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At first blush, the New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders FC bear a striking resemblance to each other as Saturday’s clash at CenturyLink Field approaches.

They both occupy spots at or near the bottom of their respective conferences through the first four games, and both have found it difficult to score goals. Both are also coming off a bye week, and both are anxious to put the last six weeks of the season behind them.

After that, however, the similarities essentially end.

For starters, Saturday’s contest is New England’s first chance to play for something greater than goals, points or results. On Monday, they learned that left back Kevin Alston was diagnosed with a rare, but treatable, form of leukemia that has forced him to take an indefinite leave of absence to treat the disease. Throughout the week, Alston’s teammates and coaches have pointed to him as a source of inspiration, and hope to parlay that sentiment into success on the field.

While the Revolution hope to rally behind their ailing teammate, their winless counterparts are looking to use the growing contingent of Sounders doubters as motivation. Seattle, a perennial contender since entering the league four years ago, has looked like a shell of its former self in the early going. Season-opening home losses to Montreal and Portland have only served as fodder for those who believe that Seattle could be a quintessential paper tiger, even with the additions of ex-Rev Shalrie Joseph and Obafemi Martins.

Taking a look at how the two sides spent a break from league action yields another stark contrast.

Last Friday, the Revolution used their bye week to host a friendly against the unaffiliated New England Force on the Gillette Stadium grounds. The hosts won handily, 4-0, but more importantly it allowed Jay Heaps the opportunity to keep both his starters and reserves sharp.

As for the Sounders, they went to Mexico to play a CONCACAF Champions League match against Santos Laguna that was anything but friendly. Although the Sounders fell 2-1 on aggregate, their commendable 1-1 second leg draw at Estadio Corona may signal that they’ve turned the corner on their early struggles.

Another key difference: how each team intends to get three points on Saturday.

The Revolution will rely heavily upon an improved defense that’s only conceded a league-low two goals this season. Collecting their third shutout in five tries will be crucial to their success.

On the flip side, the Sounders hope that an attack in which Osvaldo Alonso pulls the strings can get Eddie Johnson -- who scored two goals against the Revolution in their last meeting on June 30 -- enough chances to capitalize.

There’s no doubt that the differences between the Revolution and Sounders are striking in some respects. But while both enter Saturday’s contest in the thick of contrasting storylines, the fact is both need the same thing from it: three precious points.

The Revolution announced the re-signing of goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth to a new contract. Per club policy, further terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We’re pleased Bobby has decided to re-sign and continue his career in New England,” Revolution general manager Michael Burns said. “Bobby is a player who’s made great progress as a goalkeeper during his time here and we believe his improvement will continue as he competes for regular first-team minutes.”

Shuttleworth, 25, has made 22 appearances since 2010, including 21 starts. So far this year, he has started two games, posting a 1.00 goals against average.

On Wednesday, the Revolution strengthened their commitment to player development by launching an affiliation with nearby Premier Development League (PDL) side Real Boston Rams.

Under the arrangement, college-aged Revolution Academy products will receive playing opportunities locally with the Rams, who are based in Easton, Mass. In the past, college-aged Academy products were limited to training with the Revolution during school breaks. Unlike the Academy’s high school prospects, college-aged prospects were not eligible to feature in MLS Reserve League action due to NCAA rules.

“With this agreement with Real Boston Rams, we now have the opportunity to continue our Academy players’ development locally through their college years and help them maintain their Homegrown protected status with our club,” Revolution general manager Michael Burns said in a statement.

The agreement comes less than three months after the Revolution established a groundbreaking affiliation agreement with the Rochester Rhinos (USL-PRO). As only one of four MLS clubs to sign a formal partnership with a USL-PRO team, the Revolution sent a strong message about how serious they were when it came to player development.

With that in mind, the Revolution looked for a better way to cultivate its college-aged talent. To do so, they looked at the growing numbers of Academy products who were playing college soccer, but weren’t necessarily getting much guidance from Revolution coaches.

Since the start of its Academy program in 2008, the Revolution invited Academy alumni like Akron midfielder Scott Caldwell back to Foxborough to train with the first team. But that was the extent to which Caldwell received instructions from the organization, which eventually signed him to a professional contract in December.

Granted, training with the first team served an important purpose -- the Revolution held onto Caldwell's Homegrown rights by giving him the requisite number of training sessions. But the fact is that the club was essentially supervising Homegrown-protected players, like Caldwell, with one hand tied behind its back.

