The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 44

C2 Boston. Sunday Globe NOVEMBER 18, 2007 i ii in ii mill i hi in i i iiiii nun i iiimm Minimi 'There was never any sour grapes or bad attitude with him and I've never seen that before. In that period of dispute over his contract, I've never seen anyone turning up every day and playing the way he's done. Steve Nicol, Revolution coach, on Shalrie Joseph Fan's NEXT GAME evolution's Joseph does it all TODAY, Noon MLS Cup: Houston vs. New England Ch.5,WEEI (850) TONIGHT, 6 Boston at Orlando CSN, WEEI (850) Ch.

ALSO ON 1 TONIGHT, 8:15 New England TUESDAY, 7 P.M. Boston at Buffalo at Toronto 7, WBCN (104.1) Versus, WBZ (1030) THE AIR Lot AUTO RACING TIME TV RADIO Nextel Cup: Ford 400 3:45 p.m. Ch.5 COLLEGE BASKETBALL Puerto Rico Tip-Off a.m. ESPNU Puerto Rico Tip-Off 1p.m. ESPNU Mercer at Boston College 2 p.m.

850 Women: Texas at Tennessee 3 p.m. ESPN2 Puerto Rico Tip-Off 5 p.m. ESPN2 lona at North Carolina 6 p.m. ESPNU New Orleans at N.C. State 6:30 p.m.

NESN Puerto Rico Tip-Off 7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Women: Rutgers at George Washington 8 p.m. ESPNU PRO FOOTBALL Kansas City at Indianapolis lp.m. Ch.4 NY Giants at Detroit lp.m. Ch.25 Carolina at Green Bay 1 p.m.

890 Washington at Dallas 4:15 p.m. Ch.25 GOLF LPGA: ADT Championship (final round) 3 p.m. Ch. 7 European: Hong Kong Open (final round) 1 a.m. TGC PRO HOCKEY AHL: Norfolk at Lowell 4:05 p.m.

980 AHL: Springfield at Providence 4:05 p.m. 560 AHL: Hartford at Portland 4:05 p.m. 1410 SOCCER Big East men's championship (tape): teams TBD 2 p.m. CSTV International friendly: Jamaica vs. El Salvadore 6 p.m.

Fox Soccer TENNIS ATP Masters Cup (championship, tape) Noon ESPN2 iiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Revolution vs. Dynamo When: Today, noon Where: RFK Stadium, Washington TV: Ch.5 The Revolution's midfield dominance in last year's final caused the Dynamo to switch to a 3-5-2 setup in the second half. The Revolution will attempt to again set the tone with Shalrie Joseph spraying the ball to the wings and freeing Steve Ralston through the middle. Joseph will be a key figure; the more he controls possession, the less time Houston's Dwayne De Rosario will be in an attacking position. The Dynamo have the experience edge on the wings with Brad Davis and Brian Mullan going against the Revolution's Wells Thompson and Khano Smith.

If Smith and Thompson win those battles, it will force De Rosario and Richard Mulrooney to defend, opening the middle of the field for the Revolution. The Dynamo's best weapons are De -Rosario shooting from distance and making late runs into the penalty area, plus the set-piece finishing threats of Ryan Cochrane, Nate Jaqua, Eddie Robinson, and Craig Waibel. New England (3-5-2 formation) COACH: Steve Nicol Reis 0 Heaps John Joseph Urentowicz Thompson Smith Ralston Noonan Tweliman IIMIIMIinilllilllllllHIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMIHMIMIHIIIMIIIMIIIIIinilllMIIIMIIIIMIIIIIMIIII Sports i 9 He is always in middle of action By Frank Dell'Apa GLOBE STAFF WASHINGTON When Shalrie Joseph was playing soccer at St. John's University, he usually started games as a defender and would move to a forward position if the team needed a late goal. But soon after Joseph joined the Revolution, coach Steve Nicol figured out his best position was somewhere between defender and forward.

