2008 New England Revolution season

New England Revolution
2008 season
Owner	Robert Kraft
Head coach	Steve Nicol
MLS	Conference: 3rd; Overall: 5th
MLS Cup Playoffs	Conference Semifinals
U.S. Open Cup	Semifinals
Superliga	Champions
Champions League	Preliminary round
Top goalscorer	League: Ralston (8); All: Ralston (9)
Average home league attendance	17,580 (regular season); 5,221 (playoffs)
Home colors	Away colors
	← 2007 2009 →

The 2008 New England Revolution season was the thirteenth season of the team's existence. The regular season began on March 29, 2008, with a 3–0 win over the Houston Dynamo and ended on November 6 with a 3–0 playoff loss to the Chicago Fire.

Background

After losing a third straight MLS Cup final in 2007, the Revs began the 2008 season with high hopes. For the first time in team history, New England participated in four different competitions during the regular season. Their 2007 U.S. Open Cup had qualified them for the preliminary round of the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League, and their top-four finish qualified them for the 2008 North American SuperLiga. The Revs also played matches in the 2008 Open Cup and the 2008 regular season.

Review

The club started the season well, reaching their July league-fixture recess at the top of the overall MLS table. This early-season success continued in the 2008 SuperLiga, which the club won on August 5, 2008, by beating their 2-time MLS Cup rival the Houston Dynamo on penalties.^[2] Injuries, fatigue, and fixture congestion eventually caught up with the Revs, however, and the team performed poorly after returning to MLS league play. In an effort to spell his regular starters, coach Steve Nicol started mostly reserves in an Open Cup semifinal against D.C. United. The Revs lost the match, and Nicol was widely criticized for the decision. The Revolution also crashed out of the CONCACAF Champions League, losing to regional minnows Joe Public FC of Trinidad and Tobago 6-1 on aggregate, including an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Gillette Stadium.

Mostly on the strength of their hot start, the Revolution managed to make the playoffs. They were unable to advance, however, as they drew 0–0 at home and lost 3–0 away to the Chicago Fire.^[3]

Match results

Win Tie Loss

Friendlies

On March 6, the Revolution played a match against CF Atlante in Playa del Carmen.^[4]

MLS regular season

March 29, 2008	New England Revolution	3–0	Houston Dynamo	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT	Ralston 15' Cristman 32' Nyassi 92+'	(report)	Mulrooney 58'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 11,116 Referee: Michael Kennedy

April 3, 2008	Chicago Fire	4–0	New England Revolution	Chicago, Illinois, United States
7:00 PM CDT	Barrett 4' 50' Mapp 17' Frankowski 22' 39' Blanco 37' Gutierrez 89'	(report)	Larentowicz 7' Joseph 7'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 15,553 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

April 09, 2008	Kansas City Wizards	1–3	New England Revolution	Kansas City, Missouri United States
7:00 PM CDT		(report)		Stadium: CommunityAmerica Ballpark Attendance: 8,096 Referee: Terry Vaughn

April 12, 2010	New England Revolution	0–1	Colorado Rapids	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

April 19, 2008	New York Red Bulls	1–1	New England Revolution	East Rutherford, New Jersey United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Giants Stadium

April 24, 2008	FC Dallas	0–1	New England Revolution	Frisco, Texas, United States
7:30 PM CDT				Stadium: Pizza Hut Park

May 3, 2008	New England Revolution	0–3	Chicago Fire	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

May 11, 2008	Chivas USA	1–2	New England Revolution	Carson, California, United States
12:00 PM PDT				Stadium: Home Depot Center

May 17, 2008	New England Revolution	2–0	San Jose Earthquakes	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

May 24, 2008	Columbus Crew	0–1	New England Revolution	Columbus, Ohio, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium

May 29, 2008	New England Revolution	2–2	D.C. United	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

June 6, 2008	New England Revolution	2–1	FC Dallas	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
6:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

June 12, 2008	Houston Dynamo	0–2	New England Revolution	Houston, Texas, United States
8:00 PM CDT				Stadium: Robertson Stadium

June 18, 2008	New England Revolution	1–1	New York Red Bulls	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

June 21, 2008	Real Salt Lake	2–1	New England Revolution	Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
7:30 PM MDT				Stadium: Rice-Eccles Stadium

June 28, 2008	New England Revolution	2–1	Toronto FC	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

July 4, 2008	Los Angeles Galaxy	1–2	New England Revolution	Carson, California, United States
PDT				Stadium: Home Depot Center

August 9, 2008	New England Revolution	1–2	Chicago Fire	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

August 16, 2008	San Jose Earthquakes	4–0	New England Revolution	San Jose, California, United States
7:00 PM EDT				Stadium: Buck Shaw Stadium

August 20, 2008	New England Revolution	2–1	D.C. United	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