Now, with their partnership with Real Boston in place, the Revolution can exert much greater influence over the development of those players. Not only can head coach Jay Heaps, along with his staff, oversee the club’s college-aged prospects in training, but on the very same day, coaches can send an Academy product to Easton, and monitor their progress. Additionally, Academy coaches will collaborate with the Rams’ staff to outline a coaching plan for the Academy players.

“The Revs are one of MLS’ leading clubs in player development and our affiliation agreement is the perfect complement as both clubs have congruent development goals,” Real Boston general manager John Barata said in a statement. “We look forward to building a long-term alliance that will provide multiple benefits for both clubs as we grow and develop professional soccer players in our region.”

Interestingly, Barata already has experience coaching college-aged Academy products. Last year, Barata, along with current Rams assistant coach Mike Agostinho, coached former Revs U-18 midfielder Ruben Resendes while all three were with former PDL side Boston Victory SC.

Real Boston’s season will kick off on May 11, and in the weeks leading up to the opener, the Revolution are expected to announce which college-aged Academy alumni will be suiting up for the Rams this summer.

The days of inviting a college-aged Academy product for training, only to have him play summer soccer outside of the auspices of the Revolution coaching staff are all but over. No longer will a player like Caldwell, who trained in Foxborough but played for the PDL’s Michigan Bucks last summer, be forced to jet set between distant locales just to get playing time.

In essence, the Revolution are taking advantage of an a rare opportunity: the chance to guide and instruct their best Academy players through college as those very same players prepare to make the jump to professional soccer.

In the view of the Revolution’s front office and coaching staff, player development should not only be a streamlined process that strengthens its ties to its best Academy prospects -- it should also yield tangible benefits (i.e. playing minutes and consistent coaching methods) to the player. By linking itself to Real Boston Rams, the Revolution organization has accomplished both.

On Wednesday, the Revolution strengthened their commitment to player development by launching an affiliation with nearby Premier Development League side Real Boston Rams.

Under the arrangement, college-age Revolution Academy products will receive playing opportunities locally with the Rams, who are based in Easton, Mass. In the past, college-aged academy products were limited to training with the Revolution during school breaks. Unlike the academy’s high school prospects, college-aged prospects were not eligible to feature in MLS Reserve League action due to NCAA rules.

“With this agreement with Real Boston Rams, we now have the opportunity to continue our academy players’ development locally through their college years and help them maintain their homegrown protected status with our club,” Revolution general manager Michael Burns said in a statement.

The agreement comes less than three months after the Revolution established a groundbreaking affiliation agreement with the Rochester Rhinos (USL-PRO). As only one of four MLS clubs to sign a formal partnership with a USL-PRO team, the Revolution sent a strong message about how serious they are when it comes to player development.

With that in mind, the Revolution looked for a better way to cultivate their college-aged talent. To do so, they looked at the growing numbers of academy products who were playing college soccer, but weren’t necessarily getting much guidance from Revolution coaches.

Since the start of their academy program in 2008, the Revolution invited academy alumni such as Akron midfielder Scott Caldwell back to Foxborough to train with the first team. But that was the extent to which Caldwell received instructions from the organization, which eventually signed him to a professional contract in December.

Granted, training with the first team served an important purpose -- the Revolution held onto Caldwell's homegrown rights by giving him the requisite number of training sessions. But the fact is that the club was essentially supervising homegrown-protected players, including Caldwell, with one hand tied behind its back.

Now, with their partnership with Real Boston in place, the Revolution can exert much greater influence over the development of those players. Not only can coach Jay Heaps, along with his staff, oversee the club’s college-aged prospects in training, but on the very same day, coaches can send an academy product to Easton and monitor his progress. Additionally, academy coaches will collaborate with the Rams’ staff to outline a coaching plan for the academy players.

“The Revs are one of MLS’ leading clubs in player development and our affiliation agreement is the perfect complement as both clubs have congruent development goals,” Real Boston general manager John Barata said in a statement. “We look forward to building a long-term alliance that will provide multiple benefits for both clubs as we grow and develop professional soccer players in our region.”

Barata already has experience coaching college-age academy products. Last year, Barata, along with current Rams assistant coach Mike Agostinho, coached former Revs U-18 midfielder Ruben Resendes while all three were with former PDL side Boston Victory SC.

