HOUSTON – Soccer, like life, is all about balance.

Emotions will run high for both sides when the New England Revolution visit the Houston Dynamo for the 2016 season opener at BBVA Compass Stadium on Sunday afternoon. There will be a temptation to let those emotions take over and allow the energy of the occasion to dictate the tempo.

Used properly that energy can offer a boost for the Revolution, but players must be careful not to let the emotion distract from the tactical game plan against a talented Dynamo side.

“The key is the focus, first and foremost,” said Revs head coach Jay Heaps. “You have to bring the energy, but the entire time you have to focus on the surroundings and know exactly what you need to do and what exactly the game plan is.

“You’re going to have to battle, you’re going to have to fight every minute, but you’re also going to have to have that mental capacity to make sure you know exactly what you’re doing at all times.”

Andrew Farrell will likely start his third season opener for the Revolution, and the enthusiastic center back has learned a few lessons from his experiences; particularly after the Revs conceded just 62 seconds into their last season opener against the Dynamo in 2014.

“It’s hard because you don’t want to use all your energy up in the first 15 or 20 minutes,” said Farrell, who watched that 2014 opener against Houston from his couch while recovering from injury. “The game’s probably going to be really hectic early on. It’s kind of like a preseason game, just because it’s on the back end of preseason.

“But we’ve got to go in with a good mentality, try to step on the field and do what we do best and have a good first game.”