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In a midsummer matchup of MLS originals, the New England Revolution (7-7-6, 27 points) will wrap up their three-game road trip in the nation's capital on Saturday, when they'll face last-place D.C. United (2-14-4, 10 points) at RFK Stadium at 7 p.m.

Saturday's clash pits a pair of teams coming off very different performances. Last weekend, the Revolution snapped a two-game skid by earning a 2-0 win in Columbus. On the opposite end of the spectrum, United were humiliated in a 4-1 loss to the Fire in Chicago last Saturday.

While their recent form and records suggest a classic mismatch, the record shows that D.C. managed to squeeze out a point from the Revolution at Gillette Stadium in a 0-0 draw on June 8. Later that month, D.C. bounced the Revolution from Open Cup play with a 3-1 quarterfinal win at Maryland SoccerPlex on Jun. 26.

REVS NOTES:

-- Saturday's contest is the lone trip the Revolution will make to D.C. during the regular season. The last time the Revolution won in D.C. came in a 1-0 victory on July 20, 2011.

-- In the "you can't win unless you score" department: The two-win United enter the game with a league-worst nine goals scored in 20 games, and have scored just once in their last four.

-- Conversely, the Revolution have conceded a conference-low 18 goals in 20 games this season, a mark that ties them with the Portland Timbers for the best goals against average (0.90) in MLS. Last week, they set a club record by recording their 11th shutout of the season, which broke their previous mark of 10, which was set on three different occasions (2005, 2006 and 2007). Incidentally, the Revolution made it to the MLS Cup final in each of those three seasons.

-- Among the familiar faces on the United roster are former Revolution players Sainey Nyassi and James Riley. Nyassi, who was cut by the Revolution earlier this season, faced his former mates for the first time in the June 8 match as a late-game substitute. Riley, who spent his first three years in the league (2005-07) with the Revolution, featured at right back in that matchup.

-- On Thursday, United held a press conference with local government officials to announce that a preliminary deal had been reached for the club to build a soccer-specific stadium in the nation's capital in time for the 2016 season. Should the agreement be finalized, the Revolution would be the final remaining MLS original club without a soccer-specific stadium to call their own.

-- They said it: "We can't get bullied anymore, like we've done in the past couple of years. So for us, (Saturday's) a battle, and every game is going to be (a battle), and hopefully, we'll outplay them." -- Revolution midfielder Kelyn Rowe to revolutionsoccer.net

It wasn’t terribly surprising to see Revolution captain Jose Goncalves revert to his stoic persona only moments after he wildly celebrated his game-winning goal against the Crew on Saturday.

Gone was the wide-eyed elation and the jubilant smile that had stretched across his face. The moment was brief, and that’s just the way the captain likes to keep it, even after he carried his club to a 2-0 victory.

“For me, it’s very important that we won the game -- the three points are what’s most important,” Goncalves told the media after Saturday’s game. “It doesn’t matter how it happened. It’s over, we learn from our mistakes, and we have to keep going because there are only so many points we can take in this league -- this is what I do every day.”

The Portuguese international certainly knows about learning from his mistakes, not that he’s made many this season.

Only three days prior to Saturday’s win, the center back inadvertently broke a 1-1 draw in Colorado by deflecting a Dillon Powers pass into his own net. It was a rare miscue for one of the best defenders in the league, but a costly one.

So on Saturday, Goncalves came out of the gate ready to put that embarrassing scene behind him. He was ready to take charge, and did so throughout.

He bottled up Dominic Oduro and kept the Crew attack, which had scored a league-high six goals in the opening 15 minutes during league play this season, off the board. And when the opportunity presented itself, he pushed forward and hit a shot that whistled just inside of the near post late in the first frame.

“He wanted to win this game and you could tell,” Revolution coach Jay Heaps told reporters after the game. “I thought he did a nice job defending, but the other night he dove in, not something he normally does and I knew he was carrying this team tonight.”

Even though he put together one of his best performances in a Revolution uniform, Goncalves' evening wasn’t complete until he effectively erased the memory of the own goal.

One minute into stoppage time, Lee Nguyen whipped a corner toward the far post, where Goncalves elevated to head it under the arm of Andy Gruenebaum and through.

“He was due for one,” Nguyen said after the game. “I was waiting because we’ve been working on [the set piece] throughout the year and it was just one of those things where he had the timing down and was in the right place. Jose got his head to it and it fell down and fell our way. We were fortunate to get the bounce our way, but either way, it was a great goal.”

He immediately raced over to the Revolution bench, jumping wildly with starters and reserves alike. It was a side of Goncalves rarely seen -- overcome with emotion, with the steely gaze and demeanor cast aside, even if only for a passing moment.

