The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 64

E8 The Boston Globe SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2002 MLS CUP GALAXY-REVOLUTION rwelman set for a Tburaro ESl) pis a Leading scorer is in line for raise s7 i 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Dynamic duo Both scored spectacular goals while leading their teams to the MLS Cup final. The Revolution's gritty Taylor Twellman won the regular-season scoring title. The Galaxy's flashy Carlos Ruiz leads the playoff points race. A look at how MLS's brightest stars match up beef MLS, following Martin Machon, who set assist marks while playing for Los Angeles and Miami. "From a physical standpoint, Ruiz has everything you need for the MLS," Galaxy defender Alexi Lalas said.

"He is a perfect example of someone using the league as a showcase. He came here understanding this is not easy, that it is not a vacation." the club Municipal owns half of the contract rights for Ruiz, and he will return to finish the Guatemalan season next week, according to Gerardo VillaofLaPrensa Libre. Changes afoot There could be two changes in the Revolution starting lineup from the clinching playoff game, a 2-2 tie against Columbus a week ago. Twellman will replace Alex Pineda Chacon and Jay Heaps could return to right back in place of Rusty Pierce. "We wont make a decision on it until today," said Revolution coach Steve Nicol.

in terms of the contract. Taylor has done much more than was expected of him. He has dealt with the responsibilities and the issues, addressed everything we have asked of him with a positive attitude. He is an exciting American player." The MLS will offer Twellman a significant raise, along with a likely two-year extension, which could make it difficult for him to negotiate with European clubs. Twellman could remain at his current salary and become a free agent after the 2004 season.

Ruiz the choice Los Angeles Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz edged out Twellman in the most valuable player voting. Ruiz won on the ballots of the coaches-general managers (56-43) and players (227-214). Twellman won the media vote (11 1-103). Points were awarded on a 3-2-1 basis. Ruiz and Twellman lined up together for 25 minutes before the MLS All-Star Game was suspend- REGULAR SEASON Player GP A PK Twellman 28 23 6 52 Ruiz 26 24 1 49 PLAYOFFS Player GP A PK Ruiz 5 7 2 16 Twellman 5 2 0 4 Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz (left) and New England's Taylor Twellman got an upclose view of the MLS Cup yesterday.

There's plenty of fight in Revolutions Heaps By Frank Dell'Apa GLOBE STAFF PROVIDENCE -MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Ga-zidis said yesterday the league considers the contract negotiations with Taylor Twellman "a top priority." Twellman, who has scored 25 goals for the Revolution this year, has expressed dissatisfaction with I his three-year contract at minimum (about $24,000) salary. "I never heard him express bitterness about it," Gazidis said. "It's been exactly the opposite. Twellman contacted us and said he was grateful for the opportunity to play in the MLS. He took the salary, he took it on the chin, and channeled everything into positive actions.

"There is no absolute urgency A 1 REVOLUTION NOTEBOOK REVOLUTION Continued from El being ejected during the Revolution's 1-0 win in Columbus Oct 9. Heaps, one of the least likely Revolution players to engage in fisticuffs, clashed with Columbus's Freddy Garcia and was sent off. The MLS highlight tape screened for yesterday's press conference featured Heaps going head to head with Chicago's Hristo Stoitchkov and Garcia, apparently in an attempt to illustrate the emotional level of the playoffs. "It's an amazing rush to be here with a chance to win the championship," Heaps said. "I don't want to overanalyze it now, but it's amazing what we've accomplished so far, and we're not satisfied with just getting to the final." Heaps was raised in Longmea-dow, watching the postseason exploits of the Celtics and Red Sox.

4' He'll have angles 1 Dan Califf. Soon after the US Open Cup, the Revolution began making changes. Only four Revolution players who participated in that game remain with the team. The Galaxy, though, lost only two starters from that game. "That was a good learning experience for us," Heaps said.

"We are a different team this year, but then we were overmatched man for man. We were out of synch because we hadnt played for a while, but we had a couple of chances to put the game away. We counterattacked the whole game and that is not our style this year. Now, we control the ball more, we have more guys who are great on the ball, and better attacking players. "And the MLS Cup adds a little more to the game, because this is what everyone is shooting for all year." covered the storylines surrounding the game: the Cinderella rise of the Revolution, the new stadium, the Kraft family's chance at two championships in one year, the Galaxy's quest to avoid becoming the Buffalo Bills of Major League Soccer with a fourth unsuccessful trip to the MLS Cup, and Los Angeles playing for two championships in five days (they play Columbus for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Thursday).