Real Boston’s season will kick off on May 11, and in the weeks leading up to the opener, the Revolution are expected to announce which college-age academy alumni will be suiting up for the Rams this summer.

The days of inviting a college-age academy product for training, only to have him play summer soccer outside of the auspices of the Revolution coaching staff, are all but over. No longer will a player such as Caldwell, who trained in Foxborough but played for the PDL’s Michigan Bucks last summer, be forced to jet-set between distant locales just to get playing time.

In the view of the Revolution’s front office and coaching staff, player development should not only be a streamlined process that strengthens its ties to its best academy prospects -- it should also yield tangible benefits (i.e., playing minutes and consistent coaching methods) to the player. By linking itself to Real Boston Rams, the Revolution organization has accomplished both.

The New England Revolution announced Monday that defender Kevin Alston has been diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), a rare but treatable form of leukemia, and has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the team to undergo treatment.

According to the team, Alston’s medical treatment is not expected to require hospitalization and he expects to return to the team in the future.

"The Revolution fully supports Kevin as he begins treatment," Revolution General Manager Michael Burns said. "Right now, the most important thing for Kevin, and his family, is to concentrate on returning to full health. Kevin's had a tremendous attitude since the diagnosis and his positivity is an inspiration for all of us.”

Alston, 24, has started all four of the Revs’ games this season at left back. In his career, he has started all 116 games in which he’s played since New England drafted him 10th overall in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft out of Indiana University.

A Week 6 bye means the Revolution are idle in MLS play this weekend, but that doesn't mean that the players and coaching staff are ready to take a breather after just four games into the season.

To keep his players sharp, coach Jay Heaps and his assistants organized a closed-door scrimmage with the unaffiliated New England Force on Friday at the lower practice field behind Gillette Stadium. When it was all said and done, the Revolution came out with a 4-0 win over their guests, with Clyde Simms, Diego Fagundez, Lee Nguyen and guest player Fernando Monge each grabbing a goal.

More importantly, though, Heaps spread the minutes among 19 rostered players, including 2012 team defender of the year Stephen McCarthy, who's working his way back from a preseason injury. Also getting playing time was third-string goalkeeper Luis Soffner, who featured for the entirety of the second half, and central midfielder Kalifa Cisse, who has missed the club's last three games.

On Saturday afternoon, the four Revolution players loaned to USL-PRO affiliate Rochester Rhinos -- Bilal Duckett, Tyler Polak, Gabe Latigue and Matt Horth -- joined their new teammates for a 2-0 preseason win over Cornell University. Gabe Latigue assisted on the first goal of the game, giving him two assists in as a many games with the Rhinos.

While the Revolution have remained active during their bye week, a number of ex-Revolution players will be accumulating MLS minutes this weekend.
Among the most notable players, Benny Feilhaber helped steer Sporting Kansas City to a 1-0 win over DC United on Friday. In Colorado, former trialist Clint Irwin and the Rapids will face Kenny Mansally and his Real Salt Lake teammates. Back on the East Coast, Jeff Larentowicz and Wells Thompson will take on the New York Red Bulls in a nationally televised match on Sunday.

Statistically speaking, the Revolution have allowed the fewest goals in MLS (2) through the first five weeks of the season, thanks in large part to the center back partnership of AJ Soares and Jose Goncalves (and perhaps a first-week bye, too). It may only be April, but the defense that Heaps and general manager Mike Burns set out to revamp during the offseason is nevertheless paying early dividends.

On the attacking end, the Revolution's goal drought stands at 298 minutes. But with Saer Sene, the club's leading scorer last year, slated to return from ACL surgery by the end of the month, it might not be long before the attack is back in form.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Jay Heaps would rather not have a bye week only four games deep into the regular season.

Granted, he’ll find plenty to work on between now and the Revolution’s April 13 contest in Seattle. For a coach who shows up to work well before dawn, there’s always something to build on or improve.

But with his team just getting into the routine of the regular season, well, now is not exactly the best time to take a break.

“I would rather have it later into the season,” Heaps said. “But we don’t dictate our schedule as much as we’d like, so we have to take this time to improve.”

At the top of the agenda is curing what ails the attack. The Revolution have scored only one goal this season and have been shut out in each of their last three contests.

Heaps’ diagnosis: “We’re still attacking with numbers. We’re just not attacking all that well, meaning that the final ball or the right run or the pass to get it from one side to the other just hasn’t been good enough. And then when we have a chance or two, and we’re not getting a ton of them, we have to finish those and we just haven’t been clinical enough.”