It was more than just a goal celebration. It was a release. A release of the heavy burden he carried into the game, fairly or unfairly. His club had lost three days before, and his own goal was the reason why.

Saturday was about redemption for Goncalves, and he claimed it in grand fashion, even though he may not have shown it after the match.

“I think for Jose, more important for him, was the zero tonight,” Heaps said. “The way he defended, the way he played all night, and then to get the winner was a special thing for him.”

So much for settling for one point on the road.

Jose Goncalves and Diego Fagundez both scored in stoppage time to help the New England Revolution (7-7-6, 27 points) pull off a 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew (6-9-5, 23 points) on Saturday at Crew Stadium.

After a scoreless 90 minutes, Goncalves struck in the 90+1 minute, while Fagundez added another in the 90+4 minute. Bobby Shuttleworth made a pair of saves to earn his ninth clean sheet of the season.

With the win, the Revolution put the brakes on a two-game losing streak, while the Crew have lost four of their last five.

What it means: Going into the game, the players and coaches noted how important it was to get maximum points after dropping their last two. Well, Saturday's win backed that assertion up. With the game scoreless going into stoppage time, it appeared that the Revolution would have to settle for one point against the seventh-place Crew. But a late Lee Nguyen corner fell fortuitously to Goncalves, who slipped it under the arm of Andy Gruenebaum to score his first goal of the season. Fagundez, who was left off the starting XI for the first time in three months, sealed the Revolution's first road win since May 18.

Stat of the game: The 2-0 win gave the Revolution their first win in Columbus since a 1-0 victory on Oct. 25, 2009. Prior to Saturday's game, the Revolution had lost their last three at Crew Stadium.

McCarthy, Sene unavailable: Starters Stephen McCarthy and Saer Sene were unavailable for Saturday's game. McCarthy came out of Wednesday's game in the 55th minute with a head injury, while Sene missed his second straight game with a right hip contusion. AJ Soares filled in for McCarthy in the middle of the defense, while Chad Barrett took Sene's spot on the right flank.

Nguyen benched: After starting all of the previous 19 games, Lee Nguyen found himself on the bench for the first time this season. He was replaced on the left flank by Chris Tierney, who earned his first start in the midfield this year. Nguyen came on in the 58th minute for Clyde Simms, and went on to record assists on both Revolution goals.

Next up: The Revolution wrap up their three-game road trip at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 27 against D.C. United at RFK Stadium. Earlier this year, the two teams settled for a 0-0 draw at Gillette Stadium on June 8.

The dog days of summer are here, and there’s little doubt that the Revolution (6-7-6, 24 points) are already feeling its effects as they embark on their third game in eight days.

On Wednesday, a lethargic Revolution XI trudged through a 2-1 loss in Colorado -- a loss that followed another 2-1 defeat to Houston only four days earlier.

With little time to rest ahead of Saturday’s contest against the Crew (6-8-5, 23 points) in Columbus, Revolution head coach Jay Heaps will find out just how sound the roster he and general manager Michael Burns constructed is from top to bottom.

“It’ll test our depth,” Heaps said. “We feel we’ve built a strong team and that our guys want opportunities, so I think we just have to rally around each other.”

Before they can do that, though, the name of the game is rest, as the Revolution get set to play their second road game of the week. And with good reason.

In Wednesday’s loss at Colorado, the Revolution were clearly running on fumes by the hour mark, likely due to the combination of the high altitude and heat they endured at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, not to mention the short turnaround from Saturday’s game against Houston.

“I think everyone feel(s) a little bit tired,” Revolution skipper Jose Goncalves told the media on Thursday. “We’ve played a lot games, and it’s very important that we rest and make (the most of) treatment and sleep well, get some food, and (hydrate) so we can be ready for the game.”

They’ll need to show up ready if they want to snap their two-game funk. New England’s last two losses featured slow starts, a sign that they’re not as focused as Heaps expects them to be right out of the gate.

While the short break in between Wednesday’s and Saturday’s contests won’t allow the players much time hone and refine their form ahead of Saturday’s contest, midfielder Scott Caldwell believes the Revolution will nevertheless address their deficiencies in the film room.

“We can’t really do a ton on the training field,” Caldwell told the media on Thursday. “But we know we can watch tape and we can see what we did wrong. We know we have to keep possession of the ball and do a lot better going forward and work on the things we see.”

Although their last two losses have done well to stall the Revolution’s playoff ambitions, Goncalves knows there’s no use in dwelling on what might have been.

“I think we must take it game (by) game,” Goncalves said. “We are only thinking about the next game and not about what we did in the past.”

