A Revolution Calling...

I called out to the two individuals dressed as utility workers standing on either side of my vehicle. "What are you doing?" But it was blatantly obvious. They were New England Revolution fans, celebrating the Revs' advancement to the MLS Cup Final. It seemed that they had decided to include overturning my car in their postgame revelry. However, upon seeing me, they scurried off into the Somervillian night to continue their celebration elsewhere. Perhaps my imposing 5' 11.125" frame had served as a deterrent. Or maybe my Revolution t-shirt identified me as a like-minded soul. I'd like to think both were factors. Either way, I was ecstatic that the Revs had been victorious, and relieved that my car had survived the rowdy, melodious aftermath of the victory.

New England's 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire was the team's third consecutive shutout. MLS Defender of the Year Michael Parkhurst had another standout performance, and goalie Matt Reis had ten saves. The team has not conceded a goal since I got my lucky Revolution Crocs.

The only goal of the game was a brilliant one by Taylor Twellman, which was not surprising as he scores pretty much all of the Revs' playoff goals. The manner in which he scored was rather surprising, however. An incredible bicycle kick between two defenders which beat the poorly-positioned Fire goalkeeper. It was the type of goal you usually only see in great soccer movies, once disbelief has been suspended. Like the one scored by Brazilian great Pele in "Victory." (Goal is 5 min 40 sec into clip.) Or the one set up by American superstar Amanda Bynes in the cinematic masterpiece "She's the Man." Except Twellman's goal was scored in the 38th minute, which made it a bit less climactic than those other two goals.

The Fire bombarded Reis and the Revs for most of the remainder of the game, but were unable to score. Surprisingly, the Fire allowed Costa Rican forward Paulo Wanchope to remain on the field for the entire game, despite the fact that he was about as mobile as your typical corner flag. Another Fire-related question is whether their insignia seems vaguely familiar to anyone besides myself. The Fire will have to content themselves with the fact that forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco's goal in Week 20 was voted the Sierra Mist Goal of the Year, in a Rory Fitzpatrick-esque travesty that calls the whole voting system into question. Michael Parkhurst should have won for his goal from midfield in Week 29.

The Revolution will attempt to win their 1st MLS Championship this Sunday in DC, against the Houston Dynamo. If that matchup sounds familiar, it may be because the same two teams played in last season's MLS Cup. The Dynamo won that one, but the particulars are too obscene to relate on this family-oriented blog. This Sunday, the Revs will be victorious, 1-0, on a Taylor Twellman goal. And Revs defender James Riley will be dancing on a flatbed truck in Boston less than 48 hours later. Boston doesn't lose championship games these days.