In the second game of the 2003 season, Joseph entered as a second-half substitute for an injured Daniel Hernandez, and he has been the team's starting sive midfielder ever since. Joseph will play in his 152d Major League Soccer game when the Revolution face the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup today. Joseph is not just another defensive midfielder in a league that seems to be loaded with players filling that role. He has backers who believe he is worthy of the league's Most Valuable Player award, which is usually reserved for goal-scorers. "As well as goalkeepers, the US has produced a lot of great defensive midfielders," Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis said yesterday.

"But they are players who only destroy, who break down plays and snuff things out "Shalrie does that, and he gets the offense going. He does it all, up and down the field, plus he is strong and tall. For most teams, it takes two players to do what he does." Joseph, 29, caught the attention of Celtic FC when the Glasgow club toured the US last year, because of his size and ability to set up the Revolution transition game. Celtic hoped to complete a bargain deal by offering a $1 million transfer fee, which meant Joseph could have been performing in the Champions League against the best at his position, such as Claude Makelele (Chelsea) and Javier Mascherano (Liverpool). "Although Mascherano is probably the best defensive midfielder now, the prototype for the position is not Makelele anymore, it's bigger guys like Liverpool's Mo-hamed Sissoko," said Jeff Laren-towicz, who performs next to Joseph in midfield.

"Shalrie has both the body and the mind for playing there." Though Joseph appeared to have contract leverage because of the Celtic offer, it took until last month for his contract renegotiation request to be completed. Joseph could earn nearly $1.5 million over four years, a fraction of what he could have made in Scotland but considerably more than the $24,000 minimum salary he signed for in 2003. Though Joseph has been among the most enthusiastic of Revolution players, he has long felt a sense of frustration for not being appreciated. After trying out, he was bypassed by the MetroStars, which the former Brooklyn resident considered his home team. He also failed to register on the radar of the US national Shalrie Joseph is loose at practice in preparation for the MLS Cup.

Said goalie Matt Reis, Joseph "gets the offense going." BASEBALL Report: A-Rod advised to bypass agent Investor Warren Buffett advised Alex Rodriguez to approach the New York Yankees and go around agent Scott Boras, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. The newspaper cited a person familiar with the matter, whom it did not identify. "A-Rod really loves being a Yankee," Buffett was quoted as saying. He wouldn't comment on the substance of any discussions with the player. Rodriguez, on Boras's advice, opted out of the final three seasons of his record $252 million, 10-year contract Oct.

28. The Yankees had said if he opted out, they wouldn't negotiate because they would lose $21.3 million from Texas for the final three seasons agreed to at the time of the 2004 trade. Rogers also forgoes Boras's council Kenny Rogers is representing himself as a free agent, the Detroit Tigers confirmed. The move seems to be a sign the lefthanded pitcher is closer to returning to Detroit and not letting Boras shop his services to the highest bidder. "I still hope to be in a Tiger uniform in 2008," Rogers wrote in an e-mail to the Associated Press last week before reports surfaced that he fired Boras.

Detroit wanted to include bringing back Rogers as part of a flurry of deals, but Boras told the ball club he and Rogers were going to explore other options. TENNIS Federer, Ferrer reach Masters Cup final Top-ranked Roger Federer won 15 straight points in 11 minutes, and beat Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 6-1, to reach the Masters Cup final in Shanghai. Seeking his second consecutive title and fourth overall at the season-ending event for the world's top eight players, Federer will play today against sixth-ranked David Ferrer, who beat No. 5 Andy Roddick, 6-1, 6-3. FIGURE SKATING Asada bests Meissner in France Even with a mistake, Mao Asada was too good for Kimmle Meissner to top.

Asada fell on the opening jump of her free skate in Paris, but came back strong to beat the former world champion and win the Trophee Bompard in a rout. Asada, the reigning world silver medalist, finished with 179.80 points, more than 20 ahead of Meissner (158.74). Another American, Ashley Wagner, was third. Canadian teen Patrick Chan pulled off a shocker in the men's final, winning his first Grand Prix title. In the pairs competition, Olympic silver medalists Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao held off former world champions Pang Qing and Tong Jian.

Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder won the ice dance title. WINTER SPORTS Kramer destroys record Dutch speedskater Sven Kramer shattered the world record in the 5,000 meters in Calgary, Alberta, knocking more than 4 seconds off the mark in a World Cup event. Kramer finished in 6 minutes 03.32 seconds at the Olympic Oval to erase the record of 6:07.40 set by Italy's Enrico Fabris Nov. 10 in the World Cup season-opener in Salt Lake City Three-time defending champion Armin Zceggeler of Italy won the first men's World Cup luge race of the season and the United States captured the inaugural team relay event at the Olympic Sports Complex in Lake Placid, N.Y. Zoeggeler, 33, turned in the fastest times in each of the two heats for a combined time of 1 :45.238 on the 20-turn, 1-mile track on Mt.

Van Hoevenberg. The two-time Olympic champion finished .260 seconds ahead of David Moeller of Germany. Jan Eichhorn of Germany was third. The top North American was Tony Benshoof of White Bear Lake, Minn, who finished seventh Janne Korpi led a Finnish sweep in the Big Air snowboarding World Cup opener in Stockholm. Risto Mattila, the defending world champion, finished second, and Sami Saarenpaa was third.

Matevz Petek, last year's winner from Slovenia, wound up 1 7th. MISCELLANY Wild's Koivu sidelined with leg fracture Minnesota Wild center Mikko Koivu will miss about a week with a cracked bone in his left leg after getting hit by a swinging stick from Vancouver's Mattias Ohlund Friday The US National Under-17 hockey team got two goals each from Jeremy Morin and David Valek en route to a 7-3 victory over St. Louis Colby Rasmus homered in the first inning, and the United States beat the Netherlands, 5-0, to advance to the final of the Baseball World Cup in Taipei. The Americans will play today against Cuba, which defeated Japan, 5-3. Matt Wright (2-0) allowed four hits in six innings, struck out six, and walked two for the Americans Jeff Burton wrapped up the Busch Series car owners' championship, winning the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to give Richard Childress his 11th NASCAR title.

Burton took control late in the race after a series of green flag pit stops and pulled away to the win Former European women's champion Sureyya Ayhan has tested positive for doping and faces a lifetime ban. Ayhan tested positive in the United States in September during training for next year's Beijing Olympics, according to a report by Turkey's state-run Anatolia news agency that did not identify the banned substance. MANUEL BALCE CENETAASSOCIATED PRESS fore because he wanted to leave; he just didn't like the deal. We could have pushed the trade issue, but he realized he likes it there, he likes his teammates, so it was only about getting things done." Two years ago, Joseph performed in the MLS Cup at far below full strength. And after the Revolution's 1-0 overtime loss to Los Angeles, Joseph could barely walk (he was on crutches) or talk (because of a concussion and swollen jaw).

Joseph also has played several games with a broken nose and last year performed with a cast on his arm after sustaining a deep cut in a nightclub incident. "He hates to lose," Waxman said. "The reason he is such a great guy to have on the team is, it's never about him, it's about the team. If he scores a goal and the team loses, he is not a happy guy. "In the MLS Cup two years ago, he shouldn't have been allowed in stadium, much less allowed to play in the game.

He was more injured than anyone knows. He played his heart out and he suffered a concussion in the process. "But you would have had to shoot him to prevent him playing in that game; if he can walk, he will play. He was the last one out of the locker room, and when I saw him, I got tears in my eyes, gave him the biggest hug. "Talking about it now I get tears in my eyes, because he has is an MLS Cup starter playing in his first professional season.

"He's in the mode of: 'Just let me Nicol said. "The game is not in his head. He's not fazed by things, he wants to get on with it" Nicol selected Thompson with the No. 5 pick in the first round of the MLS draft "Some people doubted me, and they doubted the coaches for drafting me," Thompson said. "Hopefully, I've opened the eyes of some of the critics." Thompson, 23, was performing for Wake Forest when the Revolution lost to Houston in the MLS Cup last year.

"The past is the past and you have to put it behind you," Thompson said of the Cup defeats. "Ultimately, I'm here to help the team win and it encourages me to work toward that end not just for myself but for those guys who have been with the team." Best 11 named Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph and defender Parkhurst team, so he opted to perform for Grenada, his country of birth, and lost out on a chance to perform in the World Cup finals. "There was never any sour grapes or bad attitude with him and I've never seen that before," Nicol said. "In that period of dispute over his contract, I've never seen anyone turning up every day and playing the way he's done. It's a sign of someone who was well brought up and he showed his true colors; every time he stepped on the field, he got the job done." Joseph's contract story finally had a happy ending sometime after midnight Sept.