In a sense, the biggest challenge facing Heaps is improving the quality of the chances and getting his players to improve in critical situations. While drills and repetitions will be used, he also wants to see his players figure out smoother transitions between north and south, as well as east and west.

“It’s (about) fluidity and quality,” Heaps said. “There’s no question we have the technical ability to do a lot of things, but that only gets you so far. So we have to make sure that we’re doing the right things with the technical players and putting them in the right places to succeed.”

DEFENSE TO THE RESCUE -- While the attack has looked passive over the last four weeks, the defense has been particularly strong.

Even though Bobby Shuttleworth and Matt Reis have split time between the sticks, the back four of Andrew Farrell, A.J. Soares, Jose Goncalves and Kevin Alston have come together to pitch a pair of shutouts.

“What I’m happy about (is) that defensively, we’re not defending with 11 guys behind the ball,” Heaps said. “We’re defending with an attack mindset. We’re just not attacking real well, but we’re defending well with the numbers we’re defending with. It’s not like we have four defensive midfielders and four defenders. We had five guys attacking last game (vs. FC Dallas).”

SOFFNER STICKS AROUND -- Last week, the Revolution sent four players to their USL-PRO affiliate in Rochester, and to the surprise of some, third-string goalkeeper Luis Soffner was not one of them.

Although there’s no question Soffner would welcome any opportunity to get playing time, he’s not about to complain about learning the trade from Reis and Shuttleworth.

“It’s awesome,” Soffner said. “It’s probably the best situation that could’ve happened, to learn from the two of them and goalkeeper coach Remi Roy. They’re really pushing me hard to get better every day.”

Heaps said one of the reasons Soffner stayed in Foxborough is for training purposes, so that all three of the goalkeepers get sufficient practice reps. But that won’t keep him from getting game action with some of his fellow rookies.

“Luis will get games in Rochester,” Heaps said. “But we wanted to have three goalies here for the entire year. We’ve talked to Rochester in that there will be times when guys will go down for games, but they’ll continue to train here.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Even as one of the faces of the Revolution franchise, 18-year-old Homegrown Player Diego Fagundez has never been one to take first team minutes for granted.

He knows that nothing is earned without hard work. Without determination. Without putting in the maximum effort, especially during weekly training sessions.

So whenever he sees his named penciled into the starting XI, as he did on Saturday against FC Dallas, Fagundez soaks up every minute of it.

“I was loving it [the playing time],” Fagundez said after the game. “I got 80-something minutes and it felt like I had been playing for a while. The training’s been [going] well for me, so once I stepped on the field, it was game-on for me.”

In 85 minutes of action, Fagundez provided a potent presence on a squad that was starving for its first goal since their season opener three weeks ago in Chicago.

In the 34th minute, the teenager claimed one of the Revolution’s best scoring chances of the afternoon when he collected a pass from Jerry Bengtson and slid into the area to fire a quick shot on Raul Fernandez. But even though Fernandez dove to make the stop, and the Revolution ultimately fell 1-0, it was the kind of creative spark head coach Jay Heaps was looking for when he penciled in his young playmaker.

“[We put in] Diego for a little more offense,” Heaps said after Saturday’s game. “I thought he brought it tonight. I thought Diego did alright, a couple turnovers, but overall it was positive in what he was trying to do.”

And he did it out of his customary position, too. Typically, Fagundez plays on the right or inside as a withdrawn forward. But for Saturday’s contest, Heaps deployed him out on the left, hoping to give Dallas a different look.

While the switch may have given the Dallas defenders a few problems, it suited Fagundez just fine. He completed 80 percent of his passes, and more importantly, helped strengthen the attack as the game progressed.

“I’m really comfortable [playing on the left wing],” Fagundez said. “I like going one on one against defenders or moving around, especially when you have a lot of good players like Juan [Toja] and Lee [Nguyen] and Ryan [Guy] and Jerry [Bengtson] up top. We can move around and get open.”

About the only problem Heaps faced with Fagundez on the field was when to take him off, given that the talented teenager hadn’t played a full game since last season.

“He hadn’t played 90 yet [this season],” Heaps said. “So I knew he was tired, but he seemed so positive in what he was doing -- a lot of what he was trying to do -- so I didn’t want to take him out too soon.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Jay Heaps has a running list of items that need to get better following Saturday's 1-0 loss to FC Dallas.