"There's so much to say," said Dellacamera, "that one of our goals is to make sure we don't talk too much about the stories surrounding the game and get in the way of what could be a great game." Dellacamera figured the Revolution to be a much-improved team this season, he said, "but the way it came about new coach, personnel changes surprised everyone. They're like the Impossible Dream Red Sox and Miracle Mets and not unlike the Patriots of last season." Even though he's a Waltham native, Dellacamera is decidedly neutral for this game. "It's going to be great to be in a stadium filled with soccer fans," he said. "I'm working for ABC, and may the better team win." "In the longer term, we want to control our own destiny with all our players, from youth to development to reserve teams," Gazidis said. Grander scale The Gillette Stadium field will be scaled at 75 by 106 yards, a significant increase in width over the 66 yards listed for the 1999 final at Foxboro Stadium The referee will be Kevin Terry, who worked the '98 final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

The winner will be decided by a 30-minute golden-goal overtime, followed by penalty kicks in case of a tie. 1 1 illinium i iiiiiiiiiiiiiiMimiiiiiiiiiiiitiiii ed by a thunderstorm at RFK Stadium in August "I told him he was fun to watch as a player," Twellman said. Ruiz is the second Guatemalan player to make an impact in the GLOBE STAFF PHOTOJOHN TLUMACKI Wednesday's practice courages fans with tickets at Will Call to pick them up today. The ticket office will be open today from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Break time The league will likely suspend its 2003 season for several days during the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Confederations Cup to play host to the MLS Challenge Series.

The league has proposed a 10-game schedule against international competition, which could include teams such as Manchester United. "We want to introduce something special and this is a proposal I i He viewed the 1996 MLS Cup final on TV and attended the '99 game, both Galaxy losses to D.C. United. "D.C. set the tone in '99," Heaps recalled.

"You could tell it was going to be physical right away when the Galaxy's Robin Fraser separated his shoulder. But that is the style of a final. Both teams want it bad, and this is a very physical league." That is essentially what happened in the US Open Cup final last season. The Revolution took the lead on a Wolde Harris free kick in the first half, but the Galaxy tied the score as Ezra Hen-drickson's cross settled into the far side of the net and won it following a strange exchange in overtime. The Revolution's William Sunsing passed directly to Alexi Lalas, who had been inserted as a Galaxy forward, leading to a corner kick that was headed in by GLOBE STAFF PHOTOJOHN TLUMACKI Brian Kamler is one of the newcomers who led the Revolution to an unlikely MLS Cup final appearance.

hosts. Rob Stone and Veronica Paysse will report from the sidelines. "I'm treating this like a World Cup game," said Dellacamera, "and I expect a World Cup-like atmosphere in the stadium, too." Dellacamera is well aware of all Garber said. "Because the $10 million we spent on the case could have been spent on player salaries, stadiums, developing the sport." Garber said the MLS cut losses this year because of the combination of increased attendance and the contraction of the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny. The MLS plans to expand by two teams (candidates include Atlanta, Cleveland, Houston, Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Phildelphia, Seattle, and Tulsa) in the next year.

The long-term goal is a 20-team league, Garber said. Roster sizes coujd be increased to 24 next season, said Gazidis. 'A 1 By Bill Griffith GLOBE STAFF JP Dellacamera's broadcast career represents the full circle that broadcasting has made in the past 30 years. When he graduated from Boston's Grahm Junior College a quarter-century ago, there was no cable. After knocking around in hockey's minor leagues in quest of one of the few NHL jobs, he found a niche as a soccer broadcaster.

Now, in the 21st century, niche broadcasting is the in thing, with all sorts of digital cable start-ups queued to get into our homes (and pocketbooks) in the coming year. But those are stories for another day. This weekend, soccer is front and center, with the Los Angeles Galaxy and New England Revolution playing tomorrow for the MLS Cup (Channel 5, 1:30 p.m.) at Gillette Stadium. It is one of those inexplicable sports coincidences that the Revolution are on center stage on the Patriots' bye weekend. Dellacamera and analyst Ty Keough have the call from the booth in Foxborough, but ABC is going all out for this production, with Terry Gannon and ex-Revolution player Eric Wynalda as studio we can sell and market in a slightly different way than we do the MLS regular season," said league deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis.

The playoffs would then be delayed, as would the MLS Cup final scheduled in November 2003. In their court Garber said the players must take the next step in establishing a potential collective bargaining agreement The US Supreme Court recently refused to hear the Fraser vs. MLS suit, an anti-trust case filed by the Dlayers. "This has leftbitter taste," Revolution goalie Adin Brown makes a beauty of a kick save during for tickets exceeding officials5 expectations Demand By Frank Dell'Apa GLOBE STAFF PROVIDENCE MLS Cup officials are making standing-room-only plans for tomorrow's game at Gillette Stadium "just in case it MLS NOTEBOOK sells out," according to a league source. Ticket sales were at 50,000 yesterday and official capacity will be about 60,000 because the 8,000 box and club seats are not included in the total.

"This is truly a special moment for our league," said MLS commis sioner Don Garber. "We didnt think we would approach a sellout. This is about demand. People have been calling the Revolution and we have had to bring in people from New York. There is a real interest among the people in New England.

We would have been happy with 35,000 for a game in mid-fall going against NFL football." The MLS Cup record crowd is 57,431 for the D.C. United-Colorado game in 1997 at RFK Stadium in Washington. The Gillette Stadium ticket office, anticipating long lines at the Wiv Call window tomorrow, en-.