EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New England Revolution, trailing by a goal and down a man early in the second half, battled back to earn a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium on Saturday night. A spectacular 56th-minute free kick by Jeff Larentowicz and a remarkable effort by goalkeeper Matt Reis helped the 10-man Revs pick up a valuable point on the road.The meeting was the 53rd all-time between New England (2-2-1, 7 pts.) and New York (1-1-1, 4 pts.) – including regular-season and postseason contests – which represents the highest total of games the Revolution has played against any other MLS team.Both sides were cautious in the opening stages, and the first shot of the match didn’t arrive until the 15th minute, when Red Bulls midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic lashed a 20-yard drive high-and-wide.Just one minute later, Revs left back Amaechi Igwe ventured forward and nearly scored with New England’s first shot, blasting a 25-yard screamer just wide of the far post.New York got on the board in the 30th minute courtesy of some brilliant individual work by Jozy Altidore, who notched his first goal of the season. The 18-year-old forward took a pass near midfield from Claudio Reyna and drove straight through the heart of the Revolution backline, splitting a pair of defenders before blasting a right-footed shot just under the crossbar from 15 yards out.The hosts nearly doubled their lead in the 38th minute, as Ubiparipovic worked his way down the left side of the field before cutting inside, but his shot was hit on the ground straight at Reis.The game took a dramatic turn just after the halftime break, as New England was reduced to 10 men after midfielder Mauricio Castro was shown a straight red card following a scrum in the 46th minute. New York defender Kevin Goldthwaite was also issued a yellow card for his involvement.Despite playing a man down, the Revs leveled the score in the 56th minute on a perfectly-placed free kick by Larentowicz. Forward Adam Cristman was clipped by Red Bulls midfielder Chris Leitch at the top of the Red Bulls’ box to set up the chance just 20 yards from goal. Larentowicz, who has made a habit of scoring from set pieces, curled the ball around an eight-man wall and placed his shot in the lower right corner of the net past a sprawling Jon Conway.New England switched to a more defensive 4-4-2 alignment in the 69th minute, bringing on left-sided defender Chase Hilgenbrinck for Cristman. Igwe moved from left back to right, while Jay Heaps shifted from the right into the middle, alongside Michael Parkhurst.New York used its numerical advantage to pressure for a late winner, but Reis made a trio of spectacular saves – twice on Jozy Altidore and once on John Wolyniec – to keep the score level.Wolyniec had one last chance to win the match for the hosts in stoppage time, but his left-footed strike skipped just wide of the right post.Reis finished with five saves to help preserve the tie, while the Revolution scored on its only shot on goal of the game.The Revs will remain on the road for their next match on Thursday, April 24, when they will meet FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2’s MLS Primetime Thursday.New England Revolution at New York Red Bulls
April 19, 2008 – East Rutherford, N.J. (Giants
MLS Soccer: New England Revolution 1, New York Red Bulls 1
