Feb. 22, 2006 – Revolution, Alajuelense draw in Bermuda
Post by frankdellapa@gmail.com
This was considered the home leg of the CONCACAF Champions League matchup for the New England Revolution, and several hundred supporters made the trip to Hamilton for the game, plus a chance to witness training sessions. The featured players were the Revolution’s Clint Dempsey and Alajuelense’s Bryan Ruiz, who would go on to become teammates at Fulham FC, attracting significant transfer fees along the way.
Both teams provided strong supporting casts. This was a very tactics-oriented game, a classic, high-level, first leg encounter, producing few openings. With Andy Dorman and Shalrie Joseph setting the tone in midfield, the Revolution produced the best chances out of a 4-4-2 alignment. In the first half, a sequence started with a Taylor Twellman throw-in from near the halfway line. Twellman rolled the throw-in along the sideline for Pat Noonan, who had difficulty catching up to it, as the ball seemed to pick up speed on the Bermuda (yes) grass, which was cut to a golf green length. Noonan got to it at the end line and sent a low cross through the goal area, Dempsey just missing it, but drawing the defense and goalkeeper Wardy Alfaro. That left Tony Lochhead with an open net at the back post, but Lochhead arrived a fraction of a second too late and his sliding poke hit the side of the net. Twellman hit the post in the second half. The Revolution would be eliminated after the second leg, the second time they would fall to Alajuelense in three years.
REVOLUTION-LD ALAJUELENSE 0-0
National Stadium, Hamilton, Bermuda
REVOLUTION: Reis; Riley, Heaps, Daniel Hernandez, Franchino; Noonan (Latham 84’), Joseph, Dorman (Cancela 76’), Lochhead; Twellman, Dempsey.
ALAJUELENSE: Wardy Alfaro; Harold Wallace, Luis Marín, Michael Rodríguez, Carlos Castro; Cristian Montero, Cristian Oviedo, Wílmer López (Emil Martinez 62’), Carlos Hernández; Bryan Ruiz (Erick Scott 87’), Rolando Fonseca (Roy Myrie 75’).
Referee: Hu Liu (Canada). Goals: none. Attendance: 1,500 (est.).
TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY