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You just knew the run would end for the New England Revolution would eventually, but watch injuries destroy the Revs late in the year left you wondering whether these Revs can come back in 2009, or whether it's time to rebuild.

The Chicago Fire will play host to the New England Revolution tonight in the second leg of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. The winner of tonight's match will book a place in the Eastern Conference final after the teams tied, 0-0, in the first leg at Gillette Stadium.

The first ticket to the MLS conference finals will be issued on Thursday night, with the Chicago Fire and New England Revolution facing off in a winner-take-all playoff series game two. Their first-leg match ended scoreless, leaving the Revs to have to travel to Toyota Park to beat a Chicago team they failed to defeat in four attempts.

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Chicago Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch has been named MLS goalkeeper of the year, beating out Columbus Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer and New England Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis, Major League Soccer announced on Tuesday.

The 2008 MLS playoffs are about to kick off tonight with the most familiar of playoff match-ups as the New England Revolution play host to the Chicago Fire at RFK Stadium (8pm, ESPN2).

The Revs have beaten the Fire in the past three playoffs, but the task will be extremely difficult this time around without Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston, who are both out due to injuries.

The 2008 MLS playoffs kick off tonight with the Chicago Fire traveling to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution tonight (7:30pm, ESPN2).

The task is a difficult one for the Revs, who must try to beat Chicago without Taylor Twellman and Steve Ralston, the team's two best attacking players.

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for the New England Revolution heading into its MLS playoff series vs. the Chicago Fire, the Revs have been hit with more bad news. The Boston Globe is reporting that star striker Taylor Twellman is out indefinitely with 'concussion-related problems'.

The New York Red Bulls are in must-win mode tonight as they face the first-place Columbus Crew needing a victory to hold on to the final MLS playoff spot (7:30pm, MSG2).

It isn't going to be easy, and not just because the Crew is playing some of the best soccer in MLS. The Red Bulls are dealing with the distraction and on-field impact of performance enhancing drug suspensions for starting goalkeeper Jon Conway and starting central defender Jeff Parke.

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Trailing by a goal with fewer than 30 minutes left in the match, D.C. United looked like it might wind up seeing its playoff hopes dashed on the RFK Stadium turf. That was before Francis Doe saved the day.

D.C. United will make what could be its last stand for a playoff berth tonight as it plays host to the New England Revolution in a match it cannot afford to lose.

Can D.C. muster an attack without Marcelo Gallardo and Fred, and with a rusty Luciano Emilio? Will New England be able to finish D.

The New England Revolution and Chivas USA will kick off the first round of the first annual CONCACAF Champions League tonight with the Revs facing Trinidad & Tobago champions Joe Public while Chivas USA is in Panama to face Panamanian champions Tauro FC.

This year marks the first playing of the CONCACAF Champions League, a tournament featuring 24 teams rather than the eight teams featured in the tournament's original version, the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

You wouldn't know that New England has spent most of the season as the class of the league and San Jose has spent most of the year as the worst team in the league based on their meeting on Saturday. The revamped Earthquakes thrashed a short-handed Revs side 4-0 to serve notice that their drive for a playoff spot isn't an exercise in futility.

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U.S. Olympic team midfielder (and part-time karaoke singer) Benny Feilhaber is in talks with Major League Soccer about a move that could land him in the league with the New England Revolution.

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The 2008 SuperLiga Tournament came to a close in dramatic fashion on Tuesday night as New England defeated the Houston Dynamo on penalty kicks. Matt Reis played the hero, stopping a pair of shots, including the final shot by Houston's Corey Ashe to give the Revs a second trophy to go with last year's U.

The MLS Player's Union has announced that the New England Revolution and Houston Dynamo will split the winning and second-place purses for the SuperLiga final (set for Tuesday at Gillette Stadium) in a show of solidarity.

"The players have made this decision to show their solidarity and in protest of the league's violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement with respect to the negotiation of bonuses for this tournament.

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Good morning all. Last night was a good night to be an MLS fan. New England toppled Mexican champions Atlante in SuperLiga while the Chicago Fire defeated Everton in a friendly. Couple those results with the latest in the European soccer world and we've got a lot to get to this morning.

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Jozy Altidore left. So did Brad Guzan. Juan Toja could be leaving soon too, as could Kenny Cooper.

As the list of MLS players set to make moves to Europe continues to grow, one name not on that list is Taylor Twellman, the New England Revolution striker who had his bid for a multi-million dollar move to Preston North End rejected last winter.

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New England midfielder Pat Phelan is recovering from a concussion suffered during last night's SuperLiga match between the Revolution and Pachuca (which the Revs won, 1-0, on a late Khano Smith PK).

