The Boston Globe from Boston, Massachusetts • 41

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2007 The Boston Globe E5 The Revolution's four MLS Cup appearances: Fonrt 2002 Lost to Los Angeles, 1-0 2005 Lost to Los Angeles, 1-0 2006 Lost to Houston, 1-1 (4-3 on penalty kicks) 2007 Lost to Houston, 2-1 downer ation situ Veterans cope with latest MLS Cup defeat ByR-ankDell'Apa GLOBE STAFF WASHINGTON Jay Heaps played in his sixth final for the Revolution yesterday, a 2-1 loss to Houston in the MLS Cup. Heaps also performed in the team's til-- YvV'trxvyw, T'l- Vj -tj, 7 i. f. iy I i I REVoumoN 2002 '05 and '06 MLS Cup losses and in 'r HARAZ GHAN BAR lASSOCIATED PRESS Dynamo got to hoist the MLS Cup for the second straight year. After their spirits were lifted by their second-half rally, Wade Barrett and the On soccer John Powers ard to roll with punches For Revolution, repetitive distress is more painful notebook two US Open Cup finals (a 2-1 overtime loss to Los Angeles in 2001 and last month's 3-2 win over FC Dallas).

"They have all been tough," Heaps said of the defeats. "We believed this was our opportunity and we just look forward to getting back here. "We've been a great defensive team and we are a little disappointed that we gave up a scrappy goal to Joseph Ngwenya in the 61st minute. But for a great goal Dwayne De Rosarlo't winner, you take your hat off to them." Heaps, Steve Ralston, and Taylor Twellman performed in all four Revolution MLS Cup appearances. "We felt everyone was with said Twellman.

"The way you could tell was after the second Houston goal the place went dead silent" New England fans dominated three sections of the lower bowl at RFK Stadium. "Four out of six years, nobody has done that," said Twellman. "Now, we have to get back to the finals again." Twellman has scored both Revolution goals in the MLS Cup, converting in extra time before the team lost to Houston on penalty kicks last year, and in the 20th minute of yesterday's match. Twellman scored his 10th playoff goal and his 101st goal in all MLS games yesterday. He also scored in the Revolution's 1-0 playoff victories over New York (left-footer after Shalrie Joseph set up a Ralston run) and Chicago (bicycle kick).

Twellman totaled 23 goals for the Revolution this year in cup, playoff, and regular-season play, and scored one goal for the US national team. "This was the first final I've played in with no injuries, no hernias," Twellman said. "Not one single Revolution player had to deal with nagging injuries." Asked his plans for the offseason, Twellman said: "Getting away from soccer and playing golf." Painful loss Revolution midfielder Jeff Larentowlcz had his right leg in a walking cast and was using crutches after the game. "It could be a stress fracture," Larentowicz said. Larentowicz was injured while heading Andy Dorman' corner on goal in the 87th minute, the attempt stopped by keeper Pat Onstad on the goal line.

"It was one of those expect the ball to come and then it's on top of you before you can do anything," Larentowicz said of the attempt. "Onstad made a reaction save, but if I redirect it 6 or 8 inches either way it's a goal. "We were all over them in the first half but we were sluggish in the second half." Said Revolution coach Steve Nicol: "You don't leave teams hanging around at 1-nil. Onstad made an incredible save at the end but we lost it because we didn't take our chances. They had two chances, the first one shouldn't have gotten that far; it should have been a goal kick for us but the second goal was a great header.

But we are guilty of not taking our chances." Ralston departed late in the game with leg cramps. "I wish I could have stayed out there but it was getting worse and worse," Ralston said. "Every move was limited and I couldn't run anymore. "We worked so hard and we wanted to win. I can't believe it.

If we put away our chances we could have put the game away on a couple of occasions. "It's so frustrating. It's almost funny, now, how cruel it can be. We're all devastated now and there's not much to say. At 1-zero we thought we had it but we didn't play the second half the way we did the first half.

We're gutted by the result but, at the same time, we have a lot to be proud of. We keep knocking on the door and I don't see why we can't do it next year." Sailing away? Revolution assistant coach Paul Mariner is considered a candidate for other coaching positions, possibly with New York. "There are only 14 teams so it's difficult," Mariner said of Major League Soccer. "Stevie Nicol and I have a great relationship. We don't always agree and we get into some heated discussions, though.

But it would have to be the right situation and it would have to be as head coach." Dwayne's world De Rosario, who set up the tying goal and scored the deciding goal, was named the games MVP for the second time. De Rosario scored a sudden-death overtime goal for San Jose in a win over Los Angeles in the 2001 MLS Cup. The Galaxy lost three MLS Cups before winning in 2002 and '05 (1-0 in both games over the Revolution). now under the same coach and the same system. The Revs know how to set themselves up for the postseason and they know what it takes to get to the final.

