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Revs defeat Houston Dynamo 2-0
BY CAMERON MERRITT
Revs midfielder Diego Fagundez scored his third goal of the season as they beat the Dynamo 2-0 in Houston Saturday. (Photo/Goal.com)
HOUSTON- Leominster’s own Diego Fagundez scored his third goal of the season and Juan Agudelo helped force an own goal in his debut Saturday night as the New England Revolution defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-0, after having lost to Real Salt Lake 2-1 and drawing the New York Red Bulls 1-1 at home last week. They now stand at 3-4-4 on the year.
Fagundez, the 18 year old Uruguayan-born midfielder, broke through the scoreless draw in the 51st minute when after a series of passes between himself and his teammates in their offensive zone, ran into a short pass from midfielder Clyde Simms at the edge of the box to put a quick shot past and to the right of Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall for his second goal in as many matches.
“I just saw Clyde [Simms] on the top of the eighteen so I gave him a pass. I followed through it and then he did a beautiful lay-off where I could just touch it around the defender and get a goal,” said Fagundez post-match.
Agudelo, who came over in a trade with Chivas USA earlier last week, came on as an injury substitution in the 35th when midfielder Ryan Guy went down with a left calf injury. The Columbian-born American international was impressive in his first match for the Revs, and capped it off in the 84th minute when, on an offensive attack with Lee Nguyen and Chris Tierney, he sent a short shot that deflected off Houston defender Ricardo Clark rolled into his own goal to seal the win for the visitors, and to give the Dynamo their second home loss in the past week, their only two since they opened BBVA Compass Stadium in 2011.
“[Chris] Tierney tried to cross the ball after I played it to him and I saw that the defender wasn’t really looking at me. So I just put my body in the way and tried to get anything that I could on it and put it toward the net. I think the goal was counted as an own goal, but it doesn’t really matter because it gave so much space for our defense to give us a 2-0 lead,” said Agudelo. As for the win, he said it “felt awesome.”
“Not just to win 1-0, but 2-0 is huge. There’s a lot of momentum right now getting toward the middle of the season, playoffs getting closer and closer. It’s huge to win this away game. There’s a couple home games coming up and hopefully we can make a push to be on top of the league.”
In the first half, the action was back and forth with minimal scoring chances, but a heated argument between Revs forward Dmitry Imbongo and Dynamo defender Bobby Boswell in the 38th began to turn physical and resulted in the two being shown red cards and taken off.
After the Revs first goal in the second half, the Dynamo began to develop a few chances of their own, the closest being a forward Will Bruin header sent narrowly over the crossbar in the 61st.
Revs goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth recorded his fourth shutout of the year, and made three saves. He came up huge in the 81st minute to preserve the lead when Andrew Driver connected back on a low pass to Brian Ching at the center of the box, and the forward tried to put it past Shuttleworth to his left, but the keeper pushed it back, and Ching would send the rebound far over the net, and the New England defenders could breathe a sigh of relief.
“I thought we had a good gameplan coming in, and our guys performed really well at the beginning of the game and really set the tone early,” said Revs head coach Jay Heaps in the post-match press conference. “We wanted to come here and play and put them under pressure. Obviously, throughout the game a lot of things happen. You deal with things, they had to deal with a couple of things. It was a little strange having to play a match ten on ten, but I felt we adapted well. They’re a great team and we take our hat off to them but we’re excited for the win.”
He also praised his new acquisition in Agudelo, saying he was great in his debut.
“I thought Juan did a nice job of holding the ball. He was getting grabbed and pulled and pushed and he didn’t lose his focus and held on for some good plays. Not only that but he kept it for us in some really tight spots, difficult areas. Just excited to have him out there and doing well for us.”
The Revs now stand in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, and five points out of a playoff spot, and return to Foxborough next weekend to take on ninth place Toronto FC.
SeaDogs Bring Knuckleballer to NH
by PATRICK CAVANAUGH
(SeaDogs.com)
(MANCHESTER, N.H.)—It may not be the ideal night for baseball, but nonetheless, two rivals will face off in the Queen City tonight. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats take on the Portland Sea Dogs in game two of the three game series. The Fisher Cats will throw RHP Deck McGuire. The SeaDogs give righty Charlie Haegar the nod.
Haegar, 29, was drafted in 2001 by the Chicago White Sox when he was only 17! Another unique thing about Haegar is he throws a flawless knuckleball. He hurls it in at about 70 mph, and it is fairly accurate. The Eastern League has certainly seen it’s fair share of talent before, and this guy is another name to add to the list. Charlie Haegar may be a little too old to see time in The Show, but he certainly shows the big-league caliber talent that the Sea Dogs need.
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats will go on to play the Portland Sea Dogs tomorrow (5/15) before they head on a seven-game roadtrip. For live updates throughout tonight’s game, you can follow Patrick on Twitter (@pcava12).
Patrick Cavanaugh covers pro baseball for BostonSportsU18.com. He can be reached at pcavanaugh@bostonsportsu18.com.