The next game is, indeed, the sole focus at the moment. With another potential “six-pointer” on tap, and the seventh-place Crew nipping at the Revolution’s heels, Caldwell knows that he and his teammates can’t afford to squander more opportunities -- especially the one ahead of them this weekend in Columbus.

“It’s essential to get points in this game,” Caldwell said. “It’s an Eastern Conference opponent. We don’t want to slip any further down the table, so this game is very important for the rest of the season.”

A pair of second-half goals from the Colorado Rapids (8-7-6, 30 points) sank the New England Revolution (6-7-6, 24 points) to a 2-1 defeat on Wednesday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.

Juan Toja gave the Revolution an early lead when he struck a 15th-minute free kick past Clint Irwin. But Nick LaBrocca responded in the 62nd minute on a blast from distance before a Jose Goncalves own goal in the 67th minute sealed the victory for the Rapids.

With the loss, the Revolution have now dropped two in a row and are winless in their past three on the road. The Rapids' win extended their unbeaten streak to four.

What it means: At best, the 2-1 loss in Colorado sharpens the sting of last week's 2-1 defeat suffered at the hands of Houston. At worst, the loss -- which now puts the Revolution at 0-2 during the second half of the season -- conjures up scenes from last year's historic late slide, which saw the Revolution go winless in 10 straight. Yes, it may be too soon to start comparing this year's funk to last year's embarrassing streak. But with two straight road games ahead of them, and a busy August waiting in the wings, the Revolution's playoff chances aren't looking as promising as they did earlier this month.

Stat of the game: Despite holding the lead for the bulk of the first half, the Revolution earned only 34 percent of the possession at the interval.

McCarthy comes off with injury: In the 57th minute, center back Stephen McCarthy had to come out of the game after he suffered a second blow to the head on a Colorado corner kick. AJ Soares, who hadn't seen action since April 20, came on for McCarthy a minute later.

Revolution rue the Rockies: Wednesday's loss extends the Revolution's winless streak in Colorado to 12 straight (0-8-4), a mark that dates back to 2002. In fact, the last Revolution win in Colorado came in a 2-1 win over the Rapids on June 15, 2002.

Lineup changes aplenty: Jay Heaps made four changes to his lineup from Saturday's XI against Houston. Darrius Barnes, Juan Toja, Ryan Guy and Jerry Bengtson all slid into the spots occupied by Chris Tierney, Kelyn Rowe, Saer Sene and Chad Barrett. According to the club's official Twitter account, injuries to Tierney (left knee) and Sene (right hip) kept them from making the trip to Colorado. However, Rowe came on for Barnes in the 69th minute, while Barrett came on for Bengtson in the 72nd minute.

Next up: The second game of the Revolution's three-game road trip is set for Saturday, when the Revolution head to Columbus to play the Crew for the first time this season. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The idea that no man is an island rang especially true for those inside the Revolution locker room following Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Dynamo.

Although the spotlight may have cruelly cast itself on goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth after he was victimized not once, but twice, on long-range blasts from Adam Moffat, a pair of Revolution defenders refused to let their goalkeeper take the heat alone.

In the moments that led to Moffat’s first goal, in the 49th minute, Andrew Farrell had a Cam Weaver shot ricochet off his leg and land past the end line. Seconds later, Andrew Driver’s corner kick was headed outside of the box by Chad Barrett, but Moffat immediately volleyed it past a helpless Shuttleworth.

"I think some of that (sequence) we could have handled better, maybe not giving up that corner, so that's on me,” Farrell said after the game. “The two good shots that they had (went through). It's tough on Bobby because there isn't too much you can do on those goals."

To be fair, it was a strike that few goalkeepers could stop. But naturally, the television cameras honed in on Shuttleworth’s look of disbelief in the aftermath.

To his credit, Shuttleworth made an impressive save on a close-range Giles Barnes shot in the 59th minute to keep the Dynamo from inflicting more damage following Saer Sene’s 55th-minute goal.

But a half hour after Moffat beat Shuttleworth, the Dynamo midfielder made another long-range bid when he grabbed a pass from Ricardo Clark and let it rip from outside the area. This time, it hit the post, but the deflection found Shuttleworth’s back before landing in the net in the 80th minute.

While the attention went right back to Shuttleworth, left back Chris Tierney said he could have done more to stop Moffat from getting a look.

“I’ll take the blame there,” Tierney said after the game. “I went to close out and I thought I had my angles right and it nipped slightly off my shin and went by. Obviously, Bobby’s going to try to get it and that’s just bad luck that it hits off the post and goes in.”

No doubt it wasn’t Shuttleworth’s night on Saturday. Although he entered the game with a league-leading eight clean sheets, there was simply nothing he could do on Moffat’s rockets.

