2008 New England Revolution season

The 2008 New England Revolution season was the thirteenth season of the team's existence. The regular season began on March 29, 2008 with a 3-0 win over the Houston Dynamo and ended on November 6 with a 3-0 playoff loss to the Chicago Fire.

New England Revolution
2008 season
OwnerRobert Kraft
Head coachSteve Nicol
MLSConference: 3rd
Overall: 5th
MLS Cup PlayoffsConference Semifinals
U.S. Open CupSemifinals
SuperligaChampions
Champions LeaguePreliminary Round
Top goalscorerLeague: Ralston (8)
All: Ralston (9)
Average home league attendance17,580 (regular season)[1]
5,221 (playoffs)

Background

After losing a third straight MLS Cup final in 2007, the Revs began the 2008 season with high hopes. For the first time in team history, New England participated in four different competitions during the regular season. Their 2007 U.S. Open Cup had qualified them for the preliminary round of the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League, and their top-four finish qualified them for the 2008 North American SuperLiga. The Revs also played matches in the 2008 Open Cup and the 2008 regular season.

Review

The club started the season well, reaching their July league-fixture recess at the top of the overall MLS table. This early-season success continued in the 2008 SuperLiga, which the club won on August 5, 2008 by beating their 2-time MLS Cup rival the Houston Dynamo on penalties.[2] Injuries, fatigue, and fixture congestion eventually caught up with the Revs, however, and the team performed poorly after returning to MLS league play. In an effort to spell his regular starters, coach Steve Nicol started mostly reserves in an Open Cup semifinal against D.C. United. The Revs lost the match, and Nicol was widely criticized for the decision. The Revolution also crashed out of the CONCACAF Champions League, losing to regional minnows Joe Public FC of Trinidad and Tobago 6-1 on aggregate, including an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Gillette Stadium.

Mostly on the strength of their hot start, the Revolution managed to make the playoffs. They were unable to advance, however, as they drew 0-0 at home and lost 3-0 away to the Chicago Fire.[3]

Match results

  Win   Tie   Loss

MLS regular season

March 29, 2008 New England Revolution 3–0 Houston Dynamo Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT Ralston  15'
Cristman  32'
Nyassi  92+'
(report) Mulrooney  58' Stadium: Gillette Stadium
Attendance: 11,116
Referee: Michael Kennedy
April 3, 2008 Chicago Fire 4–0 New England Revolution Chicago, Illinois, United States
7:00 PM CDT Barrett  4'  50'
Mapp  17'
Frankowski  22'  39'
Blanco  37'
Gutierrez  89'
(report) Larentowicz  7'
Joseph  7'
Stadium: Toyota Park
Attendance: 15,553
Referee: Baldomero Toledo
April 09, 2008 Kansas City Wizards 1–3 New England Revolution Kansas City, Missouri United States
7:00 PM CDT (report) Stadium: CommunityAmerica Ballpark
Attendance: 8,096
Referee: Terry Vaughn

Open Cup

July 1, 2008 Third Round New England Revolution 3–0 Richmond Kickers New Britain, Connecticut, United States
7:00 PM EDT Brill  46'
Germanese  63'
Twellman  67'
(report) Stadium: Veteran's Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 3,950
Referee: Tony Russo
July 8, 2008 Quarterfinals New England Revolution 1–1
(5-3 p)
Crystal Palace Baltimore New Britain, Connecticut, United States
7:00 PM EDT Mansally  6'
Igwe  33'
Hilgenbrinck  59'
(report) Lader  20'
Teixeira  78'
Harkin  109'
Flores  119'
Stadium: Veteran's Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 2,590
Referee: Hilario Grajeda
Penalties
Hilgenbrinck
Dube
Tierney
Igwe
Castro
Harada
Harkin
Mbuta
Teixeira
August 12, 2008 Semifinals D.C. United 3–1 New England Revolution Washington, D.C., United States
7:30 PM EDT Emilio  4'  81'
Quaranta  48'
McTavish  50'
(report) Germanese  34'
Igwe  38'
Thompson
Stadium: RFK Stadium
Attendance: 6,797
Referee: Jorge Gonzalez