From the coaching to the playing to the set pieces (both defensive and offensive) to moving the ball to just about every aspect of the game, it all needed improvement in Heaps' eyes.

"In the first half, there wasn't enough movement," Heaps said. "There wasn't enough playing the ball quickly and a lot of what we work on all week just seemed to go away."

During a listless first 45 minutes, the Revolution attack looked as inept as it did in last week's windswept, scoreless draw with Sporting Kansas City. While the passing accuracy was improved (72.8 percent), the Revolution couldn't hold the ball, and saw their first half possession percentage drop to an abysmal 37.6 percent.

The only chance they could muster came in the 34th minute when Jerry Bengtson grabbed a pass from Ryan Guy and went forward before he found Diego Fagundez on the left. Fagundez took a few touches into the box and fired a shot that Raul Fernandez smothered.

"As soon as I got that chance, I was like 'OK, this might be the only chance I get to score,'" Fagundez said. "I couldn't hit the ball as well as I should've. It was just a bad hit."

While Heaps had to be pleased with the effort on the defensive end, where the Revolution kept a lid on Dallas' high-powered attack, the form in the middle and final thirds was cause for concern.

"The first half was really just not good enough, quite frankly," Heaps said. "I think it exerted a lot of energy for us even just to stay in the game for the first half."

Not surprisingly, Heaps implored his team to improve for the second half. He wanted to see the Revolution go forward and get into space in the final third. He wanted to see the attack force the issue and put one past Fernandez.

They nearly did just that in the 58th minute, following a Juan Toja free kick that the Dallas wall initially stonewalled. But the ball fell back to Toja, who then went into the area and found Bengtson on the edge of the six before Fernandez tipped Bengtson's header over the bar.

Nevertheless, the team continued to press. The passing became smoother. So did the runs. And as the Revolution began to tip the possession scale in their favor, it appeared that their lengthy goalless streak was on the verge of being snapped.

Well, at least it looked that way until the 87th minute. Just inside his own end, FC Dallas' Blas Perez, who came on for Kenny Cooper in the 64th minute, pushed the ball forward, found David Ferreira wide, and made a run toward the 18. Moments later, Ferreira sent it ahead to Perez, whose header beat an outstretched Bobby Shuttleworth at the left post to seal the game winner.

"He adds something a little bit different [than Cooper]," Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman said. "I thought we found him a couple times and he could have had another chance and scored."

The win gave Dallas its first win in Foxboro since 2003, and in the process, kept the Revolution winless in their first two home games. Making matters worse for New England, it also marked their third straight game without scoring a goal.

"Right now, our play is a little bit out of sync with what our runs are," Heaps said. "And I think that's just where we have to continue to get better every week."

The Revolution will be afforded a bye week next weekend, giving Heaps plenty of time to work with the offense before a trip to Seattle on Apr. 14.

"I thought tonight we had chances to score and we didn't," Heaps said. "So we go back and work harder as a staff [and] as a team to take care of those chances when we get them."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Second-half substitute Blas Perez broke a scoreless game late to give FC Dallas a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

Perez scored off a David Ferreira cross in the 87th minute, while goalkeeper Raul Fernandez stopped all five shots he faced to pick up the shutout.

With the loss, the Revolution ran their winless streak to three, while their overall record dropped to 1-2-1 (4 points). The one-goal win gives Dallas 4-1-0 (12 points) its second straight shutout.

What it means: The attacking struggles that have dogged the Revolution came out in full force on Saturday. While the passing and shot selection improved over last week's wind-driven affair, not even the presence of Jerry Bengtson could improve their success in front of the net. Lee Nguyen led the way with three total shots, but only one went on frame. There's no doubting the effort is there; the Revolution sent more numbers forward in a more attacking formation, but the execution inside the final third has been all but absent as the Revolution's scoreless streak ran to 298 minutes on the season.

Stat of the game: Without the wind to contend with this week, the Revolution found 15 open play crosses against Dallas' 13. But it was all for naught, as Ferreira's 87th-minute cross to Perez for the game winner tipped the game in favor of the guests.

Bengtson's back: After missing last week's match due to due national team duty with Honduras, Revolution striker Jerry Bengtson returned to the lineup. He went the full 90 and recorded a pair of shots in the process.

Midfield switch: Central midfielder Clyde Simms got his third different partner in the park on Saturday, with Juan Toja getting the start in the central midfield. In the previous three games, Simms had partnered with Kalifa Cisse and Scott Caldwell.