“I don’t think you are going to see two goals like that very often,” Shuttleworth said after the game. “That first one is probably most likely be up for goal of the year at the end of the season. Second one is coming off the post, hitting me in the back. That has never happened to me before. I think it is unlucky.”

Shuttleworth surely felt the hard stare of 14,357 pairs of eyes weighing on him in the wake of each Moffat goal. And he certainly felt it in the locker room when the media quickly circled around him for his thoughts.

But rest assured, he had a pair of teammates at the ready to help shoulder the burden.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- There was no doubt that the Dynamo were going to bring a heavy dose of physicality to Saturday’s clash against the Revolution. And everyone in a navy uniform knew it.
But knowing the challenge and overcoming it are two very different concepts, as the Revolution failed to deal with the Dynamo’s strength and stubbornness in a 2-1 loss at Gillette Stadium.

“It was tough,” Revolution left back Chris Tierney said. “They had a game plan and that was to disrupt us in the midfield and put us under pressure.”

There was no question the Dynamo clamped down on the Revolution right from the start. Each time Diego Fagundez or Saer Sene touched the ball, a host of Houston defenders immediately swarmed, leaving little breathing room for the attack to find chances.

In fact, the true opportunity the hosts found in the first frame came in the 18th minute, when Fagundez plunged into the area on a give-and-go with Chad Barrett. The teenage midfielder found the return pass right in front of him, but he scuffed his shot and was soon blanketed by a pair of Dynamo defenders.

“We’re disappointed in the overall performance of the game,” Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said. “I thought we just didn’t start the game with that bright energy and that bright spark that we should have. (It) took us a little too long to get into the game.”

The first half closed without a single shot credited to the Revolution, a sign that the early energy and ambition Heaps had preached in the days leading up to the match were clearly missing. Worse, the Dynamo succeeded in making the game resemble a brawl, with Tierney taking a wild elbow to the ear from Adam Moffatt.

“It was really physical really early,” Heaps said. “Lee Nguyen got whacked hard two or three times by Ricardo Clark. You can only play; you need a little help once in a while. You need the man in the middle to say, ‘Guys, we are going to play today’. When that doesn’t happen, we need a reaction and we didn’t get it from ourselves. That’s what disappoints me.”

Meanwhile, the Dynamo weren’t content to simply knock their adversaries around and play for a draw. And that was evident only four minutes into the second half.

On a free kick from Andrew Driver, Barrett headed it away from the scrum, but not out of danger. The ball fell to Adam Moffat just outside the area, and the Dynamo midfielder immediately volleyed it into the net in the 49th minute.

With their backs suddenly against the wall, the Revolution started to shake off the physical punishment dished out by the Dynamo and stepped on the accelerator shortly after Moffatt’s strike.
In the 55th minute, Diego Fagundez took it toward the near post before he slipped it inside for Saer Sene, who tapped it through to level the match.

“I think the game just opened up (in the second half), for both teams,” Tierney said. “We knew we wanted three points so we had to push the numbers forward and it was a little more back and forth. I think we left some holes.”

The Dynamo, for their part, weren’t about to back down from the fouling and forcing the Revolution into corners. They continued to antagonize and disrupt for the duration of the half, then found time to score another in the 80th minute when Moffatt blasted another shot from distance that hit the near post, then caromed off the back of Bobby Shuttleworth before it rolled into the net.

Matters only worsened for the hosts two minutes later when Dimirty Imbongo was sent off for throwing his arm in the face of Eric Brunner. With only 10 men left to face a fierce Dynamo side, the attack could only find a couple of half-chances before the match expired.

“Credit to them, they know they’re a physical team and I don’t think we dealt with that as well as we could have,” Tierney said. “I thought we had some decent (chances) in the game when we put some stuff together, but overall I’m not sure we were good enough to take three.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Adam Moffat scored twice to send the Revolution to a 2-1 loss against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

Moffatt opened the scoring in the 49th minute, then followed up with the game-winner in the 80th minute. Saer Sene scored the only goal for the hosts in the 55th minute.

The Revolution finished the match with 10 men after Dimitry Imbongo was red-carded in the 82nd minute.

The 2-1 loss keeps the Revolution (6-6-6, 24 points) outside of the playoff race, while the Dynamo (8-6-5, 29 points) improved their playoff ambitions with the win.

What it means: For the Revs, Saturday’s game is nothing short of a missed opportunity to cast themselves into the playoff picture. With only two points separating them from the Dynamo, the Revolution needed maximum points at home to overtake the fifth and final playoff spot from their adversaries. But a flat first half gave way to a wild second stanza that saw the Dynamo take the reins, then win it late to hand the hosts their first home loss since May 8. Now, with a three-game road stretch ahead, the Revs' best chance to get into the hunt might have slipped through their grasp.

