"We are taking nothing but positives from this," Revolution forward Taylor Twellman said. "We played very well and you have to give their keeper [Matt Pickens] credit. If we play this way and keep getting chances, eventually they will go in.
"The way the playoffs are set up, you've got to win at home anyway. So, nothing has really changed. Unless you lose 2 or 3 to nothing, you have a good chance at home. The first 15-20 minutes [Saturday night] we have to pressure them and let the chips fall where they may, see what happens."
Mapp's left-footer from 25 yards zipped through the defensive wall. Revolution midfielder Andy Dorman turned his head away, and the shot went inside the right post.
"It went right through the wall," goalkeeper Matt Reis said. "Hopefully, you would want [Dorman] to take that off his face but it's understandable. It was a good free kick.
"We are in the same, exact situation as last year and, hopefully, we can use that experience. That's the great thing about home-field advantage, even if you tie you have the extra 30 minutes at home."
If the teams are tied on total goals after playing 90 minutes in Foxborough, two 15-minute overtimes would be played. If still deadlocked, the series would be decided by penalty kicks.
The Revolution controlled possession and produced open shots almost from the opening kickoff, Steve Ralston firing directly at Pickens in the second minute. The Revolution seemed in command and intent on attacking in the early going.
The Fire then gained momentum, capitalizing on Mapp's free kick as Jay Heaps was cautioned after a clash with Chris Armas. A minute later, Heaps headed a Ralston cross, the ball appearing goal-bound when it bounced off Clint Dempsey's back.
Pickens stopped the Revolution's next best chance to tie, saving a back-post header from Twellman in the 64th minute; the buildup involved Dempsey and Twellman, who headed a well-placed Dorman cross.
