FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Captain Shalrie Joseph had two assists in his first home appearance since April 10 and rookie forward Zack Schilawski scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute to lift the New England Revolution to a 3-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. The victory was overshadowed, however, by the loss of goalkeeper Preston Burpo, who suffered a severe right leg injury midway through the first half.

Burpo was injured in a collision with Red Bulls midfielder Dane Richards as the pair challenged for a 50-50 ball at the edge of the box in the 34th minute, and the severity of the injury was instantly apparent. The medical staff attended to Burpo on the field for more than five minutes before he was transported by ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a lower right leg fracture.

Second-year goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth replaced Burpo and made two saves to earn his first career victory in his MLS debut.

New York played the final 34 minutes shorthanded after Carlos Mendes received his second yellow card in the 56th minute, while the visitors were reduced to nine men when Roy Miller received a straight red card in the 75th minute.

The win ended the Revolution’s (3-6-2, 11 pts.) seven-game winless streak (0-5-2) and was the club’s first victory since a 4-1 win over Toronto FC on April 10. Meanwhile, the Red Bulls (5-5-0, 15 pts.) have now lost four straight after beginning the season by winning five of their first six matches.

Marko Perovic scored the Revs’ earliest goal of the season in the eighth minute, while an own goal by Red Bulls defender Tim Ream restored New England’s lead in the 24th minute after Seth Stammler had leveled the score in the 20th minute. Juan Pablo Angel evened the score at 2-2 in the 49th minute, but that simply set the stage for Schilawski’s 80th-minute winner.

After deploying a 4-5-1 formation in four straight matches, Revs head coach Steve Nicol returned to his preferred 4-4-2 setup on Saturday night, a move made possible by Joseph’s return. The versatile Chris Tierney joined Joseph in central midfield, while Schilawski returned to the starting lineup for the first time since May 5 to pair with Kheli Dube up top.

New England’s central defensive pairing consisted of midfielders Pat Phelan and Joseph Niouky, with Cory Gibbs (R hamstring strain), Darrius Barnes (R ankle sprain) and Emmanuel Osei (R leg infection) all unavailable.

The formation shift was designed to provide a boost to the Revolution’s attack – which had scored just four goals in its last seven regular-season games – and it did so with immediate results. Joseph came inches from scoring in just the second minute, but his header from six yards out – set up by Phelan’s lofted service from a free kick near midfield – bounced wide of the left post.

The Revolution didn’t have to wait much longer for the opening goal, however, as Joseph combined with Perovic to give the Revs a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute. After creating space for himself in the middle of the field, Joseph sprung Perovic into the right side of the box with a clever chip over the Red Bulls’ backline. Perovic made no mistake, blasting his shot inside the near post to claim his second goal of the season.

New York built a response and Burpo had to be sharp to punch away Joel Lindpere’s driven 25-yard free kick in the 16th minute. Burpo was beaten four minutes later, however, when Stammler’s attempted cross from the left-wing sailed over the netminder’s head and into the far-side netting.

As quickly as the visitors leveled the score, the hosts regained the lead, as Ream turned the ball into his own net in the 24th minute. Overlapping left back Seth Sinovic curled a cross into the box, and Ream – who was marking Dube – rose to head clear but instead sent the ball sharply into the upper corner and post New York goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul.

The back-and-forth pace continued in the 28th minute, when Burpo came up huge to deny Richards from close range after the Jamaican surged down the left wing and cut across the box. Four minutes later, Burpo dove to his right to push away Roy Miller’s 30-yard blast.

The stop on Miller was Burpo’s last save of the match, however, as he was involved in a nasty collision with Richards shortly thereafter. Shuttleworth entered the match and his first involvement arrived in first-half stoppage time, when he was quick to get down to his left to save Sinisa Ubiparipovic’s low drive from the right wing.

The Revolution keeper could do nothing to keep out Angel’s close-range header four minutes after the halftime break, however, as the Red Bulls leveled the score at 2-2. Lindpere began the move by spraying the ball wide left to Danleigh Borman, whose curling cross found Angel open six yards from goal.

Shortly after New York equalized, the tenor of the game changed as Mendes was ejected after receiving his second yellow card for a harsh tackle on Perovic.

The Revs responded by making a double substitution in the 61st minute, bringing on Edgaras Jankauskas and Zak Boggs in place of Dube and Sainey Nyassi. The two substitutes almost linked up just one minute later, but Jankauskas’ clever turn and shot was stopped by Coundoul.

New England’s quest for a late game-winner was aided even further in the 75th minute, when Miller was issued a straight red card after he appeared to catch Boggs in the face with an errant hand as the Revs midfielder rounded him near midfield.

It took the Revolution just five minutes to make the most of their numerical advantage, as Schilawski expertly headed home Joseph’s curling service in the 80th minute. From the left wing, Joseph found Schilawski in behind the Red Bulls backline, and the Revs rookie snapped a header into the upper left corner from eight yards out, handing New England the full three points in the process.