Stat of the game: Both teams went the first half without recording a single shot on goal.

Depleted Dynamo: The guests came into Saturday’s match short-handed, as starters Will Bruin and Corey Ashe were unavailable due to Gold Cup obligations, while a strained hamstring kept Brad Davis from stepping onto the pitch.

Next up: The Revs' three-game road trip begins on Wednesday at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park when they face the Colorado Rapids at 9 p.m. ET. In the six years since the stadium opened in 2008, the Revolution have never won in the five contests (0-2-3) they’ve played there.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Two points. That’s all that separates the sixth-place Revolution (6-5-6, 24 points) from a coveted postseason spot as the second half of the season commences on Saturday.

And which club currently sits in fifth place, two points clear of the Revolution? None other than Saturday’s opponent, the Houston Dynamo (7-6-5, 26 points).

Given the stakes, no one in the Revolution locker room is expecting the Dynamo -- who dropped from first to fifth due to a recent seven-game slide -- to step onto the pitch content to squeeze out a point on the road. Not with the way the table looks at the moment.

“They know that we are (going) to pass them if we win this game,” Revolution skipper Jose Goncalves said. “I think they realize that, and they’re coming here to make life difficult for us. They won’t stay back -- they’ll attack.”

Despite the fact that they went winless for nearly eight weeks before last week’s 1-0 triumph over the Union, one constant remained: their brash style of play.

“There’s no mistake that they are a physical team,” Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said. “They’re strong, their center backs fight hard and (so does) everyone on the field. That’s part of their makeup -- they’re a gritty team, and always difficult to play.”

That was certainly the case during the first Revolution-Dynamo matchup of the season back on May 18 in Houston, where the guests handed their hosts a surprising 2-0 defeat.

New England may have prevailed, but not before Dynamo defender Bobby Boswell head-butted Revolution striker Dimitry Imbongo inside the 18, bringing tempers to a boil before the interval. It was a scene reminiscent of the classic, mid-2000s battles between the former postseason rivals.

But Houston’s physicality won’t be the only thing the Revolution have to worry about. While the two-time defending conference champs may have stumbled through a recent three-game offensive blackout, Heaps is wary of a revitalized Dynamo attack that surged through the Union defense with precision and pace during last week’s win.

“I think they won at home pretty significantly (last week),” Heaps said. “They probably should’ve had more goals, and it’s going to be a tough task for us.”

Granted, the Dynamo will be without the services of starters Will Bruin (Gold Cup), Corey Ashe (Gold Cup) and Brad Davis (injury) for Saturday’s matchup. But with Boniek Garcia, Giles Barnes and a convalescing Omar Cummings all ready to shoulder the load, the Revolution still have plenty to worry about.

“They still have a lot of good players,” Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen said. “So it’s not like they’re lacking depth at all. We’ve got to be wary of those guys and come out be confident.”

Confidence at home is always paramount in a crucial “six-pointer” like the one set for Saturday, especially with the second half of the season underway. After last year’s second-half struggles, a win would go a long way toward pointing the Revolution in the right direction.

But Heaps isn’t tempted to look too far into the future when it comes to what’s really at stake this weekend.

“I think we pay attention to it being a home game (against the) Eastern Conference,” Heaps said. “We know where we stand. I think if you get caught up in trying to think about all the scenarios, and all that extra stuff, you lose.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Revolution general manager Michael Burns never has been the type to make a move just for the sake of it, and that mindset isn’t about to change now that the summer transfer window is open.

With the Revolution a game above the .500 mark at the midway point of the season for the first time in five years, Burns doesn’t feel any pressure to get a player’s signature on the dotted line posthaste.

But that isn’t to say that he is fully satisfied with the Revolution roster as it’s currently comprised. By no means.

“We’re certainly looking to add players,” Burns said. “If there’s a player (available) that we think is going to help us during the second half of the year, then we will absolutely do it.”

Although the window opened on Tuesday, the club tried out players last week, hoping to get a better look at who might be able to help them reach the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Burns advised that more players will be training with the club in the coming days and weeks, all with the hopes of finding the “right guy or two” prior to the close of the window on Aug. 8.

Burns wouldn’t say who or which positions the club is targeting, but did hint that nothing “is imminent in the next few days, in terms of announcements.” And perhaps that is with good reason.

Unlike last year, when the Revolution made an early splash during the summer window by signing Jerry Bengtson to a designated player contract only five days after it opened, the club isn’t in dire need of resources anywhere on the pitch. Thus, the club isn’t as desperate to make a signing as it has been during recent summers.