Posted in Baseball, Home, NH Sports
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Boston, New York stay strong together
Even as the most hated of rivals, Boston and New York have stayed strong together in the wake of April's Marathon attacks.
Welcome guest columnist Brian Danuff as he brings us this great commentary on the Boston/New York rivalry, also remembering the Boston Marathon tragedy one month to the day:
December 26, 1919 is a date not too many people remember. That day, Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold the team’s slugging star pitcher George Herman “Babe” Ruth to the New York Yankees.
Few knew it at the time, but the moment Frazee received $125,000 and New York received the face of Major League Baseball, a rivalry was born.
At first not really transitioning to the field, the Yankees and Red Sox quietly had a battle going on in seeing which team did better after the big “selling” of Babe Ruth. While each club had its share of glory during the remainder of the 20th century, there was a pretty clear winner of this deal.
With the trade of Ruth, the Red Sox still remained an admirable franchise however. Legends like Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, and Roger Clemens all called Fenway Park home and guided the team to five division titles and four A.L. pennants.
Yet, bad luck, inconsistent play, or something called the “Curse of the Bambino” prevented the Sox from winning any World Series titles for 86 consecutive years, dating back to Ruth’s second-to-last season in Boston – 1918.
Meanwhile, things couldn’t have gone better for the Yankees.
After the Babe’s arrival, the team would become the dominant force we know today, winning four World Series and opening a grand new stadium during Ruth’s tenure in New York. Once he was gone, players such as Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle emerged, leading the Yanks to 16 more championships through 1962.
Following a 21st world title in 1977, the Red Sox had a golden chance to dethrone the Yankees in 1978. At one point they led the division by 14 1/2 games in the middle of July. But struggles for Boston and great play by interim manager Bob Lemon’s Yankees ensued, and it resulted in a tie for the division at the end of the season.
A one-game playoff (also known as game 163) at Fenway Park was played for the A.L. East title, and the Red Sox had a 2-0 lead in the 7th inning. With two runners on, Bucky Dent came up and forever embedded his name into the heads of fans and both teams alike. He cranked a three-run home run over the Green Monster and gave the Yankees a lead they would not relinquish.
“The Curse” had gotten the Bo-Sox once again. The Yanks indeed repeated as world champions in 1978, and when the Red Sox finally had an opportunity to win it all with the Bombers out of the picture in 1986, their efforts were squandered by the other New York team – the Mets.
A ground ball through Bill Buckner’s legs cost the Red Sox what would have been a World Series clinching Game 6 victory, and they then lost Game 7 the following night. Saying it was a nightmare for the franchise and its fans was a huge understatement.
To make matters worse, being good, but not good enough during the 80’s and early 90’s caught up to Boston when the Yankees returned to relevance. A mix of battle-tested veterans and solid youngsters would help New York win four of five World Series in the late 90’s. The Sox had a chance to put an end to the dynasty in the two teams’ first ever playoff meet of the 1999 ALCS, but they rolled over and lost in five games.
Two years later, the Red Sox were far off from playoff contention finishing just one game over .500 (82-79). The Yankees on the other hand were steamrolling towards another division title in early September of 2001 when the world stood still.
New York City’s World Trade Center and 3,000 lives were lost on September 11th in the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. Two hijacked airplanes crashed into the Twin Towers, and two others crashed into the Pentagon and in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Suddenly, baseball meant nothing. Everyone’s attention turned to the affected areas, as MLB cancelled all games for a whole week. Players all around professional sports admitted to questioning whether or not to go back to playing at all, as it was displayed on TV stations all across America that there was way more important things in life than children’s’ sports being played by men.
However, sports did go on, and when baseball started back up every team kept New York in their thoughts, even the Red Sox. As a classy way of pushing aside the rivalry and paying tribute to the city, Fenway Park played Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from New York, New York” during a game following 9/11.
That’s right. The Yankees’ anthem, known to play whenever the team wins, was being heard echoing through their rival’s ballpark. It wasn’t so much about the song, but the idea that Boston was able to put away their differences with New York and send out their support truly meant a lot to the recovery effort of the city. If the Red Sox were backing New York City, everyone must be.
But as we all know, life went on. Eventually, the Yankees and Red Sox were able to focus on baseball again, and it was the perfect time for it. Fresh off a stinging loss in the 2001 World Series that ended the team’s championship dynasty, the Yanks saw many old faces leave and new ones come in. Meanwhile, the Bo-Sox hired the youngest general manager in baseball history Theo Epstein, and he began building a dominant team.
New York had finally fallen back to Earth, and Boston had taken a step up. It was only a matter of time before the rivalry intensified once again.
The ability to “Cowboy Up” allowed the Red Sox to return the playoffs in 2003 with a 95 win campaign, good enough for the A.L. Wild Card. Boston would then defeat the A’s in the ALDS and advance. The Yankees, at 101 wins, won the division and breezed past the Minnesota Twins in the first round. Therefore, the stage was set – Yankees and Red Sox, the winner going to the World Series.
