By Kyle McCarthy / MLSnet.com Staff

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Revolution captured their first-ever SuperLiga game with a 1-0 victory against 10-man Santos Laguna on Sunday evening at Gillette Stadium.

Juan Pablo Rodriguez's elbow to Sainey Nyassi's head late in the first half gave the Revs a numerical advantage. It took until the 70th minute for Kheli Dube to give New England the lead on the scoreboard after Nyassi cut down the byeline and pulled his pass back for the Zimbabwean striker to tuck inside the far post.

The Revolution earned their win by pressing the tempo early and utilizing Nyassi's pace down the right side to unsettle the Mexican champions. The win marked the Revs' first competitive victory against a foreign opponent at Gillette Stadium and extended the team's unbeaten streak to five matches in all competitions.

Revolution head coach Steve Nicol named a first-choice starting 11, but lost Taylor Twellman (hip flexor) and Mauricio Castro (groin) to injury. The injuries, and Santos' attacking fullbacks, meant the Revs lined up in a 4-4-2 formation with Amaechi Igwe playing left back and Kheli Dube starting alongside Kenny Mansally at forward.

Santos Laguna selected a 4-4-2 formation designed to allow its fullbacks to surge up into the attack. Fernando Arce anchored the midfield, while veteran 'keeper Oswaldo Sanchez captained the side. Former Manchester City striker Matias Vuoso and Oribe Peralta comprised the strike force; Ecuadorian forward Christian Benitez was named among the substitutes.

The home side started on the front foot, perhaps catching the Mexican champions off guard with their pace on the flanks. Composed midfield passing at pace ruled in midfield as the Revs sought to dictate the tempo. Shalrie Joseph's blast over the bar, after a surging run from Steve Ralston, served to note New England's attacking intent.

Once Santos figured out how the Revolution wanted to play, they settled into the contest. New England had to sink further back into the midfield. Santos tried to press its advantage, though the Revs neutralized the overlapping threats in the opening stages. Matt Reis came out to punch away an early free kick that would have been nodded home by Vuoso.

Vuoso's cross, aided by some questionable defending by Sainey Nyassi, later set up Peralta at the far post. Reis reacted well to deny Peralta from point-blank range to keep the scoreline level.

The simmering undercurrent on the right side of the field, where Santos didn't take kindly Nyassi running at them with his blistering pace, erupted when Juan Pablo Rodriguez knocked the Gambian to the ground with an elbow to his face. Referee Enrico Wijngaarde of Suriname consulted with his assistant referee before dismissing Rodriguez.

Santos responded by nearly opening the scoring. Vuoso drew a free kick from Michael Parkhurst, who earned a rare yellow card for the tug. The resulting free kick ended up in the net, but the offside flag kept Santos off the scoreboard.

It was perhaps the closest they would come to breaching the Revolution rearguard as New England enjoyed most of the play in the second stanza.

Nicol switched his formation around by sending on Pat Phelan for Igwe and Khano Smith for Ralston. The changes perplexed Santos as Ralston moved on to the forward line and the Revs continued to send numerous players into the box.

And it was Ralston who played an integral role in Dube's winner. Nyassi did all the hard work, running around the corner and serving a low, diagonal cutback into the box. Other players might have tried to control Nyassi's cross; Ralston dummied it. Dube's low finish to the far post did just enough to squeeze past the stagnant Santon defense to give the Revs the lead.

The match turned into a game of keepaway as the Revs moved the ball around while Santos frantically chased it. Not even the introduction of Benitez with 18 minutes to play could make up for Rodriguez's dismissal as the Revs held on for a comfortably victory.

NE Revolution vs. Santos Laguna: Post-Game Notes and Quotes
Revolution Keep Santos Off Balance, By Kyle McCarthy 
Santos Uneasy on Artificial Turf, By Kyle McCarthy