Next up: Following next weekend's bye, the Revolution head Seattle to face the Sounders for an inter-conference clash. The game kicks off at 4pm ET.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Following last weekend's anticlimactic 0-0 draw versus Sporting K.C., Revolution center back AJ Soares succinctly, and unapologetically, tweeted, "clean sheet."

Sure, posting a shutout against one of the most talented teams in the league could be viewed as a moral victory of sorts. The kind an MLS center back could justifiably hang his hat on -- or tweet about, for that matter.

Yet, even though the record will show that the Revs failed to win their home opener for the first time in seven years, Soares says the defense-first approach won't change with high-flying FC Dallas in town this weekend.

"I just want to go out there and put up another zero up defensively and try and create something a little bit more offensively," Soares said after training on Wednesday. "I think we're going to improve a little bit going into this next game and we're going out there to get three points."

The Revolution will certainly need to improve on the attacking end if they're going to get the win this weekend.

Dallas currently sits at the top of the Western Conference table thanks a dynamic offense that features six different goal-scorers through their first four games.

Although it's still early, Dallas has already claimed victories against two of the league's strongest clubs in Real Salt Lake and Houston. What's more, they're doing it in convincing fashion.

"They're playing well right now," Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said after training on Wednesday. "They're scoring goals and they're winning games [and] they're finding ways to win games."

And Dallas isn't particularly picky about how they score, either. They've already struck from set pieces, against the run of play, and aren't afraid to salvage a cheap one, either, as evidenced by Jackson's 81st-minute theft of Josh Saunders last week against Real Salt Lake.

To make things difficult for Saturday's opponents, Heaps wants his players to study up and see what the likes of David Ferreira, Fabian Castillo and Kenny Cooper do to put points on the scoreboard.

"There's got to be the proper matchup," Heaps said. "We have to make sure that we're aware of the key guys. It's just a matter of knowing your opponent."

Of course, identifying the playmakers and shutting down Dallas' attack is only half the battle. After all, the prospect of another scoreless draw in front of the home supporters won't sit well in the Revolution locker room.

To that end, Heaps wants to see his players pressing the issue forward, especially with Dallas' penchant for giving up the occasional easy goal.

"It's about getting more guys in the box," Heaps said. "[We need] more runners [and] more of a commitment to getting into the box. The sharpness has to be there so guys will want to make the run. That's where there has to be more of a commitment to getting into the box."

That commitment should be more pronounced with Jerry Bengtson back from a set of World Cup Qualifiers. Yet, given the Honduran's recent schedule, it's unknown how many minutes Heaps can expect from him.

Nevertheless, Soares expects the defense to rise to the occasion again, and doesn't appear too concerned about the need for breaking the bank against Dallas' grab-and-stash attack.

"Some teams want to score a lot of goals and win games 4-2," Soares said. "Some teams like to win 1-0. As long as we get three points, I really don't care how we do it."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- In a perfect world, Jay Heaps would have every player on his roster play a full 90 every week.

While that scenario may not be realistic in for any MLS head coach, Heaps gave four of his younger players the opportunity to get more minutes after the Revolution loaned out defenders Bilal Duckett, Tyler Polak, midfielder Gabe Latigue and forward Matt Horth to the Rochester Rhinos (USL-PRO) on Wednesday.

None of the four had made the game-day 18 in any of the Revolution’s first three matches, and all four stood to benefit from the Revolution’s new partnership with the Rhinos.

“For me, those guys were battling to get into the 18,” Heaps said. “I think this affords us the opportunity to get these guys (some) games. That’s what these four players need the most right now -- games.”

As part of the partnership, the Revolution must have a minimum of four players in Rochester at a given time. The Revolution may swap and switch out which players are in Rochester at any point during the season.

The Rhinos kicked off their preseason schedule last week, giving the Revolution four plenty of time to acclimate to their new surroundings before Rochester’s April 13 season opener.

On its face, the loans may seem like a demotion of sorts. But Heaps sees this as a chance for them to strengthen their case for getting MLS minutes.

“They’re actually the lucky ones that get some games,” Heaps said. “For me, each player’s a little different to what they need to do. It’s going to be an evolving process in a sense of if we need a player, we’ll go bring him back.”

TOJA READY TO FACE FAMILIAR FOE -- Juan Toja doesn’t like to give significance to one regular-season game over another, especially this early into the season.