Everything from that ALCS is mostly a blur, however, except for the final pitch – or should I say “swing”. Aaron Boone launched a home run into the left field seats at the old Yankee Stadium to give New York the pennant and send Boston golfing.
The following year once again looked promising for the Red Sox – until, once again, they met up with the Yankees in the ALCS. This time, 2003 seemed like a distant memory, as the Bo-Sox didn’t even put up a fight in the beginning. Three straight dominating wins by the Yankees seemed to have prove two points – that New York was once again the better team in 2004, and that the Curse of the Bambino would never end.
Keeping the faith, Red Sox outfielder Kevin Millar entered Game 4 with the mindset that New York can’t let Boston win tonight, or they’d be in a heap of trouble.
He wasn’t far from the truth at all.
A 6-4 win in 12 innings, followed by a 5-4 win in 14 innings, led to a 4-2 win in just 9 innings in Game 6. The Red Sox had won three straight, and the Yankees had lost three straight. While some call it a “choke”, New York did lose those three games by very small margins. It was only Game 7 where they really embarrassed themselves.
Losing 6-0 after just 2 innings at home was the kiss of death. The Yankee Stadium crowd fell silent and then ferociously cheered – for the Red Sox, that is, when Pokey Reese threw to Doug Mientkiewicz for the final out of a 10-3 victory. The Red Sox had won the pennant in historic fashion over their arch rivals, and even though the World Series was yet to be played, it was safe to say the Curse had ended right then and there.
A sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals followed and the Red Sox had won it all. As anti-climactic it was, it ended generations of suffering and doubt from sports fans around the world. Three years later, Boston would win the division over the Yankees, and the World Series again in 2007. One championship in 86 years was plenty. But two rings in four seasons? Unfathomable.
Even Boston’s other sports teams joined in on the fun in the 2000s. The New England Patriots won three Super Bowls in four years, the Celtics won the 2008 NBA Finals, and the Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2010. It was an unprecedented run, for a city so deprived of national recognition, to suddenly crank out championships faster than Apple releases iPhones.
New York has had two “Giant” Super Bowls and another Yankees’ World Series in 2009, but the past decade without a doubt belongs to Boston when comparing success in sports.
But at the end of the day, as we all know sports can often be just a distraction from the hardships of life. The events at the Boston Marathon last month shook the nation, Red Sox and Yankee fans alike. Yet, in the days following the attack, the most bitter of rivals easily put aside their differences to help cope and mourn with the victims.
As detailed, after 9/11 the Red Sox played “New York, New York” to honor the city in which the Yankees play. So, the Bombers returned the favor on the day after the bombings.
During their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks (the team the Yankees lost to in the 2001 World Series), the first few bars of “Sweet Caroline”, rang through the speakers at the new Yankee Stadium. Neil Diamond’s Red Sox anthem was being played and sung to by the Yankees and their fans. This wasn’t opposite day, nor was it a mockery. This was a true, genuinely kind tribute to a city so strong, and so rooted in its sports traditions.
Yet, as we all know, life moves on. The city of Boston has recovered admirably since the tragedy, and in a few weeks the Red Sox will make the trip back down to the Bronx to play the Yankees. Already defying the odds and putting away the troubles of last season, the Bo-Sox have symbolized the strength of their home town throughout their history. And it will be no different when the rivalry heats up again later this May.
So without further ado, “Play ball!”, as they say. Surely, the Yankees and Red Sox will focus on doing just that. But it can not be ignored, that sometimes, that is the last thing these teams need to do in order to lift the spirits of their fans, and suffering citizens around the country.
NCAA Water Polo: Harvard shines as host; Archrivals Stanford, USC will meet for title
by JOSHUA KUMMINS
BOSTON — If it were up to UC San Diego head coach Brad Kreutzkamp, the NCAA National Collegiate Water Polo Championship would be held at Harvard University’s Blodgett Pool on an annual basis.
Despite only having an opportunity at fifth place, the Tritons’ fourth-year head coach had much praise for the host staff and city as the tournament moved to east for the first time.
“I’ve been to five of these – three on the men’s side and now this is the second on the women’s side,” said Kreutzkamp, a San Diego State product. “I can honestly say…that this is, hands down, the best tournament that’s ever been. It’s professional top-to-bottom. I actually want to put in a proposal that it’s hosted here every single year.”
During the press conference after UCSD’s 15-8 win over Division III Pomona-Pitzer, junior center Melissa Barrow flanked Kreutzkamp and certainly agreed to cosign his proposal.
“It’s kind of been a dream for some reason to always come to Boston,” Triton junior center Melissa Barrow said. “Every time I’m in the van, I’m not playing with my phone anymore like I usually do on road trips. I just look out. These buildings are just gorgeous, so it’s definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Playing for the national title on Sunday night at 5:15 p.m. will be a pair of very familiar foes to big-time college sports fans and the most bitter of archrivals – USC and two-time defending champion Stanford.
The top-ranked Women of Troy steamrolled Hawaii by a 16-9 final, thanks to seven of the first eight goals over the first nine minutes of the game, six power-play tallies, and a strong 13-save effort from Hungarian junior Flora Bolonyai.
