray

Updated Jul 3, 2010 at 11:00 AM

Real Salt Lake blasted New England, closing the gap on the Los Angeles Galaxy at the top of the Wester Conference in Major League Soccer’s Friday night action.

REAL SALT LAKE 5, NEW ENGLAND 0: Alvaro Saborio scored twice, while Robbie Findley scored in his return from the World Cup, as the Revolution capitulated after a stoppage-time goal at the end of the first half.

New England didn’t make a bad start to the game, but fell behind in the 27th minute as Fabien Espindola fired a low left-footed shot in from 16 yards. RSL then took control of the game in stoppage time as Jamison Olave lost his marker on a free kick and headed home.

Saborio then struck twice in the first 11 minutes of the second half, the first coming off a great cross by Robbie Russell. Saborio struck again from close range five minutes later as three RSL players were queuing up in the penalty area without markers. Findley, brought on as a substitute, then capped the victory with five minutes to play.

SATURDAY’S GAMES

CHICAGO (4-3-5) AT COLUMBUS (7-2-3): The Crew will want to take all three points to put pressure on New York to keep pace with them on Sunday, but if they do it will be the first time in the past six meetings this match will have had a winner.

The two sides have tied in their last five meetings, but the Crew have not yet tied at home this season (5-1-0). Last week’s victory came with a slice of controversy as Guillermo Barros Schelotto appeared to handle the ball in the lead-up to the first goal of a 2-0 win against D.C. United.

Chicago also won its first game back from the break, Marco Pappa’s fourth goal in the past three games the only one in a 1-0 victory against New England.

KANSAS CITY (3-6-3) AT DALLAS (4-2-6): After a frustrating start to the season, Dallas has crept into a playoff position with consecutive victories. They can add to that tonight against a Wizards team that has struggled greatly on the road going 0-4-1 so far this season.

Part of Dallas’ success has come with the demotion of Jeff Cunningham to the substitutes’ bench, Atiba Harris moving into an attacking role with Marvin Chavez taking Harris’ role in midfield. Cunningham has been prolific against Kansas City in his career, though, scoring 14 goals against the Wizards, and so should expect to see some action today.

D.C. UNITED (3-9-1) AT SAN JOSE (5-4-3): The Earthquakes earned a point on the road against Real Salt Lake, but need victory against Eastern Conference cellar-dwelled United to maintain their push for the playoffs.

If history is any indicator, San Jose should be in good shape tonight, it hasn’t lost to D.C. since 1998, a span of 10 games. But they’ll need to be careful of a developing United attack that has created chances in recent games, only struggling to put them away.

PHILADELPHIA (3-7-1) AT CHIVAS USA (3-9-1): Buoyed by a comeback victory in the opening of PPL Park against Seattle last Sunday, Philadelphia is now off the bottom of the Eastern Conference on goal difference ahead of D.C. United.

Chivas USA is mired at the bottom of the Western Conference thanks to a six-game losing streak that continued with a 2-1 defeat at home to FC Dallas last week. With Sacha Kljestan gone to Anderlecht, the Goats will look to Osael Romero to try and control the midfield, but they will need to find more from an attack that has scored just 14 goals in 13 games this season.