15. Kraft Soccer president Sunil Gulati had just returned from the Women's World Cup in China (Gulati is also president of the US Soccer Federation) and was working late at his office at Columbia University. Joseph's agent, Ron Wax-man, received an e-mail at his Upper East Side residence from Gulati inquiring about setting up a meeting. "I'm a night guy, and I just got out of the shower," Waxman said. "Luckily, I checked my e-mail and said, 'I'm coming to your The same thing happened when we did US national team coach Bob Bradley's contract we were there working on it at 1:30 am.

"Shalrie likes it in New England and he always wanted to stay. He didn't say no to their offer be '05 San Jose which moved to Houston last year had the best record and should have been in the final. It's good for the game to have the top teams in the final and it's going to be a good game." Tweliman also said the Revolution's Steve Nicol should have been Coach of the Year (Chivas USA's Prekl won the award) and defender Michael Parkhurst's 57-yard shot against Toronto FC should have been selected as Goal of the Year (Blanco's score against Real Salt Lake was chosen). "Houston coach Dominic Kin-near and Stevie Nicol run the same type of ship, the same organization," Tweliman said. "And that's why both teams are back in the final.

"This is our fourth final in six years. We have nothing to lose. Just getting to the final is three-fourths of the battle and, hopefully, the chips will fall for us this time." Off to a good start Revolution midfielder Wells Thompson will be the only MLS 33 21 Ngwenya Jaqua 11 Davis 14 De Rosario 3f Mullan Mulrooney Barrett 1 5 Robinson Cochrane Onstad Houston (4-4-2 formation) COACH: Dominic Kinnear REFEREE: Alex Prus 16 Waibel given everything and on top of that given even more. He was not pain-free until into January of the following year, but an injured Shalrie Joseph is better than anyone else healthy." Joseph is indeed a team guy. And other European teams are bound to be looking at him should the Revolution win today.

"I was frustrated about the contract, but at the end of the day, it's business and you just have to take things as they come," Joseph said. "I love to play, so once I'm on the field, for practice or games, I forget about it But I'm more settled now, I'm going to stay four years. "We have one more game to play, before worrying about anything else. We want to bring the trophy back to Boston." Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at fdeUapa globe.com. Cup win were named to the MLS Best 11.

The team also includes goalkeeper Biad Cuzan (Chivas USA); defenders Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Eddie Robinson (Houston); midfielders Dwayne De Rosario (Houston), Christian Gomez and Ben Olsen (D.C. United), Gulller-mo Barros Schelotto (Columbus); and forwards Angel (New York) and Emilio (D.C. United). Title influences This game will be the Revolution's sixth title game, since they played in the US Open Cup final in 2001 (a 2-1 overtime loss to Los Angeles) and this year (a 3-2 win over FC Dallas). Revolution starting goalkeeper Matt Reis was with the Galaxy in 2001 and for their 1-0 overtime win over the Revolution in the 2002 MLS Cup.

"We haven't lost many guys and we've been in a lot of situations together," Reis said of the Revolution. "A lot of what we have to do is done without talking, so a lot of it's feel, having a sixth sense of knowing where everyone else is and what they are doing." The ultimate award By Frank Dell'Apa GLOBE STAFF WASHINGTON -Major League Soccer determined the three finalists (winner Luciano Emllio, Juan Pablo Angel, and Cuauhtemoc Blanco) for Most Valuable Player in a vote of administrators, coaches, fans, and media, but not one is playing in the MLS Cup championship game today. "Angel and Emilio did a lot for their teams and Blanco was very good for Chicago for half a season," Revolution forward Taylor Tweliman said after the team's practice at RFK Stadium yesterday. "But that's why we don't play for individual awards. If you ask any of those guys, they would rather be here playing in this game." The Revolution will face the Houston Dynamo in a rematch of last year's final.

"We're excited about it," Tweliman said. "We've been the best teams for the last three years; in REVOLUTION NOTEBOOK.