One area that doesn’t appear to be of particular concern is up top, as Burns acknowledged that the recent knee injury to Juan Agudelo hasn’t altered his approach during the window.

“With the number of forwards we have now, we’re hopeful that Juan’s not going to be out and miss that much time,” Burns said. “We feel like we have a capable core group of forwards that are going to compete for minutes and hopefully score some goals during the second half of the year and get us some wins.”

Burns knows that, despite the Revolution’s 6-5-6 record, the clouds can darken quickly, as they did last year, when the club went winless in its first 10 games of the second half of the season.
Even so, Burns isn’t expecting a repeat performance of last year’s second-half woes.

“There’s certainly a belief this year that we are capable and good enough to get into the playoffs,” Burns said. “So it’s up to us whether or not that happens.”

Indeed, the Revolution’s destiny is in their own hands. While the players and coaching staff will focus their efforts on the pitch, the burden of bolstering the roster and improving the team’s chances of playing late-autumn soccer falls on Burns.

Knowing full well that trying to fit the proverbial square peg into a round hole could deep-six his club’s success during the second half, Burns isn’t about to make a rash decision or sign a player simply to grab a headline or two.

“The ultimate goal is to try to make the team better,” Burns said. “So if we don’t feel that signing a player will make us better, then we probably won’t do it.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Like many MLS clubs, the Revolution lean heavily on their talent up top to spearhead their offense. And like many clubs, they’ve paid a pretty penny to secure players who have a penchant to put one through at a moment’s notice.

However, unlike many other clubs, the Revolution aren’t just getting production from one or two high-priced strikers. Rather, they’re getting goals from nearly all of their forwards, including the budget-friendly ones that, not long ago, resided inside the lower rungs of the depth chart.

For proof of that, consider this: Four of the Revolution’s last five goals in league play have come from a quartet of different forwards, with the last two steering the club to a 2-0 win over the Earthquakes on Saturday.

“The competition there is great,” Revolution coach Jay Heaps said. “With Juan Agudelo being sidelined for a little bit, (we have) guys like Chad (Barrett) and guys like (Dimitry) Imbongo fighting for a spot. It’s great. Jerry Bengtson as well. Those guys have stepped up to the plate and they’ve done a nice job.”

On June 16 in Vancouver, the dynamic and dangerous Agudelo penciled his name onto the scoresheet inside of 10 minutes, even though the Revolution went on to suffer a 4-3 loss to the Whitecaps. Last week, the barely-used Barrett scored an 88th-minute equalizer to help the Revolution salvage a 1-1 draw against Chivas USA.

But on Saturday, the Revolution’s strike force ensured that maximum points were collected against an ambitious San Jose side.

In the 13th minute, Saer Sene, who’s coming back from ACL surgery last season, blasted a shot from well outside the area that soared past the dive of Jon Busch to put the hosts in command.

“I am happy to score, but the first thing is that we win the game,” Sene said. “I am a striker, (and am called upon to) score goals. That’s what everybody knows and I am very happy to score and the team wins.”

The win was far from guaranteed in the latter stages, with Sene’s goal standing as the only thing between a well-deserved win and a disappointing draw to a relentless Earthquakes team.

However, in the 78th minute, another Revolution striker found the back of the net. Imbongo, an afterthought among the goalscoring corps not long ago, slid into a Lee Nguyen cross to send his side on its way to its first win in more than a month.

“I’m happy to score and I’m happy that my friend Saer Sene scored too,” Imbongo said. “I’m happy that the coach gave me the chance to prove to everybody that I can score.”

There’s no question that players such as Agudelo, who’s currently out with a right knee sprain, and Sene have proven their scoring prowess in the past. Their success is, by no means, surprising. But to see Imbongo and Barrett make meaningful contributions certainly speaks to just how deep the Revolution are up top.

“We have a good competition going on there every week, (so) training does matter,” Heaps said. “I’ve said that from the beginning, that I want to see these guys earn time, and I think they’ve done that.”

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- There's no place like home, and that statement rang especially true for the Revolution on Saturday.

After four weeks away from the friendly confines of Gillette Stadium, the Revolution scored early and late to grab a much-needed 2-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes.

"For us, we needed to get home and get some points," Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said. "We were defensively sound, but we weren't as good as we can be offensively."

The 13,732 in attendance were promised postgame fireworks in commemoration of the Fourth of the July weekend, but the fans didn't have wait long for the Revolution to launch an early rocket.

In the 13th minute, Saer Sene initially ripped a shot that Jon Busch punched away before it fell to Stephen McCarthy, who quickly played it to Lee Nguyen. From there, Nguyen found Sene for a second opportunity, and the Frenchman didn't disappoint when he unleashed a 25-yard shot that flew past the reach of Busch.