“It’s really amazing,” Trojan senior Chelsea Silvers said of the opportunity to play for another national championship in her final outing. “It’s coming full circle. Being on a championship team my freshman year was really exciting. I think I took it for granted, how hard it is to really get to the finals and win.”
It was much of the same in Friday’s quarterfinal for the Trojans as USC allowed an early goal to Pomona, before rattling off 27 unanswered goals against the hands of the inferior Sagehens.
While the players recognized the “all business” attitude heading into the final day of competition, one of the sport’s most recognizable figures agreed with his California counterpart Kreutzkamp about the success of Boston as a host and has enjoyed some free time as a tourist.
“I personally love the city,” 11-time National Coach of the Year and native Yugoslavian Jovan Vavic of USC said. “I love the hotel where we are staying; it’s right on the water. … I really like all the old bridges. I really feel like I am in Europe. It’s such a European type of a city with so much history. You don’t see this in LA, so I kind of enjoy this.”
MAAC champion Iona and Collegiate Water Polo (Eastern) victor Princeton each fell short in Friday’s quarterfinal round matches, but met in Saturday’s opening match as the only two teams in the field that did not represent California or Hawaii.
Led by world-class Floridian netminder Ashleigh Johnson, the Orange and Black cruised its way to a 12-2 victory over the Gaels for a shot at fifth place and UCSD at 1:45 on Sunday.
“We have seven freshmen this year, so I think that we have a lot of girls who have never experienced this before,” Iona junior Erika Lauraitis said after scoring both goals for the Gaels. “For me as a junior, this is my third time here. … [We don't] want to take a seventh or eighth place win. Let’s move up and get a win for our school, the MAAC in general and represent the East Coast a little bit.”
Stanford and No. 3 UCLA played a tight game in Saturday’s finale, but the Cardinal were just too stingy defensively in a 5-3 duel, earning the victory despite its lowest scoring output of the season. Senior Kate Baldoni, last year’s National Collegiate Championship MVP, made 12 saves to pace the Stanford defense.
“That was an impressive performance by two sensational goalies,” said Stanford head coach John Tanner. “I was extremely impressed with our response to the gameplan. … We kept our composure as the game was close and unfolding and did not allow our missed opportunities to frustrate us.”
As for Sunday’s final game, it is the one everyone wants – No. 1 vs. No. 2, a pair of Moutain Pacific Sports Federation foes, for the fourth time this season.
“It’s just an incredible opportunity,” coach ‘JT’ said. “To be playing our rivals. As Stanford water polo, we love playing USC. It’s a great rivalry, and to be playing it here at Harvard, our academic rivals whom we measure ourselves by. Our student-athletes are stoked to have this chance.”
It was well documented after two successful days that water polo is not just a West Coast sport anymore and that Boston, led by energetic Harvard head coach Ted Minnis, has played fantastic hosts.
“I like the idea,” Barrow said with a smile of Harvard returning as a future host. “I would not mind coming back to Boston for my last year.”
Bruins can clinch series tonight with home win
By CAMERON MERRITT
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins could clinch their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, which they lead 3-1, with a win tonight at the TD Garden.
The Bruins are coming off game where they overcame a 2-0 deficit to take a 4-3 overtime win Wednesday night where center David Krejci finished off his hat trick with the game winner at the 13:06 mark in the first period of sudden-death overtime. The B’s took both their games in Toronto, having won Monday night’s affair 5-2, and drew even with the Leafs in Boston, taking the first game 4-1, but fell 4-2 in Game 2, aided by a goal from former Bruins forward Phil Kessel.
Momentum would seem to be on the side of Boston tonight as the Bruins have been the better side of late and will be backed up by a full house of the Garden faithful.
Earlier this afternoon, coach Claude Julien made to changes to his roster, with forward Wayne Redden a sudden scratch at afternoon practice and recalling defenseman Matt Bartkowski from Providence, who has been an important member of the P Bruins playoff team that advanced to the AHL Eastern Conference Semi-Finals after defeating the Hershey Bears 3-2 Wednesday afternoon.
It will be up to the Leafs to slow this momentum and force a Game 6 at the Air Canada Centre, then win on the road and at home, in order to win the series. Joffrey Lupul leads his team in scoring this series, with the Canadian forward having scored three goals, one more than his teammate Kessel.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle in the Leafs way of crawling back is the man in goal for Boston, top goalie Tuukka Rask, who has a .932 save percentage for the series against the franchise that originally drafted him.
If Rask keeps playing as he’s been, the Bruins top offensive players keep making chances, and with the Boston fans behind they, the B’s should be able to finish the series off and advance to the Conference Semi-Finals, as the Chicago Blackhawks and Ottawa Senators have done in the East, defeating the Minnesota Wild and Montréal Canadiens respectively , and the San Jose Sharks in the West, who swept the Bruins 2011 Stanley Cup rivals, the Vancouver Canucks.
