FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – A spot in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals will be on the line on Wednesday night when the New England Revolution visit the NASL’s New York Cosmos at Belson Stadium.
The Round of 16 matchup between the Revs (4-5-7, 19 pts.) and Cosmos (6-4-0, 18 pts.) is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m., and fans can catch the action streaming live on U.S. Soccer’s YouTube channel.
Wednesday night’s winner will not only advance to the quarterfinals, but will have the opportunity to host the winner of the meeting between the New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union. Should the Revs advance, they’d host that quarterfinal match at Harvard University.
Current Form: Revs turn attention back to Open Cup after frustrating loss in D.C.
Last weekend saw New England frustrated by D.C. United for a third time in a matter of months as the Revs suffered a 2-0 loss at RFK Stadium. The Revs, who’ve been shut out a total of just four times this season, have been blanked three times by United.
Following a quick turnaround the Revs will aim to bounce back in the Open Cup, having advanced to the Round of 16 with a taxing 1-0 win over the Carolina RailHawks in the Fourth Round. Again the Revs will have to balance the cup competition with league play, as they’re currently in the midst of playing five games in a 15-day stretch.
“It’s two different tournaments right now that we’re dealing with,” said Diego Fagundez. “We have to make sure that everybody’s ready and whoever’s on the field for Wednesday and Saturday’s games, everyone has to be prepared. We just have to look for Wednesday’s game to make sure we recover and be ready for it.
“Once we step on the field, it’s game on.”
The Cosmos are one of just two non-MLS teams still in the Open Cup – along with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers – after getting a late goal from Danny Szetela in a 1-0 win over New York City FC in the Fourth Round. New York haven’t played since that match two weeks ago as they’re currently on break from league action, but their 6-4-0 record was good enough for second place in the NASL’s Spring Season.
Managed by one-time Revolution forward Giovanni Savarese (who’s assisted by former Revolution defender Carlos Llamosa), the Cosmos’ roster is laced with former MLSers, and the Revs know that they’ll face a unique challenge on Wednesday night in Queens.
“They’re a good team. They’ve shown that,” said Revolution head coach Jay Heaps. “They had an excellent game against New York. They’re a team we have to be very mindful of; a team that we think is as capable as any team to win.”
Past Meetings: Revs and Cosmos set to clash for the first time on Wednesday night
Reborn in 2010, the Cosmos carry with them a storied history from their original iteration between 1970 and 1985. In fact, the club has retired a pair of numbers for legends Pele (#10) and Giorgio Chinaglia (#9).
The Cosmos returned to the new NASL just three years ago and have already claimed a pair of titles, winning the Soccer Bowl in both 2013 and 2015.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the Revolution and Cosmos.
Injury Report: Femi “a possibility” for Wednesday after missing pair of league games
Rookie forward Femi Hollinger-Janzen is pushing to return after missing the Revolution’s last two MLS games with a right hamstring strain, suffered in the Open Cup win over Carolina two weeks ago.
READ: Recovering from hamstring strain, Femi “could be a possibility” against Cosmos
Femi worked through the Revolution’s full training session on Monday, and the coaching staff planned to evaluate his availability for the game after Tuesday’s session.
Meanwhile, the trio of Gershon Koffie, Charlie Davies and Donnie Smith remain sidelined.
Final Thoughts: Revs expect a battle because “both teams are trying to win a cup”
“It’s a competition. It’s something that we’re trying to win,” Darrius Barnes said of the team’s mindset in a knockout competition. “We’re going there to compete. Both teams are trying to win a cup. You just go out there and leave it all on the field and compete as you would in a league game.”
