MLS Preview from The Sports Network
Saturday, May 5, 2012
(All times Eastern)
New England (3-5-0) at Real Salt Lake (6-3-1), 9 p.m.
Sandy, UT (Sports Network) - The New England Revolution will try to bring an
end to its struggles in Utah on Saturday as the Revs take on Real Salt Lake.
Trips to Utah have not ended well for New England in recent seasons with the
Revs posting a 0-3-1 record in their last four games at RSL and being
outscored 16-4.
But New England will at least enter the contest on a positive note after
snapping a three-game losing streak in midweek with a 2-1 victory over the
Colorado Rapids at Gillette Stadium.
The visitors took the lead after 21 minutes but New England responded with two
goals before halftime to jump in front and hold off the Rapids over the final
45 minutes.
Three points was a welcome result for the Revs after three losses, but
midfielder Shalrie Joseph doesn't think the poor run was just about playing
below par.
"Sometimes I think we lose the concept of what it is to win and what it is to
play soccer, and the last couple of games we've moved the ball well and
created chances but we haven't gotten the results we wanted."
New England will no doubt want three more points from its trip to Utah, but
Jason Kreis and Salt Lake are also coming off of a bounce-back victory.
A 3-2 win over Toronto FC last weekend helped RSL bring an end to its three-
game winless streak, even though the winning goal didn't arrive until the
dying moments.
Substitute Jonny Steele netted the winning goal three minutes into added time,
and although it came against a struggling opponent in Toronto, Kreis feels it
was a positive sign going forward.
"It's very important and I think it's a sign of maturity and self-belief,
belief in themselves that they feel they can continue forward, and it's
something I think they can build on going forward," Kreis said of the
importance of the late goal. "We know that two steps forward, one step back,
we can still take the next step forward. It's important and it's another sign
of where we're at."
Where Salt Lake is at right now is second place in the Western Conference
table. And that spot could improve if the dominance over New England
continues.
05/04 14:54:42 ET

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