SuperLiga

July 14, 2008 Group B New England Revolution 1 - 0 Santos Laguna Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
8:00 PM EDT Dube  70' (report) Rodriguez  40' Stadium: Gillette Stadium
Attendance: 10,118
Referee: Enrico Wijngaarde
July 16, 2008 Group B New England Revolution 1 - 0 Pachuca Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
8:00 PM EDT Smith  96+' (pen.) (report) Stadium: Gillette Stadium
Attendance: 9,614
Referee: Walter Quesada
July 20, 2008 Group B Chivas USA 1 - 1 New England Revolution Fullerton, California, United States
5:00 PM PDT Razov  59' (report) Joseph  78' Stadium: Titan Stadium
Attendance: 4,738
Referee: Abiodun Okulaja
July 30, 2008 Semifinal New England Revolution 1–0 Puebla Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
8:00 PM EDT Joseph  30'
Heaps  90+'
(report) Rey  85'
Zamora  90+' 
Vilar  90+' 
Muñoz  90+'
Venegas  90+'
Stadium: Gillette Stadium
Attendance: 8,302
Referee: Carlos Batres

Champions League

August 26, 2008 Preliminary Round Joe Public 2–1 New England Revolution Macoya, Trinidad and Tobago
9:00 EDT Richardson  50'
Gay  70'
Castro  76' (pen.) Stadium: Marvin Lee Stadium
Attendance: 2,100
Referee: Courtney Campbell
September 2, 2008 Preliminary Round New England Revolution 0–4 Joe Public Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
8:00 EDT Richardson  17'  45'  81'
Nelson  48'
Stadium: Gillette Stadium
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Steven Depiero

Playoffs

October 30, 2008 Conference Semifinals New England Revolution 0–0 Chicago Fire Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
8:00 PM EDT Stadium: Gillette Stadium
November 6, 2008 Conference Semifinals Chicago Fire 3–0 New England Revolution Bridgeview, Illinois, United States
7:45 PM CDT Thorrington  36'
Rolfe  47+'
Conde  49'
Busch  62'
Segares  74'
(report) Albright
Igwe  47'
Joseph  53'
Stadium: Toyota Park
Attendance: 17,312
Referee: Jair Marrufo

Standings

Conference

Eastern Conference
Pos Club Pts GP W L T GF GA GD
1 Columbus Crew 57 30 17 7 6 50 36 +14
2 Chicago Fire 46 30 13 10 7 44 33 +11
3 New England Revolution 43 30 12 11 7 40 43 3
4 Kansas City Wizards 42 30 11 10 9 37 39 2
5 New York Red Bulls 39 30 10 11 9 42 48 6
6 D.C. United 37 30 11 15 4 43 51 8
7 Toronto FC 35 30 9 13 8 34 43 9
2008 MLS Cup Playoffs
2008 MLS Cup Playoffs (Wild Card)

Overall

Pos Team Pld W L D GF GA GD Pts
1 Columbus Crew (SS, E1) 30 17 7 6 50 36 +14 57 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League Group Stage 2
2 Houston Dynamo (W1) 30 13 5 12 45 32 +13 51
3 Chicago Fire 30 13 10 7 44 33 +11 46 2009 North American SuperLiga 4
4 Chivas USA 30 12 11 7 40 41 1 43
5 New England Revolution 30 12 11 7 40 43 3 43
6 Kansas City Wizards 30 11 10 9 37 39 2 42
7 Real Salt Lake 30 10 10 10 40 39 +1 40 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs
8 New York Red Bulls 30 10 11 9 42 48 6 39 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round 3
9 Colorado Rapids 30 11 14 5 44 45 1 38
10 D.C. United 30 11 15 4 43 51 8 37 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League Preliminary Round 3
11 FC Dallas 30 8 10 12 45 41 +4 36
12 Toronto FC 30 9 13 8 34 43 9 35
13 LA Galaxy 30 8 13 9 55 62 7 33
14 San Jose Earthquakes 30 8 13 9 32 38 6 33
Source:

(SS) = Supporters Shield winner; (E1) = Eastern Conference champion; (W1) = Western Conference champion

Notes

  1. "2008 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved September 5, 2010. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. McCarthy, Kyle (August 6, 2008). "Revs Capture SuperLiga 2008 Crown". Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
  3. "Fire 3, Revolution 0". New England Revolution. November 6, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2010.

External Links

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