FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- It was a return for the ages Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.
Less than a month after he was abruptly traded to Chivas USA, former Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph punished his former team by scoring two goals en route to a come-from-behind 3-3 draw against New England on Wednesday.
“It feels good to score two goals,” Joseph said after the game. “It doesn’t matter what team. It’s bittersweet that it’s against my old team, and it feels good.”
On a night he drew the loudest ovation from the Foxborough faithful, Joseph, who spent nearly a decade in a Revolution uniform, did not disappoint.
Yes, his two goals may have set the stage for the Goats' three-goal comeback. But perhaps more importantly, Joseph helped instill his trademark never-say-die attitude on a team that’s fighting to make a late run at a postseason berth.
“[Shalrie Joseph is] a confident leader,” Chivas USA Robin Fraser said after the game. “On the field he’s such an impactful player because he’s such a presence. He’s a big presence for us, and for teams to be successful you need a couple players like that and certainly he adds that to our team.”
No doubt Joseph was a presence for much of Wednesday’s match. After shaking off a costly turnover that led to the Revolution’s third goal, Joseph reverted to his former self and carried the club on his shoulders, just as he’d done so many times during his time in Foxborough.
“I just kept pushing guys and just believing [when the team went down 3-0],” Joseph said. “As you said, we were in a hole last week against Seattle, and we ended up scoring two like that. Once we started to push guys, we just got that feeling that we can be right back in it.”
And that’s exactly what Chivas USA did.
Two minutes after the Revolution reeled off their third goal of the game, the Goats earned a corner kick. And even though the deficit stood at three, the Goats only needed to score one to get things started.
With that in mind, Miller Bolanos guided his corner right into the area Joseph ran to, and a split second later the ball was bouncing inside the net. One down, two to go.
With halftime approaching and the Goats pressing the issue, Joseph grabbed a pass from Juan Agudelo and unleashed what could only be described as a “wonder goal.” Two down, one to go.
“I don't think I've seen Shalrie hit a ball with his left foot like that in 10 years,” quipped Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis.
Chivas used the momentum gained in the latter part of the first half to level it in the 47th minute, when Bolanos finished what Joseph started when he nodded through a Casey Townsend pass. Goodbye, three-goal deficit.
Although neither team could grab the go-ahead goal before the final whistle, it was clear that Joseph’s presence had a direct impact on the final score.
“Shalrie’s a gamer,” Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said. “I bet you he circled this one. Credit to him. He put this team on his back and he did a nice job.”
Yet, Joseph wasn’t in a hurry to shoulder all the praise. Although he may have been the primary actor in his team’s remarkable comeback, the man who wore the captain’s armband in Foxborough for so long instead put his team’s agenda at the forefront.
“It’s more than about me right now,” Joseph. “It’s about a team trying to make a playoff run. That’s what we’ve got to look forward to.”
Meanwhile, Joseph says he has “no hard feelings” against Heaps, who dropped Joseph from the starting lineup in the weeks leading to the trade. Not that there’s any time for it, of course. He and his new teammates are in the middle of a battle for a playoff spot.
“I can’t really dwell on that anymore,” Joseph said. “It’s in the past, and now I just have to make sure I practice every day and work hard every day, keep pushing this team and get ourselves into the playoffs.”
Less than a month after he was abruptly traded to Chivas USA, former Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph punished his former team by scoring two goals en route to a come-from-behind 3-3 draw against New England on Wednesday.
[+] Enlarge
Jared Wickerham/Getty ImagesShalrie Joseph and former Revs teammate A.J. Soares put the competition aside for a moment.
On a night he drew the loudest ovation from the Foxborough faithful, Joseph, who spent nearly a decade in a Revolution uniform, did not disappoint.
Yes, his two goals may have set the stage for the Goats' three-goal comeback. But perhaps more importantly, Joseph helped instill his trademark never-say-die attitude on a team that’s fighting to make a late run at a postseason berth.
“[Shalrie Joseph is] a confident leader,” Chivas USA Robin Fraser said after the game. “On the field he’s such an impactful player because he’s such a presence. He’s a big presence for us, and for teams to be successful you need a couple players like that and certainly he adds that to our team.”
No doubt Joseph was a presence for much of Wednesday’s match. After shaking off a costly turnover that led to the Revolution’s third goal, Joseph reverted to his former self and carried the club on his shoulders, just as he’d done so many times during his time in Foxborough.
“I just kept pushing guys and just believing [when the team went down 3-0],” Joseph said. “As you said, we were in a hole last week against Seattle, and we ended up scoring two like that. Once we started to push guys, we just got that feeling that we can be right back in it.”
And that’s exactly what Chivas USA did.
Two minutes after the Revolution reeled off their third goal of the game, the Goats earned a corner kick. And even though the deficit stood at three, the Goats only needed to score one to get things started.
[+] Enlarge
Jared Wickerham/Getty ImagesRevs goaltender Matt Reis attempts to clear a ball away from Shalrie Joseph, who led the Chivas' three-goal comeback.
With halftime approaching and the Goats pressing the issue, Joseph grabbed a pass from Juan Agudelo and unleashed what could only be described as a “wonder goal.” Two down, one to go.
“I don't think I've seen Shalrie hit a ball with his left foot like that in 10 years,” quipped Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis.
Chivas used the momentum gained in the latter part of the first half to level it in the 47th minute, when Bolanos finished what Joseph started when he nodded through a Casey Townsend pass. Goodbye, three-goal deficit.
Although neither team could grab the go-ahead goal before the final whistle, it was clear that Joseph’s presence had a direct impact on the final score.
“Shalrie’s a gamer,” Revolution head coach Jay Heaps said. “I bet you he circled this one. Credit to him. He put this team on his back and he did a nice job.”
Yet, Joseph wasn’t in a hurry to shoulder all the praise. Although he may have been the primary actor in his team’s remarkable comeback, the man who wore the captain’s armband in Foxborough for so long instead put his team’s agenda at the forefront.
“It’s more than about me right now,” Joseph. “It’s about a team trying to make a playoff run. That’s what we’ve got to look forward to.”
Meanwhile, Joseph says he has “no hard feelings” against Heaps, who dropped Joseph from the starting lineup in the weeks leading to the trade. Not that there’s any time for it, of course. He and his new teammates are in the middle of a battle for a playoff spot.
“I can’t really dwell on that anymore,” Joseph said. “It’s in the past, and now I just have to make sure I practice every day and work hard every day, keep pushing this team and get ourselves into the playoffs.”
ABOUT THIS BLOG
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution are one of the 10 original MLS teams that began play in 1996. In their history, the Revolution have reached the MLS Cup finals four times (2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007) but have yet to win. For more information on the Revs, check out their official website or follow them on Twitter here.
You must be signed in to post a comment