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Tagged Boston Bruins, Hockey, National Hockey League, NHL Playoffs, Stanley Cup, toronto maple leafs
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P-Bruins come all the way back
by EDDIE PANNONE
PROVIDENCE — A one seed should have no problem beating the number eight seed, right? As we have seen many times in hockey, the seeding doesn’t matter as much as in other sports. With nothing to lose, the Hershey Bears came into Providence facing a deep Bruins team with an MVP goaltender. Someone who didn’t know the seeds would have guessed it was Hershey that was the one seed. Outplaying the Bruins in almost every aspect, the Bears took a 2-0 lead in a best of five series, shocking the Bruins and their fans.
Goaltender and Bruins MVP Niklas Svedberg looked like a completely different player than in the regular season. He was uncomfortable and didn’t look very confident while in the crease, something that hasn’t happened all season long. While some of the goals were not really his fault, there were plenty of shots that hit the back of the net that he has consistently stopped all season. One had to wonder if the rookie was struggling because of fatigue after a long first season.
The team did not look good in general aside from Svedberg. While in their own end, the team made many turnovers leading to Hershey scoring chances. In a physical two games both teams hit hard and were aggressive, but the P-Bruins aggressive play led to odd man rushes. The penalty kill, which was 5th best in the AHL during the regular season, was awful. The team allowed 5 goals while shorthanded, including a game tying goal with less than 2 minutes left in game two.
The team put a lot of heart into game two, and when they lost it was obvious how much it hurt. Anyone in the Dunkin Donuts Center who thought the Bruins were going to come back was lying to themselves. Despite being down, the P-Bruins proved that they were not out.
Game 3 saw Hershey score first, riding the emotion of their crowd. Former Bear Chris Bourque scored a huge goal less than five minutes later to swing the momentum of the game and the series. From there everything seemed to click for the Bruins, looking like the team that earned the best record in the AHL. Providence took a 2-1 lead when Bobby Robins scored his first goal of the playoffs, followed by converted a power play by Jamie Tardif, Bourque, and Ryan Spooner to make the score 3-1. A penalty kill that looked dreadful returned to form by stopping eight minutes of second period penalties and were a perfect 6-6 on the night. Bourque and Carter Camper scored insurance goals in the third period, giving the team a 5-1 win and new playoff life. Svedberg looked solid making 30 saves for the Bruins, and the team looked ready to come all the way back.
Game four was tightly contested right to the finish. After Providence used goals from Camper and Graham Mink to go up 2-0, the Bears tied the game 2 aside in the third period and if not for a disallowed goal would have taken 3-2 lead. Camper netted his second goal of the day to give Providence the 3-2 instead, but Hershey took a 4-3 lead with less than 5 minutes left in the game. Once again the Bruins looked like they were done, but once again clawed back. Craig Cunningham scored on a late power play to tie the game at 4, once again swinging the momentum in favor of the Bruins. Camper secured the victory and a game 5 by scoring a hat trick goal with 1:04 on the clock, giving the P-Bruins a 5-4 lead.
Game 5 was more of the same: tough, close, physical, and exciting hockey. Hershey scored early to go up 1-0, but Providence caught what might have been the break of the series. A Justin Florek shot deflected off the skate of a Hershey skater into the open net, tying the game at 1. Both teams had power play chances, but the first would end in a 1-1 tie. The two teams went back and forth to start the second period, though Providence had trouble with turnovers and puck clearing. That being said, they were still out shooting the Bears in the period. The P-Bruins finally broke through with five minutes left. Camper and Tardif set up Jordan Caron, who ripped it top shelf to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead after two periods. The third period saw Hershey tie the game at 2 with a chance to take the lead on the power play. The Bruins power play showed why it was top 5, killing it off without much problem. The team used that momentum swing on their own end of the ice. Tardif stood firm in the crease, grabbing a loose puck and slipping it through to give Providence a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish. The final minute saw the Bears pull their goalie while on the power play, but it did not matter. The defense held up, and the Bruins won the series and the game 3-2.
With the win, Providence moves on to Round two of the playoffs against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. This seven game series begins Friday night at the Dunkin Donuts Center at 7:05.
Revs acquire Juan Agudelo from Chivas USA
By CAMERON MERRITT
Juan Agudelo celebrates a goal for Chivas USA in 2012. (Photo/CD Chivas USA)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass.- The New England Revolution acquired striker Juan Agudelo from Los Angeles-based club Chivas USA on Wednesday in exchange for allocation money.
The 20 year old Columbian-born Agudelo has 11 goals in 59 appearances. Coming to New Jersey at the age of seven, he eventually joined the youth academy of local club New York Red Bulls, and made his senior debut in a 2010 US Open Cup match against the Philadelphia Union, and found himself as an important piece for the New York club during the 2011 campaign.
After a slow start to the 2012 season, the Red Bulls parted ways with the young Agudelo, sending him to Chivas USA for defender Heath Pearce and allocation money. He made 26 appearances for the California club, scoring five times and had four assists. So far this year, he’s scored twice and has an assist, making him the Revs’ top goalscorer. His offensive output will be a welcome sight to a team that has so far only mustered four goals, one being an own goal by Red Bulls defender Brandon Barklage, leaving them tied for the worst offense in the MLS.