"I like to shoot from far away," Sene said. "I don't like to think too much. When I am on the field, I am trying stuff, and I'm happy that tonight [it] was successful."

With the home crowd behind them and the familiar turf underneath their feet, the Revolution pressed for more as the first frame unfolded.

After a San Jose giveaway near midfield, Scott Caldwell played a keen ball forward to Chad Barrett, who ran onto it, went forward and sent it across for Diego Fagundez, who arrived a step too late to tap it through in the 28th minute.

Six minutes later, Andrew Farrell pushed forward and played a quick game of give-and-go with Kelyn Rowe before the full back's subsequent shot was denied by the shoe top of Busch at the last moment.

"I'm not sure we had our best stuff tonight," Heaps said. "But we still won, [and] if we play as well as we're capable of and [given] how deep our squad is, we know we can compete with any team in this league, especially when we play here at home."

Although the offense was guilty of missing a handful of prime chances to put the game out of reach at halftime, the defense came through to keep the Earthquakes from sneaking back into the match.

McCarthy and fellow center back Jose Goncalves cleared a number of San Jose crosses out of danger and succeeded in keeping the likes of Adam Jahn and Alan Gordon from putting a single shot on frame. Without having to worry about Chris Wondolowski (Gold Cup), Marvin Chavez (Gold Cup) and Steven Lenhart (injured), the Revolution center backs clamped down on the San Jose attack all night.

"If you look at the way the game played out, [McCarthy] and Jose [Goncalves] were the reason we won the game," Revolution left back Chris Tierney said. "The way that [San Jose] plays is that they've got two big, strong forwards, and that's a tough assignment for any defender in this league. [McCarthy] and Jose are the biggest and strongest out there."

It appeared in the latter stages that the onus of squeezing out three points would fall on the defense, until the 78th minute, when another blonde-mohawked striker took center stage.

With the Revolution in search of an insurance goal, Rowe played it ahead to Nguyen, who ran toward the right post searching for a runner inside the area. He found one when Dimitry Imbongo slid into Nguyen's pass and sent it into the net.

"I am really happy that [Imbongo] scored," Sene said. "Maybe, it's special for the people because we both have the mohawks. We are happy because it was a very important game, and we needed these three points."

Imbongo's goal lifted a considerable weight off the Revolution's defense, especially given San Jose's propensity for scoring late. And when referee Carlos Rivera chirped his whistle three times, the Revolution victory -- their first since early June - allowed the home fans to savor the postgame fireworks.

"We're always most comfortable at home," Tierney said. "I think a lot of teams around the league really don't look forward to coming here, which is obviously to our advantage."

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Saer Sene and Dimitry Imbongo each scored to give the New England Revolution to a 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

Sene opened the scoring with a 25-yard blast in the 13th minute, while Imbongo scored the insurance goal from a Lee Nguyen cross in the 78th minute. Bobby Shuttleworth made two saves to collect his eighth clean sheet of the season.

The 2-0 victory snapped the Revolution's three-game winless streak (0-1-2) upped their record to 6-5-6 (24 points). The loss sank the Earthquakes, who have lost their last two, to 5-9-6 (21 points).

What it means: For the Revolution, who hadn't won since a 5-0 thrashing of the Galaxy, Saturday's win is exactly what they needed to get back in the postseason conversation. With the second half of the season on the horizon, the Revolution wasted no time dictating the tempo, albeit against an Earthquakes side severely depleted by injuries, suspension, and national team call-ups. Even so, Jay Heaps has to feel good about the way his players responded following a frustrating 1-1 draw against Chivas USA last week -- a draw that doesn't feel as much like a loss in the wake of Saturday's win.

Stat of the game: In a game in which the Revolution could've collected twice as many goals with greater precision, the hosts recorded nine shots on goal versus just two from San Jose.

Simms out, Caldwell in: After starting last week's game against Chivas USA, veteran center half Clyde Simms was benched in favor of rookie Scott Caldwell. The 22-year-old Homegrown Player went 90 minutes and played a couple of keen balls ahead to Chad Barrett in the first half.

Barrett gets start: With Jerry Bengtson's less than stellar performance against the Goats last week, Revolution head coach Jay Heaps elected to start Chad Barrett up top. Barrett scored the 88th-minute equalizer off the bench in the 1-1 draw at the StubHub Center.

Next up: The Revolution will remain at home for a second straight week when they host the Houston Dynamo on July 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- For the first time in nearly four weeks, the Revolution (5-5-6, 21 points) will be back in front of the home supporters. And, thankfully for the local XI, they probably won't have to face the same challenges Chivas USA presented to them last weekend.