Next weekend, the Revs will make their third cross-country trip of the season, this time heading to the Pacific Northwest for a meeting with Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, June 5. Kickoff from Qwest Field is set for 10:30 p.m. ET. It will be the Revolution’s final regular-season match before going on a brief break for the group stage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

New York Red Bulls at New England Revolution
May 29, 2010 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Scoring Summary:
NE – Marko Perovi? (Shalrie Joseph) 8
NYRB – Seth Stammler (Roy Miller) 20
NE – Own Goal (Tim Ream) 24
NYRB – Juan Pablo Angel (Danleigh Borman, Joel Lindpere) 49
NE – Zack Schilawski (Shalrie Joseph, Joseph Niouky) 80

New England Revolution: Preston Burpo (Bobby Shuttleworth 39), Seth Sinovic, Pat Phelan, Joseph Niouky, Kevin Alston, Marko Perovi?, Shalrie Joseph ©, Chris Tierney, Sainey Nyassi (Zak Boggs 61), Zack Schilawski Kheli Dube (Edgaras Jankauskas 61)

Substitutes Not Used: Kenny Mansally, Khano Smith, Michael Videira

STATS: Shots: 18; Shots on Goal: 7; Saves: 7; Corner Kicks: 6; Offside: 1; Fouls Committed: 14

New York Red Bulls: Bouna Coundoul, Danleigh Borman (Jeremy Hall 70), Tim Ream, Mike Petke, Carlos Mendes, Roy Miller, Seth Stammler, Joel Lindpere, Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Luke Sassano 73), Dane Richards, Juan Pablo Angel (Tony Tchani 79),

Substitutes Not Used: Greg Sutton, Irving Garcia, Conor Chinn, John Wolyniec

STATS: Shots: 14; Shots on Goal: 9; Saves: 5; Corner Kicks: 5; Offside: 1; Fouls Committed: 9

Misconduct Summary:
NYRB – Carlos Mendes (caution) 44
NYRB – Carlos Mendes (second caution/ejection) 55
NYRB – Roy Miller (ejection) 75

Referee: Andrew Chapin 
Referee’s Assistants: Thomas Supple (SAR), George Gansner (JAR)
Fourth Official: Alex Prus
Weather: Cloudy, 66 degrees
Attendance: 11,316

GAME NOTES

• Saturday’s match marked the 60th meeting all-time between the two clubs in MLS regular-season, postseason and tournament action … the Revs have played the Red Bulls more than any other club in MLS in all competitions.
• With the win, the Revolution improved to 25-16-11 all-time against the Red Bulls in regular-season action, and extended its unbeaten streak against New York to 14 regular-season matches, dating back to the start of the 2006 season.
• The Revs also pushed their home unbeaten streak against the Red Bulls to 13 matches (10-0-3), dating back to the 2002 season.
• Saturday night’s victory was the team’s first win since April 10 when they posted a 4-1 win against Toronto FC at home … the team endured a stretch of seven MLS matches (nine overall including a U.S. Open Cup match and an international friendly) without a victory before tonight’s victory snapped that stretch.
• The Revolution returned to a 4-4-2 alignment to start the game for the first time since May 1, 2010 – a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas at Gillette Stadium … in each of the team’s last four matches, the Revolution have started a 4-5-1 alignment.
• Saturday’s match marked the first game that defender Cory Gibbs has missed as a member of the Revolution since joining the club in a January trade from Colorado … Gibbs suffered a right hamstring strain in training on Thursday, and snapped his stretch of 10 consecutive games started at central defense.
• As a result of Gibbs’ absence, a new central defense tandem of Pat Phelan and Joseph Niouky debuted for the Revs as both Darrius Barnes (right ankle sprain) and Emmanuel Osei (right leg infection) are still unavailable.
• The Pat Phelan-Joseph Niouky pairing in central defense is the fourth different tandem at the position for the Revs this season.
• Chris Tierney returned to the central midfield for the third time in an MLS match this season … he played his first-ever MLS match in the central midfield on May 5 in a 4-0 loss at home to Chivas USA … he paired with Joseph Niouky in that match … on May 8, he paired with Pat Phelan in the central midfield in a 3-2 loss at Columbus.
• The Tierney-Shalrie Joseph central midfield combination was the fourth different combination the Revs have used in that part of the field this season.
• Zack Schilawski returned to the starting lineup for the first time since May 5 when he drew the starting nod against Chivas USA … he has come on as a substitute in each of the last three matches.
• The Revolution dressed only 17 players for the match … the last time the Revolution have been able to dress a full complement of 18 players was on May 1, a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas.
• Marko Perovi?’s eighth-minute goal snapped the team’s 237-minute scoreless streak that spanned four MLS games, and began in the 41st minute at Columbus on May 8.
• Perovi?’s goal was also the team’s earliest goal scored in 2010, besting his own 19th minute goal against Colorado on April 24.
• Tonight’s game was just the fourth time in 2010 the Revolution tallied the first goal of their match … the team improved to 2-1-1 when scoring first in 2010.
• The own goal scored by Tim Ream was the first own goal New England has benefited from since former Revolution defender James Riley scored one as a member of the San Jose Earthquakes After Preston Burpo suffered a lower leg fracture in his right leg in the 34th minute during the run of play, Bobby Shuttleworth came on as a substitute in the 39th minute … with the appearance, Shuttleworth made his MLS debut, and then recorded his first career save in first-half stoppage time … he ended the night with two saves.
• Zack Schilawski’s goal was his fifth of the season and he extended his lead in the rookie-goal scoring race to three goals over fellow first-year players Ike Opara (San Jose) and teammate Zak Boggs (New England), not counting tonight’s West Coast matches.
• Joseph’s two assists were the 27th and 28th of his career and his two-assist effort was the second of his eight-year career … his previous two-helper effort came on June 7, 2009, also against the Red Bulls, in a 4-0 win at Gillette Stadium.
• Joseph Niouky, playing as a central defender for the first time in his MLS career, recorded the first assist of his MLS career with his helper on Zack Schilawski’s game-winning goal.