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When the MLS All-Star reserves were named on Tuesday there were some very glaring absences from a list that included Juan Pablo Angel, Pat Onstad, Dwayne DeRosario, Jim Brennan, Pablo Mastroeni, Edson Buddle and Christian Gomez.

The second edition of the SuperLiga Tournament pitting the best teams in MLS and the best from Mexico is set to kick off tonight with a pair of juicy match-ups. D.C. United, the hottest team in MLS, plays host to Chivas de Guadalara at RFK Stadium, while defending MLS champion Houston faces Mexican champion Atlante at Robertson Stadium.

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The Red Bulls' reported plans for a trial for Honduran Under-23 forward George Welcome may be an exercise in futility because they aren't the first MLS team to express interest in the Olympic Qualifying star.

There's no place like home. At least not for Toronto FC, which has yet to lose an MLS match at BMO Field. Their record away from home is another story as the Canadians continue struggling when they make their way south.

New England's home form has left something to be desired this season.

There's no place like home. At least not for Toronto FC, which has yet to lose an MLS match at BMO Field. Their record away from home is another story as the Canadians continue struggling when they make their way south.

New England's home form has left something to be desired this season.

Real Salt Lake can't lose.

Stop rubbing your eyes. You really did just read that first sentence correctly. Real Salt Lake is unbeaten in five games and looking like a real challenger for a playoff spot in the wide-open Western Conference.

If RSL needed a signature win to show it is for real, that win came on Saturday against a New England team that hadn't lost in seven matches.

Who can figure out the New England Revolution?

The Revs have been one of the strongest teams in MLS all season, but for some reason when they play at Gillette Stadium they have been prone to flat performances. Such a showing came yet again on Thursday, as an inspired and gritty Red Bulls team nearly pulled a rare win at Gillette before settling for a well-earned draw.

Playing without Taylor Twellman and Shalrie Joseph, two of the league's best players, New England showed off its depth in beating another short-handed team, the Houston Dynamo, for the second time this season. The 2-0 road win has helped push the Revs atop the Eastern Conference and has folks talking about them finally breaking that MLS Cup jinx.

Playing without Taylor Twellman and Shalrie Joseph, two of the league's best players, New England showed off its depth in beating another short-handed team, the Houston Dynamo, for the second time this season. The 2-0 road win has helped push the Revs atop the Eastern Conference and has folks talking about them finally breaking that MLS Cup jinx.

Good morning class. My name is Shawn Francis and I will be your substitute for today as it seems that your regular teacher, Mr. Galarcep is away for a teachers in service day???whatever that means. You can just call me SF because I like to keep it loose. Now I know that I do not have the same qualifications as Mr.

D.C. United's climb out of the Eastern Conference hit a snag in New England last Thursday. D.C. was up two goals and playing the type of soccer most of us expected them to play.

Then the defense collapsed yet again.

New England rebounded from an awful first half to erase the two-goal deficit as Matt Reis kept his team in the match yet again with a series of acrobatic saves.

Let's talk about the soccer.

While other incidents at the Revs-Crew match have garnered more attention, let's take this moment to look back at the actual soccer match that took place. New England traveled to Columbus and put on a display of physical soccer that would have made the old Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia Flyers proud.

Good afternoon all.

So I'm sitting here, looking for stories to post and taking care of some SBI housekeeping when an email pops up from the New England Revolution. The subject line said "New England Revolution Transactions." Seemed harmless enough. Then it dawned on me that these are the Revs we are talking about and there isn't a more shrewd front office in the league, so I opened the email to see about these transactions.

There are homecomings, and there are homecomings.

James Riley only spent three seasons in New England, but his homecoming last Saturday was a special one. No, it wasn't special for him, but for the Revolution, which saw Riley deliver the own-goal of the season to help San Jose continue its recent slide.

There are homecomings, and there are homecomings.

James Riley only spent three seasons in New England, but his homecoming last Saturday was a special one. No, it wasn't special for him, but for the Revolution, which saw Riley deliver the own-goal of the season to help San Jose continue its recent slide.

Things are getting ugly for Chivas USA. The same team that showed so much skill and creativity and potential last season has returned in 2008 looking like a disjointed mess.

New England could have fallen into a similar hole early on this season due to injuries, but strong performances from the Revolution's reserves have kept the Revs afloat in the mighty Eastern Conference.

When the Chicago Fire thrashed the New England Revolution last month, the lopsided scoreline was blamed on Revs midfielder Jeff Larentowicz drawing an early red card. There was no such excuse this week.

Chicago thoroughly outplayed New England on its home turf, putting three unanswered goals past a once-stingy Revs defense in a 3-0 victory.