FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Quarterfinalists each of the past two years, the New England Revolution will begin their 2015 U.S. Open Cup campaign on Wednesday night, when they’ll host the Charlotte Independence (USL) at Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium on the campus of Harvard University.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and tickets are still available for the Revolution’s second-ever match in the city of Boston, while the action will also be streamed live on revolutionsoccer.net with the regular duo of Brad Feldman and Paul Mariner handling the call.
Current Form: Critical win boosts Revs ahead of USOC; Charlotte rolls into fourth round
A Goal of the Year candidate from Diego Fagundez – on the night he became the youngest player in MLS history to make 100 appearances – and an insurance strike from leading scorer Charlie Davies sparked the Revs to a much-needed 2-0 victory over the Chicago Fire on Saturday night, snapping a six-game winless run.
WATCH: Fagundez’s wonder-goal highlights Revolution’s slump-busting win over the Fire
“We went through a tough patch there, but we were able to bounce back on the weekend and get three points, and keep [Gillette Stadium] the fortress that we’ve been building over the last year,” said goalkeeper Brad Knighton, who’s expected to get the start against Charlotte on Wednesday night. “For us it’s a stepping stone. That’s the first win of hopefully many in the coming weeks.”
The Revs, along with the 16 other American-based MLS teams, enter the Open Cup in the fourth round. Champions of the tournament in 2007, they’ll be looking to break through the barrier which has seen them bow out at the quarterfinal stage in each of the past two seasons.
Charlotte, which occupies ninth place in the USL’s Eastern Conference with a record of 3-4-3, has already won a pair of Open Cup games to reach the fourth round. After rolling past NPSL side Upward Stars FC by a 4-1 scoreline, they rode a Ryan Finley goal to a 1-0 win over the Carolina RailHawks of NASL.
The Independence boasts a roster filled with MLS experience, including a pair of former Revolution players in midfielder Paolo DelPiccolo and defender Bilal Duckett.
“Not just that, they also have players that played in the Open Cup that are affiliated with Colorado,” said head coach Jay Heaps, referencing on-loan Rapids players Carlos Alvarez, John Berner, Caleb Calvert and Ben Newnam. “They’re a good team.”
Past Meetings: Revs return to Boston after successful debut in 2013
Wednesday night will mark the first-ever meeting between the New England Revolution and Charlotte Independence, which joined USL as an expansion side less than a year ago in September 2014.
The Revs do, however, have a successful history against non-MLS teams in the Open Cup, going 10-3-4 in 17 previous meetings with non-league sides, including a pair of victories last year against the Richmond Kickers (USL) and the affiliate Rochester Rhinos (USL).
This will be the Revolution’s second visit to Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium after a successful debut at the venue in 2013, when Kelyn Rowe notched a pair of goals in a 4-2, fourth-round win over the New York Red Bulls.
“I think these smaller games are a lot more fun, a lot more intimate,” said Rowe, who also scored when the Revs hosted an Open Cup game at Stevenson Field in Providence, R.I., last year. “The fans are real close to the field and you can hear everything they have. It’s a lot of fun.”
Injury Report: Heaps says Revs will use squad rotation through busiest stretch of 2015
With five games crammed into a 15-day stretch from June 13 to June 27 – and potentially seven games in 22 days with Open Cup advancement – Heaps has acknowledged that the Revs will be “a little bit different in how [they] look” for Wednesday night’s meeting with Charlotte.
During his postgame comments on Saturday night, Heaps revealed that Zachary Herivaux – the third Homegrown signing in Revolution history – will make his full professional debut against the Independence, although he declined to reveal whether that would be as a starter or a substitute.
Heaps also identified second-year midfielder Steve Neumann and perennial Open Cup hero Rowe as players who’ll likely see significant minutes against Charlotte.
“It’s been something we’ve been talking about for a while,” Heaps said, “that this would be the opportunity.”
Final Thoughts: Knighton used one-game loan stint to find rhythm ahead of Open Cup
“Obviously you go through stretches where you’re not playing for an extended period of time, and for me it was nice to see some game stuff,” said Knighton, who made six saves in a 1-1 draw while playing on loan with the Richmond Kickers last week.
“You can train all you want and do everything you want in training, but to replicate game experience, you can’t. So for me it was just to go down there and get some minutes under my belt before the game on Wednesday.”
