TUCSON, Ariz. – Just one week out from the regular-season opener, Saturday night’s Mobile Mini Sun Cup championship match against the Houston Dynamo (streaming live at 8:15 p.m. ET) will serve as something of a dress rehearsal for the New England Revolution.
The Revs have gone 2-1-3 in their first six preseason matches, building throughout as they’ve focused primarily on fitness, competition for minutes, and implementing the tactical philosophies of the new coaching staff led by Brad Friedel.
Saturday’s preseason finale, however, will be treated much like a regular-season match, as the Revs make final preparations ahead of next weekend’s opener against the Philadelphia Union.
“That’s the real warmup to the season starting,” Friedel said of the Revs’ meeting with Houston. “We’ll be looking, again, at another advancement in fitness, and we’ll hopefully be close to the real thing come Philadelphia.”
New England went with a largely first-choice starting group in their 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City this past Wednesday, and they’ll be expected to do the same on Saturday as fans may get a taste of the lineup they’ll see next weekend at Talen Energy Stadium.
Saturday’s game will also be another important opportunity for both Juan Agudelo and Krisztián Németh to increase their sharpness, having made their preseason debuts on Wednesday.
This will be the Revolution’s fourth preseason match against MLS competition; they’ve gone 2-0-1 thus far with wins over Sporting KC and the New York Red Bulls, and a draw with FC Dallas.
Saturday’s meeting with Houston will wrap up the Revolution’s two-week stay in Tucson, where they’ll finish their preseason prep for a seventh straight year. On Sunday they’ll return to Foxborough, where they’ll train throughout the week ahead of their trip to Philadelphia.
