2005 New England Revolution season

The Revolution's 2005 season would go down as the team's best in history through their first ten years of MLS play. The team set a club-record for wins (17) and also points (59).[2]

Despite the pre-season retirement of club legend Joe-Max Moore, the team stormed out of the gate, starting the season with an 11 game unbeaten run, at that point the longest in the club's history.[2][3][4]

For the second year in a row, a Revolution player would win rookie of the year, with 5th-overall Superdraft selection Michael Parkhurst taking the honors.[5]

Several other Revolution players would win awards as well in 2005. Netting 17 goals, Taylor Twellman won the league's first-ever golden boot.[6] He additionally won MLS Player of the week 3 times, was named player of the month for September, and was named MLS Best XI alongside Clint Dempsey and Shalrie Joseph.[1] Six Revolution players were named to the MLS all-star game, the highest number in the club's history: Clint Dempsey, Shalrie Joseph, Pat Noonan, Michael Parkhurst, Matt Reis, Taylor Twellman. Reis was additionally a finalist for goalkeeper of the year. Twellman was also named MLS all-star game MVP.[1][7]

In August, the Revolution opened play in the 2005 U.S. Open Cup, entering the competition in the fourth round against Chicago Fire FC at Lusitano Stadium in Ludlow, Massachusetts. The Revolution would lose the match 3-2 after extra time. [8] The match, described as "suspenseful," featured red cards issued to Jay Heaps and Jesse Marsch in extra time.[9] August also featured the first-ever match-up between the Revolution and expansion side Real Salt Lake, a match the Revolution went on to win 4-1.

The Revolution finished the regular season atop the Eastern Conference and were thus drawn against the 4th-seeded MetroStars In Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2005 MLS Cup Playoffs.[10] The two-leg tie would go down as one of the greatest comebacks in MLS post-season history.[11][12] After dropping the first match of the series 1-0, the Revolution would fall into a 59th-minute 0-2 aggregate hole in the home second leg, when Youri Djorkaeff scored on a break-away counter attack after Parkhurst misread a bounce on the snowy pitch. Behind goals from Jose Cancela and Pat Noonan in the 68th and 73rd minutes, the Revolution came back to tie the fixture on aggregate. They would ultimately win the match when substitute Khano Smith was able to win a foot race to a long-ball forward from Avery John, beat his defender, and curl a left-footed shot past MetroStars keeper Tony Meola.[11][13][14]

On November 6, 2005, the Revolution faced off against Chicago Fire FC at Gillette Stadium in the Eastern Conference Finfal. It was the Revolution's fourth-consecutive Eastern Conference Championship in a row. In front of a crowd of 18,118, a 4th-minute goal from Clint Dempsey would prove enough to send the Revolution to their 2nd-ever appearance in the MLS Cup final. The match ended somewhat controversially, when an apparent stoppage time equalizer (90+2) from Gonzalo Segares was subsequently ruled offsides. The resulting protests to the match officials would see Andy Herron sent off, and a brawl between the teams erupted soon after the final whistle. The match served to kick off a rivalry between the two teams, as they would go on to meet in five consecutive MLS post seasons.[15]

The 2005 season for the Revolution culminated in a matchup with the LA Galaxy in the 2005 MLS Cup on November 13, 2005 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. The game was a rematch of the 2002 MLS Cup final, however the Revolution entered the 2005 final as favorites.[16] The Galaxy had the upper hand for most of the match, with the Revolution defense struggling to contend with the speed of Landon Donovan, who saw his shot cleared off the line by Parkhurst in the 79th minute. The match ultimately entered extra time, and, unfortunately for the Revolution, the game's only goal came from Guillermo Ramírez in minute 105 + 2, giving the Galaxy their second title.[16]