CARSON, Calif. – Sunday afternoon’s MLS Cup final, much like the New England Revolution’s entire 2014 season, was an emotional rollercoaster, filled with enough ups and downs to last a lifetime.
There were early jitters, when Scott Caldwell had to clear a goal-bound effort off the line after two minutes. Then the Revs settled in and got to halftime level at 0-0. But Gyasi Zardes hit the Revs with a gut-punch shortly after the break, giving the Galaxy a 1-0 lead in the 52nd minute.
New England, however, refused to go away quietly, pulling even through Chris Tierney in the 79th minute. From there the Revs were on the ascendency and there was a sense that this was the year, after four heartbreaking MLS Cup losses, that the Revolution would bring home a first title.
“Tierney gets that goal to tie it up and I think we all believed, ‘Okay, this is the moment. We’re going to come back here,’” said Charlie Davies. “We had the better play, at least after that goal, and I really thought we were going to get one before regulation ended.”
But just as they were back in 2002 when they first met the Galaxy in MLS Cup, the Revs were denied a dramatic MLS Cup-winning goal by the frame of the woodwork. Teal Bunbury’s delicate chip from the left side of the box hung in the air just a fraction of a second too long and slammed off the face of the crossbar.
It was the 85th minute.
“Other than the first two minutes of the game, when they had that chance, I’m telling you,” said Jay Heaps, who brought the Revs to MLS Cup in just his third year as a head coach. “I thought we had it.”
A winning goal never came, though, and the Revs were forced to go into the 30-minute extra time session without team MVP Lee Nguyen, who succumbed to cramps. There were chances for the Revs, most notably a Patrick Mullins effort which forced a strong save, but ultimately Robbie Keane won it for LA in the 111th minute.
Davies, like all of his Revolution teammates, couldn’t hide his disappointment after the match – “It’s like someone just took a baseball bat to my gut,” he said – but amidst the pain there was pride. After seven years without an MLS Cup appearance, including three years without playoff soccer, New England climbed back into the championship conversation in 2014. And it doesn’t seem like they’re going anywhere anytime soon.
“I’m extremely proud of the effort that we put in all season,” said Davies. “I think we shocked a lot of people just to take it to extra time with the Galaxy. I think a lot of people thought they would roll us over. We’ll come back stronger next season.”