But the Revolution midfielder/forward admits that Saturday’s game against FC Dallas, whom he played for from 2007-08, is going to be a little different.

“It has a little more (significance),” Toja said. “I’m very thankful to FC Dallas. I had two great seasons with them, and (Saturday’s game) is a chance to see some of the players that I played with.”

While Toja’s focus is squarely on helping the Revs get three points this weekend, he fondly recalled his first season in Dallas, one that saw him become a cult hero for his trademark heavy metal locks.

“We came close to the final that year,” Toja said. “We did an incredible job, and we had great teammates, which (created) a great atmosphere.”

GETTING THE ATTACK GOING -- One of the early returns of the Revolution’s offseason moves has been improved defending, with the club registering two clean sheets in its first three games.

But as strong as the back four have been playing, Heaps wants to see his team score more often, especially after being shut out in back-to-back games.

“We have to find a way to put a team under pressure,” Heaps said. “I want to see us get more from midfield turnovers. I think when we possess it a little bit more, and we get the right passes in the right channels, we’ll be a little bit better.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- It wasn’t the kind of game Chad Barrett would’ve preferred to make his first start in wearing a Revolution uniform.

Taking over at the target striker’s spot on Saturday in the absence of Jerry Bengtson, the 27-year-old veteran striker had to contend with gusty winds and a Sporting Kansas City side that dropped numbers, both of which conspired to keep the entire Revolution squad from registering a single shot on target.

“Well, you know going into the game, you know it’s going to be like that,” Barrett said following Saturday’s 0-0 draw. “You might get just one chance, you might get none.”

In his 63 minutes on the pitch, Barrett chased down a number of long balls into the attacking third and pretty much did anything he could to test Kansas City center backs Aurelien Collin and Ike Opara. Although he fought and clawed for every chance that came his way, the only successes he could muster were in the form of a pair of second-half fouls.

Nevertheless, Revolution head coach Jay Heaps praised Barrett’s work rate, even though the veteran forward wasn’t in peak condition.

“I thought Chad (Barrett) did a great job,” Heaps said after the game. “It’s a fitness (issue) at this point. Chad obviously joined us late in preseason and then he took an illness and was sick for a little while (and) had a virus. We had to be cautious with him. ... I thought he did a great job for 60 minutes.”

Fitness wasn’t the only issue Barrett was battling on Saturday. Deployed as the lone striker in a possession-oriented 4-2-3-1 formation, the gritty forward, who was accustomed to the two-striker formation from his days with the Los Angeles Galaxy, knew that he’d have to create chances on his own if he was going to grab a goal.

“In the formation we played, it was hard because sometimes I don’t have a lot of help,” Barrett said. “But that was what the game called for, that was the game plan.”

Even though he didn’t get a chance to record a single shot, Barrett claimed some measure of success in one sense.

“Pretty much my job was to create havoc out there, make sure if they did get their head on balls, they didn’t get a clean head on balls," he said. "(I) pretty much (fought) with them.”

It wasn’t the prettiest stuff, to be sure. And with Bengtson scheduled to return from World Cup Qualifying in time for next week’s clash against FC Dallas, Barrett may have to wait his turn until he gets another start.

Nevertheless, Barrett hopes that Saturday’s scoreless draw was an anomaly, and that the team’s attack will improve as the season progresses and the weather improves.

“Going forward, we will see what happens,” Barrett said. “You kind of got an ugly football game (on Saturday), but you know, hopefully, when the weather gets nicer and the wind settles down a little bit, we can play a little bit better soccer.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. The beautiful game it was not, and that was the prevailing sentiment from both lockers rooms following Saturday's scoreless draw between the Revolution and Sporting Kansas City.

With winds gusting up to 30 mph, pushing the ball and assorted debris toward the south, both clubs were forced to err on the side of caution and do whatever they could to keep the other off the board.

"It was a tough game all the way around," Revolution coach Jay Heaps said. "It certainly won't go down as the prettiest soccer game ever played."

It wasn't pretty at all for the Revolution attack. They spent much of the first half cobbling chances together, as the wind wreaked havoc on their passes. While they may have tipped the possession scale in their favor (53.6 percent) for the first 45, their 56.6 percent passing accuracy was indicative of the effect the gusty conditions had on the match.

Sporting Kansas City didn't fare much better, although they were able to do something New England couldn't accomplish until the 77th minute: pit a shot in the general direction of the net.