Agudelo is noted as having a lot of potential and is considered one of the best young forwards in the league. He has been made 17 appearances for the US National Team, including four starts, with a goal and an assist. He has also spent time training with several European clubs during his offseasons, including Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart, Scottish giants Celtic, and Premier League clubs Liverpool FC and West Ham United.
Revs general manager Mike Burns told reporters that the move was a “no-brainer,” and that the club was “very pleased” to acquire Agudelo.
“While Juan is a young player with tremendous potential, he also already has a lot of experience both inside our league and internationally with the U.S. National Team. We believe Juan will improve our attack and make us a better team,” added Burns, the Marlborough native and former defender who also had several caps for the USMNT during his eight-year career.
Agudelo will most likely join the club later this week, possibly in time to face the club he began his career with, but now on the opposite side of the Boston-New York rivalry, when the Red Bulls come to Gillette next Saturday. Before that, however, the Revs will take on Real Salt Lake at home in a Wednesday Night inter-conference showdown.
Going Pro: Looking at the Pats, New England colleges in the 2013 NFL Draft
by TAYLOR SNYDER
The New England Patriots are coming off of a disappointing AFC championship loss that was heartbreaking to most fans. But in the offseason, they made some notable moves, which included bringing in wide Danny Amendola from the Rams and drafting some players on both sides of the ball.
Here is my breakdown on each of the New England Patriots’ draft choices:
Aaron Dobson, Marshall
The Pats went with a 6’3″ wide receiver out of Marshall with their first pick. For the most part, I do like this draft selection, because with the departure of Wes Welker, you will never know when the team will need a new guy to step it up. Dobson is a very fast and athletic guy and I feel like he will be a good fit in New England. In his four years at Marshall, he lead the team in receptions and was a pivotal key to the Thundering Herd. The downside is the fact he played in Conference USA, which is not quite a “top notch” defending league, so I don’t know how he will be able to handle these tight corners in the NFL. He has been known to be slow on his cuts which will be very tough for him because Tom Brady loves quick patterns in New England. Grade: C+
Jamie Collins, Southern Miss
The Patriots went with Jamie Collins on their second pick. In his four years at Southern Miss, he had a really good career and put up some really good numbers. He is an overall very good athlete and has shown that he can cut quickly with fast moving feet. However, he lacks a lot of upper body strength at the moment, which will eat him up in the NFL. He also needs to work on his hand speed. Grade: C+
Duron Harmon, Rutgers
The Patriots, with their 3rd pick, got a secondary player from Rutgers by the name of Duron Harmon. It is no surprise that the secondary has been a big issue for New England in the past years and I am glad that Harmon was chosen here. As we have seen in the past with secondary players out of Rutgers, they usually have potential (i.e. Devin McCourty). I like this pick for the most part. I think that he has good height for a secondary player, and from his Combine, it shows he is a very fast and athletic guy – a key at safety. Grade: B
Logan Ryan, Rutgers
I think it is interesting how the Pats picked back-to-back secondary players out of the same college, but a good idea because of some chemistry. For the most part, Ryan is a very hard hitter and very physical when guarding, who was also known to be a great team player. However, he is one of the slower corners at the Draft, but that will not matter if he is able to use his great hitting to be physical on press coverage. Grade: B
Josh Boyce, TCU
In his high school career, Boyce had the chance to work with Robert Griffin III for four years and was a huge part of TCU. He also had the chance to be Andy Dalton’s favorite target in 2010. He is a very fast guy, has very quick hands and awesome upper body strength and he has been known to be a very aggressive player. I like the idea of trying to get another wide receiver, but there are some setbacks to him. He is a very light guy (5’10″) and only can play in the slot. He has also been known to have been easily coverable in the past. He had a lot of opportunities to play against top notch secondary in college and had handled it quite well. There are still some question marks, so this pick gets a B-.
Michael Buchanan, Illinois
In my opinion, the Patriots took a steal and a player with a lot of potential in Illinois defensive end Michael Buchanan, checking in at 6’5″ and 235 pounds. In his past, he has faced a ton of big offensive lineman and will definitely have some experience coming into the NFL. He also has quick feet and has been very good at extending his arms, getting around linemen. However, he lacks upper body strength and his speed is not necessarily the greatest. On the positive side, he has been named one of the best defensive linemen in the Big Ten and is coming off a great season. I definitely will want to see some improvement over the offseason to increase his upper body strength, but I give this pick a C, only because of how low he was picked and his lack of strength.
Steve Beauharnais, Rutgers
Inside linebacker Steve Beauharnais closed the Draft for the Pats and was the third Scarlet Knight taken. Overall, not too much is known about Beauharnais, but from the scouting report, it shows that he is 6’2″ and awesome weight. He also is known for his fast movement and quick hands, but the Big East is not exactly known for the run game, so there may be a lack of advanced preparation seen at the next level. He is also known as an average player and is not near elite in the conference. I give it a C-, but I am interested to see if he can compete with guys like Jerod Mayo.