They just don't know how to win it. "I'm devastated just now," Ralston murmured. "We all are." By now, they Ye well beyond the point where reaching the title match is an achievement worth celebrating. "We want more," Ralston said. "We want to win.

We have a good enough team to win a championship by now." If this were Hollywood, Major League Soccer would have given the Revs an Oscar for lifetime achievement. It doesn't work that way in sports. If you want the big prize, you grab it with both hands, as the Dynamo now have done twice in a row. What has happened to the Revolution four times now isnt about a Sisyphean curse (maybe after 86 years it will be). "It has absolutely nothing to do with any other game man this one today," Nicol declared.

The only common thread has been defeat, each more aggravating than the last. The boulder is at the bottom of the hill again and the other football team' on Route 1 may have to come up with a radical way of pushing it to the summit. "We should play four forwards," Twellman was saying. "And try to score 12 goals." for how tough it feels," said defender Jay Heaps, who along with Twellman and captain Steve Ralston has played in all four losses. What made this one the worst was that everything had been set up perfectly for a star-spangled triumph.

Everyone was healthy for a change. The squad had nine days' rest after the conference final, more than enough time for sprains, strains, bumps, and bruises to heal. They'd had a short plane trip here, roughly the length of a match. Brian Ching, the Dynamo forward who'd burned them in overtime last year, was out of action. The field was firm, the weather cool.

"We felt confident," Ralston said. "We'd won the US Open Cup. We felt, why not?" Why couldn't they win, at last? The Revs hadn't allowed a goal in the playoffs and once they grabbed the lead 20 minutes in on Twellman's pop-in header, they had Houston chasing the game. What they didn't do was close it out. One more goal would have done it and the Revs couldn't get it.

Instead, they let the Dynamo keep chasing and scuffling until Joseph Ngwenya knocked in an unsightly chance in the 61st minute and changed the day. "You don't leave a team hanging around at 1-nil," observed coach Steve Nicol. And if you do let them equalize, you go for the knockout straightaway. The Revs didn't, and that's what gnawed at them most They didn't finish what they started. "We're guilty of not taking our chances," Nicol said.

That's why we lost the game." And that's why Houston won it. The Dynamo came in under strength, with less rest and a longer trip. They fell behind, which was usually fatal for them during the regular season. And yet they found a way to convert the two best chances they had. Once Dwayne De Rosario cashed the second one on a soaring header in the 74th minute, the Revs were tumbling downhill after the boulder.

Even if they'd managed to draw even (and Houston keeper Pat Onstad had to make a leg save on Jeff Laren-towicz's goalmouth header in the 87th minute to prevent it), New England still would have been facing 30 minutes of overtime and possibly a shootout. We've seen how that movie ends. Every time, the other guys are hugging and mugging and jogging around the stadium with a trophy. Every time, the Revs are sitting hollow-eyed at their lockers, smelling the champagne from down the hall. "I'm just feeling kind of numb," said Ralston.

"I can't believe it." He and his teammates have become the Bills in short pants. Buffalo made it to four straight Super Bowls in the '90s, lost each one a different way, and haven't been back since. "You guys can call me Jim Kelly for all you want," Twellman said. There's no reason why this bunch can't make it this far again next year. Their core has been together for years WASHINGTON How many times can you watch the same ending? Dispirited men in red, white, and blue lying on their backs after the final whistle, bent over with hands on hips, or walking off like zombies, then blinking back tears in the dressing room? So it was in 2002 and 2005 and 2006 and again here yesterday, as the New England Revolution lost yet another MLS Cup in yet another run-screaming-out-of-the stadium way.

Five years ago it was 1-0 to Los Angeles on a golden goal in overtime. Two years ago it was 1-0 to Los Angeles in full overtime. Last year it was 4-3 to Houston on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. This time, it was 2-1 to Houston in regulation. How many other ways can the same team lose the big one? "I've got no emotion left," said Taylor Twellman, after the Revs gave up two goals 13 minutes apart during the final half hour before 39,859 at RFK Stadium.

"I've lost every final every which way you can." New England has become FC Sisyphus, the soccer version of the Greek mythological king who was condemned by the gods to push a huge boulder up a steep hill, only to have it roll down again. "I wish I had words John Powers can be reached at jpowersglobe.com. evolution unable to kick habit IMIMHIHIilHIIHIIIItllHIHIIIMMIUHMniMIMIUI Dynamo 2, Revolution 1 HfK SUdtan, WuMnftod 2-1 Scoring: NE, Taylor Twellman 3 (Steve Ralston. Shalrie Joseph) 20th minute; Joseph Ngwenya I (Dwayne De Rosario) 61st; De Rosario 7. (Brad Davis, Craig Waibel) 74th.