August 23, 2008	Toronto FC	1–1	New England Revolution	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
7:30 PM				Stadium: BMO Field

August 30, 2008	New England Revolution	2–2	Los Angeles Galaxy	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

September 6, 2008	Columbus Crew	4–0	New England Revolution	Columbus, Ohio, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium

September 11, 2008	New England Revolution	4–0	Chivas USA	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:00 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

September 20, 2008	Colorado Rapids	1–1	New England Revolution	Commerce City, Colorado, United States
7:00 PM CDT				Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park

September 27, 2008	New England Revolution	0–1	Columbus Crew	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

October 4, 2008	New England Revolution	2–2	Real Salt Lake	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

October 11, 2008	Kansas City Wizards	1–0	New England Revolution	Kansas City, Kansas, United States
7:00 PM CDT				Stadium: CommunityAmerica Ballpark

October 16, 2008	D.C. United	2–1	New England Revolution	Washington, D.C., United States
8:00 PM EDT				Stadium: RFK Stadium

October 25, 2008	New England Revolution	3–1	Kansas City Wizards	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
7:30 PM EDT				Stadium: Gillette Stadium

Open Cup

July 1, 2008 Third round	New England Revolution	3–0	Richmond Kickers	New Britain, Connecticut, United States
7:00 PM EDT	Brill 46' Germanese 63' Twellman 67'	(report)		Stadium: Veteran's Memorial Stadium Attendance: 3,950 Referee: Tony Russo

July 8, 2008 Quarterfinals	New England Revolution	1–1 (5-3 p)	Crystal Palace Baltimore	New Britain, Connecticut, United States
7:00 PM EDT	Mansally 6' Igwe 33' Hilgenbrinck 59'	(report)	Lader 20' Teixeira 78' Harkin 109' Flores 119'	Stadium: Veteran's Memorial Stadium Attendance: 2,590 Referee: Hilario Grajeda
	Penalties
	Hilgenbrinck Dube Tierney Igwe Castro		Harada Harkin Mbuta Teixeira

August 12, 2008 Semifinals	D.C. United	3–1	New England Revolution	Washington, D.C., United States
7:30 PM EDT	Emilio 4' 81' Quaranta 48' McTavish 50'	(report)	Germanese 34' Igwe 38' Thompson	Stadium: RFK Stadium Attendance: 6,797 Referee: Jorge Gonzalez

SuperLiga

July 14, 2008 Group B	New England Revolution	1–0	Santos Laguna	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
8:00 PM EDT	Dube 70'	(report)	Rodriguez 40'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 10,118 Referee: Enrico Wijngaarde

July 16, 2008 Group B	New England Revolution	1–0	Pachuca	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
8:00 PM EDT	Smith 96+' (pen.)	(report)		Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 9,614 Referee: Walter Quesada

July 20, 2008 Group B	Chivas USA	1–1	New England Revolution	Fullerton, California, United States
5:00 PM PDT	Razov 59'	(report)	Joseph 78'	Stadium: Titan Stadium Attendance: 4,738 Referee: Abiodun Okulaja

July 30, 2008 Semifinal	New England Revolution	1–0	Puebla	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
8:00 PM EDT	Joseph 30' Heaps 90+'	(report)	Rey 85' Zamora 90+' Vilar 90+' Muñoz 90+' Venegas 90+'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 8,302 Referee: Carlos Batres

August 5, 2008 Final	New England Revolution	2–2 (6–5 p)	Houston Dynamo	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
8:00 EDT	Ralston 41' Joseph 82', 102'	Report	Davis 14' Jaqua 18' Kamara 98'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 9,242 Referee: Howard Webb
	Penalties
	Ralston Reis Joseph Twellman Smith Larentowicz Tierney Albright		Waibel Wondolowski De Rosario Ching Clark Barrett Kamara Ashe

Champions League

August 26, 2008 Preliminary round	Joe Public	2–1	New England Revolution	Macoya, Trinidad and Tobago
9:00 EDT	Richardson 50' Gay 70'		Castro 76' (pen.)	Stadium: Marvin Lee Stadium Attendance: 2,100 Referee: Courtney Campbell

September 2, 2008 Preliminary round	New England Revolution	0–4	Joe Public	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
8:00 EDT			Richardson 17' 45' 81' Nelson 48'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Steven Depiero

Playoffs

October 30, 2008 Conference Semifinals	New England Revolution	0–0	Chicago Fire	Foxborough, Massachusetts, United States
8:00 PM EDT		Report		Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 5,221 Referee: Alex Prus

November 6, 2008 Conference Semifinals	Chicago Fire	3–0	New England Revolution	Bridgeview, Illinois, United States
7:45 PM CDT	Thorrington 36' Rolfe 47+' Conde 49' Busch 62' Segares 74'	(report)	Albright Igwe 47' Joseph 53'	Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 17,312 Referee: Jair Marrufo