Other notable players drafted out of New England:
64. Dwayne Gratz, CB, Connecticut: 5’11″ | 201: Very fast and athletic guy, who will benefit the struggling Jaguars a lot in these next couple of years if they use him right.
70. BliDi WrehWilson, CB, Connecticut: 6’1″ | 195: If the name didn’t scare you enough, he is known to be a huge hitter and very fast guy. He will definitely help out the Titans a lot with their defense.
124. Trevardo Wilson, DE, Connecticut: 6’1″ | 241: He is a very big and heavy guy and his scouting report is not the best, but his size and quick feet will help the Texan defense only get better.
Harvard's own Kyle Juszczyk went to the Baltimore Ravens (Photo/Boston.com).
130. Kyle Juszcyzk, FB, Harvard: 6’1″ | 241: “Juice” made the great state of Massachusetts and the Ten Thousand Men of Harvard proud when he was selected by the Baltimore Ravens. I think it is great that the Ravens picked him because he is a hardworking and underrated player who could be very useful to a unit that lost some in the offseason.
201. Ryan Griffin, TE, Connecticut: 6’7″ | 247: This was a great pick for the Texans because of Griffin’s huge size. I think the Texans can combine him and Owen Daniels together and create a huge threat in the receiving game.
241. Jared Smith, DT, New Hampshire: 6’3″ | 302: Smith is a very good pick for the Seahawks because he will help boost the Seattle defensive line.
253. Michael Cox, RB, UMass: 6’1″ | 214: The Dorchester native had an awesome career at UMass, but was under looked during the first season of FBS football for the Minutemen. I think that he will get some looks with the New York Giants, but I do not know how much. It will be interesting to see how he will fit in, joining UMass’ own Victor Cruz.
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Revs’ Shuttleworth shuts down hot Timbers, play to goalless draw
BY CAMERON MERRITT
BEAVERTON, Ore- On a Thursday night match-up in the Pacific Northwest, the New England Revolution and Portland Timbers FC played to a scoreless draw.
Revs goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth makes a save on Timbers forward Darlington Nagbe (Photo/New England Revolution)
Both sides came in on a winning streak, with the Revs having gained only their second of
the year five days earlier against the Philadelphia Union at Gillette. Revs defender Chris Tierney wasn’t available for coach Jay Heaps as he was suspended one game for his tackle on Union striker Sebatian La Toux, and rookie Andrew Farrell, who suffered an injury In his place, they recalled defender Bilal Duckett from his loan spell at the club’s USL Pro affiliate Rochester Rhinos.
“I couldn’t be happier to be up here. It’s exciting to get out here and rejoin the guys. It was a little bit tough jumping right back in but it was more exciting to play,” commented Duckett following the match.
The Timbers supporters before the match showed their support for those affected by the tragedy at the Boston Marathon as well as New England defender Kevin Alston, who is undergoing treatment for a rare, but curable form of leukemia, by holding several signs up before and during the match.
Following kickoff at Jeld-Wen Field, the Timbers came out and made several good chances, particularly by all which were denied by in-form Revs goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, quite a few of which came from the Portland forward Darlington Nagbe, as the Liberian-born winger saw his chances denied twice in three minutes by the Revs keeper, his first close on the post in the 12th and then another strong save when he broke through alone on goal in the 15th.
The Revs also saw a few early chances, particularly off of free kicks and corners, but their first few chances either missed net or fizzled out before a good shot could be made. However, the Revs finally had an on-target shot when defender Ryan Guy robbed the ball in their attacking zone and sent a pass to midfielder Kelyn Rowe, whose shot would be denied by a strong punching save by Timbers keeper and Jamaican international captain Donovan Ricketts.
Play would then go back and forth for the remainder of the first half, as Nagbe would put a corner just over the crossbar in the 30th, and midfielder Diego Fagundez’s shot would do the same for the Revs less than a minute later. The Revs would have two more chances before half, the first from striker Jerry Bengston in the 33rd, which ended up in an easy save for Ricketts, then Fagundez would feed Guy ten minutes later and force a reaching dived save by the Jamaican, resulting in a corner for midfielder Lee Nguyen, which would find Bengston’s head but ended up, as many of both team’s previous attempts, just over the crossbar.
The home side would have the first chance the second half, as Jamaican forward and former Cape Cod Crusader Ryan Johnson would send a volley that forced a big save from Shuttleworth that helped keep the game level in 53rd, and he save another Timbers attempt by midfielder Diego Valeri six minutes later.
Striker Saër Senè came on for Fagundez in the 67th minute, and would begin to spark some more offensive chances for his club. However, the Timbers would find themselves in their attacking zone around that time, but the only card of the match would be shown to their defender, Rodney Wallace, in the 70th for a high-kneed tackle on the Revs Duckett.
From that point on, play once again would go back and forth, as Senè would send a shot from 25 yards out just high in the 72nd, while the Timbers would make chances in the 80th and 82nd, but the shots by midfielder Will Johnson and Valeri would end up going high and wide.