Shots: Houston 14. New England 14. Corner kicks: Houston 3, New England 4. Offsides: Houston 1, New England 1. Fouls: Houston 15.

New England IS. Yellow cards: H. Wade Barrett 57th: NE, Khano Smith 65th. Saves: Pat Onstad NE, Matt Reis 5. Referee: Alex Prus.

Attendance: 39,859. Ufwupa NEW ENGLAND Matt Reis: jay Heaps. Michael Parkhurst, Avery John: Wells Thompson. Shalrie Jo seph. Jeff Larentowlcz.

Steve Ralston (Andy Dorman 78th), Khano Smith; Pat Noonan, Taylor Twellman. HOUSTON Pat Onstad: Craig Waibel, Ryan Cochrane, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett: Brian Mullan, Dwayne De Rosario. Richard Mulrooney, Brad Davis; Joseph Ngwenya (Stuart Holden 80th), Nate Jaqua. Ching (calf) missed this match, the Dynamo still were able to exploit the Revolution defense with crosses. The Revolution defenders started feeling the pressure early in the second half.

De Rosario found room on the left, crossing for Waibel, who ran into the penalty area and fired wide (55th). That signaled the game was opening up, and the Revolution nearly capitalized, Pat Noonan volleying high (59th) off a Steve Ralston cross. But the Dynamo started taking control. The Revolution's Shalrie Joseph fouled Davis just inside the halfway line in the 59th minute, then had to quickly retreat to head away the free kick in the penalty area, and also head away the ensuing corner. Brian Mullan then sent a cross from in front of the Houston bench, Avery John attempting to head it away but instead prolonging the flight of the ball for De Rosario at the back post.

Ngwenya took De Rosa-rio's short cross and scuffed a left-foot shot but controlled the rebound against John and finished right-footed to tie the score. In last year's MLS Cup, a Houston cross that deflected off John's head led to Clang's tying goal. In the 73d minute, Barrett set up De Rosario, whose shot was saved by Matt Noonan had a chance to tie the game four minutes later, turning and shooting wide to the left from the edge of the penalty area. Ralston (cramps) was replaced by Andy Dorman in the 78th minute. Though the Revolution missed Ral-ston's direction in midfield, Dorman set up two chances, a Noonan left-footer that went wide in the 82d minute and a diving header by Jeff Larentow-icz that was kick-saved by Pat Onstad in the 87th.

The Revolution goal was set up by a Joseph-Ralston combination, Joseph one-timing the pass into the penalty area on the right, Ralston then taking a touch and crossing to Twellman near the penalty spot Twellman went up between Mullan and Waibel to send a header past Onstad. Twellman also had a left-footer saved by Onstad off a Smith penetration into the penalty area in the 33d minute. 1 "You could see it in our eyes, we knew this was our chance," Twellman said. "But it didn't happen. We didn't deserve it in 2002 but we thought last year was ours and the year before, too.

We had Houston on the ropes twice and they came back both times, so you have to give them credit" REVOLUTION Continvedfrom Page El game we would have been happy," Revolution coach Steve Nicol said. "We could have scored three or four goals and they scored a scrappy goal to tie. It's real simple. You don't take chances and it comes back to bite you, and that's exactly what happened. But this has absolutely nothing to do with any other game." The Revolution overwhelmed Houston in the midfield in the first half, controlling possession and creating offense through Khano Smith on the left wing.

But the Dynamo adjusted in the second half, as they did a year ago, switching from a 4-4-2 setup to match the Revolution's 3-5-2, sending left back Wade Barrett forward and moving Dwayne De Rosario into an outside left midfield role and Brad Davis to a central spot. De Rosario was involved in both Houston goals, setting up Joseph Ngwenya's tying score in the 6lst minute and heading in the decider in the 74th. Houston set the second-half tone on the kickoff, penetrating into the penalty area on a Craig Waibel cross. The Dynamo scored off a kickoff in last year's final, Brian Ching finishing a cross from the right wing. Though Not hanging around The Kraft family attended the game and flew to Buffalo for the Patriots' game last night.

After the match, Revolution investoroperators Jonathan and Robert Kraft paused briefly after visiting the locker room. "We wanted it," Robert Kraft said of the game. "You just don't let teams hang around." Placido Domingo performed the national anthem and Jimmy Eat World performed at halftime. Reis. A minute later, the Dynamo set up a counterattack, the goal resulting from a cross near the same place on the field that led to the tying goal.

This time, Davis curled a left-footer for De Rosario to make a snap header from the top of the penalty area just inside the near post. "I went up to challenge and the ball looked like it was going over De Rosa-rio's head," Revolution defender Jay Heaps said. "There have been some great goals in big games and that was pretty big." be reached at Frank Dell'Apa can fdellapagbbe.com. 4.