Their best opportunity at cracking the scoresheet came in the 19th minute when CJ Sapong smacked the bar, and Benny Feilhaber followed up with a shot that Matt Reis collected to cool Kansas City's heels.

For the duration of the match, both teams tried to deal with the conditions, and while the gusts subsided somewhat in the second half, Kansas City left back Seth Sinovic conceded that the chances simply weren't falling for either side.

"The conditions were pretty atrocious today," Sinovic said. "It was kind of a grind it out, long ball fighting kind of game and it was just kind of how you had to play today. You couldn't really play a pretty game today."

New England opened the second frame intent on stealing a chance or two. In the 54th minute, Andrew Farrell advanced into the attacking third, and played a cross inside the area intended for Clyde Simms. The ball appeared to deflect off the biceps of Ike Opara, but shouts for a handball went unanswered.

The hosts called for another penalty nine minutes later when Lee Nguyen sent a free kick into the area, where Jose Goncalves gestured toward referee Edvin Jurisevic that Sapong had brought him down.

With only 13 minutes left, the Revolution finally recorded their first shot of the match. From a free kick near the edge of the area, Juan Toja ripped it inches over the bar. So close, yet so far away.

"I don't want to make any excuses, but the wind was definitely difficult to play in," Heaps said. "The wind was just pulling everything [away from the benches]. It was hard to switch the field and change the point of attack."

Any adjustments made to the wind proved to be fruitless for both teams. Even when the ball was kept on the carpet, the final product was still lacking.

"There were a few times that both teams tried to play a little too much and they got caught on it and they kind of got countered," Sinovic said. "So I think it was more of [us] trying to get in behind them and lock them down in their half of the field."

Breaking free from the hold that Sporting Kansas City held on the Revs was much harder without striker Jerry Bengtson at their disposal. But veteran forward Chad Barrett pressed the issue nonetheless, and for the better part of his 63 minutes, he battled Opara and Aurelien Collin for long balls and chances in front of Jimmy Nielsen.

A scoreless draw wasn't what Heaps wanted to greet the Revolution supporters with in Saturday's home opener. However, he couldn't help but be pleased with the effort, especially with the elements conspiring against them.

"It was a good fight from our guys," Heaps said. "I was really excited about the way we approached the match but in the end, we didn't get enough chances."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The Revolution failed to a find the back of the net for the second straight game in Saturday's 0-0 draw to Sporting Kansas City at Gillette Stadium.

New England's Matt Reis made four saves to earn his second straight shutout of the season while Jimmy Nielsen didn't need to make a single stop to earn his second shutout in a row.

With the draw, the Revolution's record went to 1-1-1 (4 points) while Sporting Kansas City's mark went to 1-1-2 (5 points).

What it means: Without the services of striker Jerry Bengtson, the Revolution not only failed to score; they didn't put a single shot on net. Both sides struggled with the wind, which wreaked havoc on a number of aerial balls during the first half. The production that Jay Heaps demanded from his midfield fell on deaf ears, as the attack didn't record their first shot until the 77th minute. Overall, it was the exact opposite kind of game Heaps was looking in the first home game of the season.

Stat of the game: The Revolution collected 352 passes on the match, while Sporting K.C. collected 286. While it was hard to tell, the Revolution strung together just enough passes to tip the possession scale in their favor (54.6 percent), but their form routinely evaporated as they approached the final third.

Reis returns: Matt Reis returned to action on Saturday after missing last week's contest in Philadelphia due to left knee irritation.

Barrett gets the nod up top: With Jerry Bengtson unavailable due to international duty, veteran striker Chad Barrett took the target forward's spot in the starting XI. He went 64 minutes before being subbed out for Ryan Guy.

Scoreless streak against Sporting K.C.: The Revolution's scoreless run against K.C. ran to 412 minutes in the scoreless draw. The last Revolution strike against K.C. came from Rajko Lekic in the 38th minute of a 1-1 draw at Kansas City.

Benny's back: Former Revolution midfielder Benny Feilhaber made his return to Gillette Stadium as a member of Sporting K.C. In two seasons in Foxborough, Feilhaber scored five goals and added nine assists in 52 games. He was yellow-carded in the 71st minute for simulation.

Next up: The Revolution remain at home next weekend when they host FC Dallas on March 30. The game kicks off at 4 p.m. ET and can be seen on Comcast SportsNet New England.