Standings

Conference

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Columbus Crew	30	17	7	6	50	36	+14	57	MLS Cup Playoffs
2	Chicago Fire	30	13	10	7	44	33	+11	46
3	New England Revolution	30	12	11	7	40	43	−3	43
4	Kansas City Wizards	30	11	10	9	37	39	−2	42
5	New York Red Bulls	30	10	11	9	42	48	−6	39
6	D.C. United	30	11	15	4	43	51	−8	37
7	Toronto FC	30	9	13	8	34	43	−9	35

Source: MLS

Overall

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Columbus Crew (C, S)	30	17	7	6	50	36	+14	57	CONCACAF Champions League
2	Houston Dynamo	30	13	5	12	45	32	+13	51	CONCACAF Champions League
3	Chicago Fire	30	13	10	7	44	33	+11	46	North American SuperLiga
4	Chivas USA	30	12	11	7	40	41	−1	43
5	New England Revolution	30	12	11	7	40	43	−3	43
6	Kansas City Wizards	30	11	10	9	37	39	−2	42
7	Real Salt Lake	30	10	10	10	40	39	+1	40
8	New York Red Bulls	30	10	11	9	42	48	−6	39	CONCACAF Champions League
9	Colorado Rapids	30	11	14	5	44	45	−1	38
10	D.C. United	30	11	15	4	43	51	−8	37	CONCACAF Champions League
11	FC Dallas	30	8	10	12	45	41	+4	36
12	Toronto FC	30	9	13	8	34	43	−9	35	CONCACAF Champions League^[a]
13	LA Galaxy	30	8	13	9	55	62	−7	33
14	San Jose Earthquakes	30	8	13	9	32	38	−6	33

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
Notes:

^ As winners of the 2009 Canadian Championship

Notes

^ "2008 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^ McCarthy, Kyle (August 6, 2008). "Revs Capture SuperLiga 2008 Crown". Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
^ "Fire 3, Revolution 0". New England Revolution. November 6, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "New England Beats Atlante 1-0 in Superliga". Journal Tribune. Foxborough. July 31, 2008. p. 16. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024.

External Links

2008 Schedule

[table_note_res_CAN0.72121453179103-5] As winners of the 2009 Canadian Championship

[1] "2008 Full Season Stats". Major League Soccer. Retrieved September 5, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

[2] McCarthy, Kyle (August 6, 2008). "Revs Capture SuperLiga 2008 Crown". Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.

[3] "Fire 3, Revolution 0". New England Revolution. November 6, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2010.^{[permanent dead link]}

[Journal_Tribune_Atlante-4] "New England Beats Atlante 1-0 in Superliga". Journal Tribune. Foxborough. July 31, 2008. p. 16. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[a]

v t e Major League Soccer
Seasons 2024 season Records and statistics 400 or more appearances 100 or more goals Hat-tricks Players Association Rivalry cups History Timeline Expansion U.S. Soccer Canada Soccer
Eastern Conference	Atlanta United FC Charlotte FC Chicago Fire FC FC Cincinnati Columbus Crew D.C. United Inter Miami CF CF Montréal Nashville SC New England Revolution New York City FC New York Red Bulls Orlando City SC Philadelphia Union Toronto FC
Western Conference	Austin FC Colorado Rapids FC Dallas Houston Dynamo FC Sporting Kansas City LA Galaxy Los Angeles FC Minnesota United FC Portland Timbers Real Salt Lake San Jose Earthquakes Seattle Sounders FC St. Louis City SC Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Future teams	San Diego FC (2025)
Former teams	Tampa Bay Mutiny (1996–2001) Miami Fusion (1998–2001) Chivas USA (2005–2014)
Personnel	Foreign players National team players International slots Designated Players Homegrown Players Generation Adidas Cup Transfers Coaches Owners Professional Referee Organization
Competition	MLS Cup Playoffs Finals Trophy Supporters' Shield SuperDraft Stadiums Attendance Television Broadcasters All-Star Game MLS Cup
Associated competitions	All-Star Game MLS Next CONCACAF Champions Cup Campeones Cup Leagues Cup U.S. Open Cup Canadian Championship Reserve League eMLS Cup MLS is Back Tournament MLS Next MLS Next Pro
Other	Generation Adidas Performance in Champions Cup Hall of Fame Valuations Central Division (2000–2001)
Category Portal Multimedia

v t e 2008 MLS season by team
SuperDraft All-Star Game Playoffs MLS Cup Transfers
Eastern	Chicago Fire Columbus Crew D.C. United Kansas City Wizards New England Revolution New York Red Bulls Toronto FC
Western	Chivas USA Colorado Rapids FC Dallas Houston Dynamo Los Angeles Galaxy Real Salt Lake San Jose Earthquakes