Instead of trying to keep pace with the Revolution, the Western Conference bottom-feeders resigned themselves to dropping numbers to keep New England off the board for nearly 90 minutes.

Although an 88th-minute Chad Barrett equalizer salvaged a point for the Revolution, one thing they won't have to worry about this weekend is a reprisal of last week's proceedings at Gillette Stadium with the high-powered San Jose Earthquakes (5-8-6, 21 points) in town.

"It's going to be a completely different game," Revolution center back Stephen McCarthy said. "So we're just getting prepared for a lot of long balls, a lot of clearing out headers and figuring out how to deal with that type of pressure."

There's no question the Earthquakes present a vastly different challenge than the one presented to the Revolution last week in southern California.

For starters, San Jose has both the players and the quality to break an opponent down, and they have the ability to do so in quick-strike fashion. With Shea Selinas and Sam Cronin whipping balls into the box, and Chris Wondolowski or Adam Jahn pounding them through, it's safe to say the Earthquakes won't be sitting back and waiting for the game to come to them.

Of course, it may seem that way for the self-proclaimed "Goonies," whose never-say-die attitude spearheaded a slew of late-game goals en route to the 2012 Supporters' Shield Trophy. Call it luck or pluck -- either way, the waning stages became the dramatic theater for San Jose supporters last season.

But after head coach Frank Yallop parted ways with the club last month, interim head coach Mark Watson has slowly changed the team's attacking philosophy in recent weeks.

"We know they're a little more possession-oriented now," Heaps said. "But at the same time, they're also Highway 1. They're difficult when you get the ball up and they get second balls. When you see them late in games making runs, it's because they're battling and fighting."

To put the breaks on Watson's bunch, Heaps knows that his club will have to use its strengths from start to finish, and without interruption.

"When we're playing well," Heaps said, "we possess in the right areas, and we also know that it's a team defense top to bottom. But the most important thing is intensity, we have to match their intensity and actually bring more if you're at home."

Intensity will certainly be key for the Revolution, especially against an opponent like the Earthquakes, who will be playing their third game in eight days on Saturday.

Even so, McCarthy isn't expecting tired legs or a dull approach from the Earthquakes, even with Wondolowski (United States) and Marvin Chavez (Honduras) unavailable due to National Team duty.

"It's going to be a battle," McCarthy said. "Whoever they put up top, it's going to be a brawl and that's the opposite of what Chivas USA did. So we have to be prepared for that and not fall into any stupid (mistakes) and stay turned-on the whole time with all the balls they put in the air. We've got to be ready."

Nearly a month after their last match at Gillette Stadium, the New England Revolution (5-5-6, 21 points) return home for an interconference clash against the San Jose Earthquakes (5-8-6, 21 points) on Saturday.

The game will kickoff at 7:30 p.m.

Last year, the Revolution dropped a season-opening 1-0 loss to the Earthquakes at Buck Shaw Stadium. The last time the Earthquakes paid a visit to Gillette Stadium, they walked away with a 2-1 win on Oct. 8, 2011.

* Saturday’s match marks the first time the Revolution have hosted a Fourth of July weekend match since 2007, when they played to a 1-1 draw against Chivas USA on July 7. Current Revolution midfielder Andy Dorman -- who set sail for Europe following the season, only to return during the 2012-13 offseason -- scored the lone goal for the hosts.

* The Revolution enter Saturday’s contest unbeaten in their last four at home (2-0-2), with their last loss in front of the home supporters a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on May 8.

* San Jose currently has a five-game unbeaten hold (4-0-1) on the Revolution dating back to 2009. The last time New England got the best of the ‘Quakes came in a 1-0 season-opening win at Buck Shaw Stadium in on Mar. 21, 2009.

* The Revolution will be without starting striker Juan Agudelo for the second straight game. Agudelo sustained a right knee sprain during the latter stages of the Revolution’s 3-1 Open Cup loss to D.C. United on June 26 and missed last weekend’s league match at Chivas USA. Head coach Jay Heaps hasn’t given a timetable for his striker’s return, but recently told revolutionsoccer.net, “We’ve got to manage him over the next days and week and see how he recovers.”

* San Jose midfielder Shea Salinas will be unavailable for Saturday’s match after he was hit with a one-game suspension for elbowing Robbie Keane in the fifth minute of last week’s 3-2 win over the Galaxy.

* They said it: “My goal was fortunate enough to beat him; it always seems like I can always score against him, I don’t know why. He probably hates me for that, but he’s the top goalkeeper.” -- Revolution striker and late-game hero Chad Barrett following Saturday’s 1-1 draw to Chivas USA. Barrett scored the Revolution’s goal in the 88th minute.