FRISCO, Texas – The 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup began months ago with a field of 91 teams. On Tuesday night at Toyota Stadium, a champion will finally be crowned.
It’ll be the New England Revolution and FC Dallas vying for the trophy – and a spot in the 2017-18 CONCACAF Champions League – in a rematch of the 2007 U.S. Open Cup final. Remarkably it’s the first rematch of U.S. Open Cup finalists since 1944.
Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2, with Adrian Healey and Revolution legend Taylor Twellman on the call. Local radio listeners can catch Brad Feldman and Paul Mariner with the call in English on 98.5 The Sports Hub, while WMVX 1570 AM “Nossa Radio USA” will have the action in Portuguese.
Current Form: Back-to-back “complete performances” have Revs confident ahead of final
Two weeks ago the Revs were mired in a frustrating winless run – not to mention a puzzling scoring drought – but they’ve turned the tables in a big way the past two weekends. Back-to-back wins over the Colorado Rapids and New York City FC not only earned the Revs six critical points, but head coach Jay Heaps called New England’s performances in those matches two of their most complete outings of the season.
WATCH: Revolution’s offense comes to life in comprehensive win over New York City FC
It’s a development that has offered the Revolution a massive boost ahead of Tuesday’s final, as they’ve settled into the 4-4-2 diamond formation Heaps has employed for the past four games.
“I think if we could pick a time this year where we could put a final game, it would be now, just based on form,” said Chris Tierney, who scored his second goal of the season in the win over Colorado. “We’ve played some really good attacking stuff the past few days, so hopefully that carries over.
“But just as important, we’ve defended really well and that’s what you’re going to have to do in a final is defend well. The team’s ready to go. We love where we’re at and we’re excited about our chances.”
FC Dallas has long been one of Major League Soccer’s toughest road trips, and that’s been no different this season. Oscar Pareja’s side is 10-1-4 at Toyota Stadium in 2016, although that lone defeat came just two days ago when the Rapids claimed a 1-0 win in Frisco.
Still, the Revs are preparing for a stern test against an FCD side that sits comfortably atop the Supporters Shield standings with just five games remaining in the regular season.
“It’s a really difficult test no matter if it’s a final, a league game – whatever,” Tierney said. “To have any chance we’re going to have to bring our best stuff, and that’s what we’re prepared to do.”
Past Meetings: Revs hoping to lift a trophy at Toyota Stadium for a second time
Tuesday night’s U.S. Open Cup final will be just the second meeting between the Revs and FCD in the competition, but the first was one to remember. These sides met in the 2007 title game in Frisco, where the Revs claimed a 3-2 win to secure the first major trophy in club history.
READ: An oral history of the Revolution’s 2007 Open Cup final win over FC Dallas
FC Dallas, however, has admittedly had the edge in more recent years. In fact, the Revs have lost five straight league meetings with Dallas dating back to 2012, including a 4-2 loss at Gillette Stadium four months ago.
Injury Report: Kamara and Watson both questionable for Tuesday’s final
Kei Kamara and Je-Vaughn Watson both traveled to Frisco and trained with the Revolution on Monday afternoon, but the duo’s availability for Tuesday night’s final is still to be determined.
Both missed this past weekend’s win over NYCFC; Kamara suffered a hip strain in training late in the week after returning from international duty with Sierra Leone, while Watson exacerbated a groin injury while on international duty with Jamaica. The injuries are minor, but Heaps said on Monday that both are still being evaluated daily.
“We held [Kei] out on Saturday night more (for) precautionary (reasons) because he had such a long trip to go play for his country,” said Heaps. “But we’re assessing how every player came through from Saturday night.”
Final Thoughts: Revs cherishing rare, special opportunity to play for a trophy
“I was just thinking about it last night – you get one, or two, or three of these chances in your whole career,” Tierney said of the opportunity to play in a cup final. “The importance of this game isn’t lost on me personally, being 30 and knowing that I’ve only got a limited number of years to play here, and also knowing that I’ve grown up supporting this club and being able to add something to the trophy case that I was a part of would be huge for me. It’s a big occasion for all of us and we’re really excited.”