Senè had the best chance of the match for the Revs to grab a late win when he broke through on goal, beat out Ricketts, though ended up sending his shot wide in the 84th. In added time, Rowe would send a shot on goal which Ricketts had to jump for to make the stop, and shortly after, the refs would officially put the match in the books.
“It’s not what we wanted. We expected to win as we expect to win every game. It was a good reminder that it’s not just going to happen,” said Timbers coach Caleb Porter. “We certainly had enough chances to score the goal to win the game. In the end, you’ve got to credit [Shuttlewoth], he made some great saves.”
The man at the helm of the team also praised his keeper, with Heaps saying “Bobby [Shuttleworth] did a nice job. It’s the second game in a row he’s played really well. It’s not an easy environment. I think he’s reading the game well. It wasn’t like he was making spectacular saves, but he was making saves because of being in the right position, which is better than a spectacular save for me.”
As for the man himself, Shuttleworth was quick to praise his teammates efforts, particularly the defenders.
“I think we were super organized in the back tonight; we all kept our lines, kept our shape and were able to keep a clean sheet. I think it shows the depth we have on this team. Jay [Heaps] has done a great job of creating the competition and creating depth. You can see guys are coming in and doing really well; we aren’t missing a beat,” said the Buffalo native.
The Revs return home for two matches in four days, as they play host to Real Salt Lake on Wednesday and rivals New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
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Revs beat Union 2-0 for first home win
BY CAMERON MERRITT
FOXBOROUGH, Mass.- The New England Revolution doubled their goal total on the season and won their first match since the season opener in Chicago in a 2-0 win over rivals Philadelphia Union, their first ever, last Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.
Diego Fagundez celebrates his first goal of the year with teammates Kelyn Rowe and Kalifa Cisse (Photo/The Sun Chronicle)
This was an emotional night, as it was the club’s first home match since the tragic Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, along with the first since defender Kevin Alston was diagnosed with leukemia. Tributes were made pre-match for both, and the players paid tribute again with a black armband, and wore an orange ribbon for their teammate receiving treatment.
Bobby Shuttleworth started in goal for the Revs again, as veteran captain Matt Reis is still recovering from his injury and has been focused at home on his family, as his father-in-law was seriously injured at the Marathon. Shuttleworth had his second clean slate of the season, and had four saves on the night. Central defender Stephen McCarthy made his first start of the season for the Revs, replacing the usual A.J. Soares, who was suffering from a hamstring injury. Other changes included midfielder Ryan Guy for Andy Dorman and using Jerry Bengston as the team’s lone striker.
With the game underway, the Revs would have the first serious chance in the ninth minute when midfielder Diego Fagundez quickly sent the ball past Philadelphia defenders to fellow midfielder Lee Nguyen, whose cross just short of net would find the foot of Kelyn Rowe, but a bad hit in front of goal by the midfielder would send the ball up over the crossbar and deny him the chance of an early opening goal.
In the 22nd minute, striker Jerry Bengston, who was at the time the Revs lone goal scorer, would send a long pass from the midfield to clear Fagundez, but the quick shot by the 18 year old Uruguayan youth international sporting a red mohawk, would head directly at Union keeper Zac MacMath.
Philadelphia created a strong goal opportunity in the 39th minute when midfielder Danny Cruz sent a pass back from the line to the wide-open striker Jack McInerney, but his attempted shot would miss the ball but ended up with midfielder Michael Farfan, and the San Diego native’s strong shot would be deflected by the hand of Shuttleworth and head over the crossbar.
The Union would have another chance before half time when Farfan would beat out Revs defender Jose Gonçalves in the 45th and send a pass to Cruz on goal, but the play was well read by Shuttleworth, who quickly dived for the ball to stop any serious chance for the former UNLV man, and the two sides were even when the whistle blew an end to the first half.
After the half, the Revs would add their first goal of the night in the 61st when Nguyen would find Rowe to his side in the box, and Rowe quickly passed back left to Fagundez, and shot it quick past MacMath for his first goal of the season.
Striker Saër Senè came on following the goal, playing more and more time with each match, and would gain his first assist ten minutes later when his shot on goal deflected off of MacMath and was put away by Nguyen to solidify the New England lead.
That lead would hold, as when the final whistle blew, the Revs found themselves with their second win of the still-young campaign, and now stand at 2-3-2.
On winning the match, Fagundez said that it “felt amazing.”
“We saw the stadium pretty filled out today. So, getting this win for Boston and Kevin (Alston) probably felt good for everyone,” said the Uruguayan-born, Massachusetts raised young midfielder.
On his club’s performance, Revs coach Jay Heaps said, “I thought it was a good game for us, complete from front to back. Philly’s a good team and they’ve shown that they are a good team on the road.”
“Overall, I thought our front to back movement was pretty good. I thought that we felt the goal coming it was just a matter of when,” he later added.
The Revs wouldn’t have much time to waste, as they quickly headed to the Pacific Northwest for a Thursday night showdown with the Portland Timbers.
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