FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Just as the summer weather has finally arrived in the Northeast, so begins another Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup campaign for the New England Revolution.
The Revs, who marched all the way to the final of this competition last season, enter this year’s tournament in the fourth round. They’ll host the Rochester Rhinos (USL) on Wednesday night on Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium, on the campus of Providence College.
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Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and a live stream of the match will be available on both revolutionsoccer.net and ussoccer.com. Play-by-play man Brad Feldman will have the call, alongside former Revolution midfielder Clyde Simms.
Current Form: Revs kick off another Open Cup campaign as momentum builds in MLS
New England had a chance to recharge the batteries this past weekend as they enjoyed their first bye of the 2017 season, and they carried a bit of momentum into the break after a convincing 3-0 win over league-leading Toronto FC in their last action on June 3.
HIGHLIGHTS: Three different players score as Revs take down league leaders
The win improved the Revolution’s record to 3-1-1 in their last five games, and they remain one of five teams in MLS with an unbeaten record on their home ground.
“I think the team morale is definitely rising,” said Juan Agudelo, who leads the Revs with seven goals. “Right now, we’re flying high. We just have to keep our heads down and understand what it takes … to continue on this high note.”
Attention turns now to the Open Cup, and after falling short at the final hurdle last season (a 4-2 loss to FC Dallas in the championship game), there’s a little something extra driving the Revs as they once again begin the journey towards a potential trophy.
“We were, as a group, pretty disappointed that we weren’t able to win it, because we always play for championships and to raise trophies for ourselves, for our families, for the fans, and the organization,” said Teal Bunbury. “This year, our mindset is that we have a good enough group, a deep enough squad, to be able to win the whole thing.”
Rochester has a rich and storied history in the U.S. Open Cup, and the Rhinos were the last non-MLS team to win the competition back in 1999, when they ran through four MLS sides en route to the title.
The current-day side is no slouch, either, having gone unbeaten in their last nine games in all competitions, including wins over FC Motown and GPS Omens to reach this stage of the Open Cup. With just one loss through 10 league games, the Rhinos are currently tied for fourth place in the USL’s Eastern Conference.
“The lower division teams coming into this tournament, they’ve got nothing to lose and everything to prove,” said goalkeeper Brad Knighton. “For us [the objective is] taking care of business on Wednesday night.”
Past Meetings: Revs and Rhinos set for a seventh Open Cup showdown
Rochester have been the Revolution’s most frequent U.S. Open Cup opponent, as Wednesday night’s showdown will be the seventh all-time meeting between the sides in this competition.
The Revs have held a distinct upper hand in the previous six meetings, advancing past the Rhinos on five occasions, most recently in 2014 when the Revs claimed a 2-1 win at Stevenson Field on the campus of Brown University in Providence.
Rochester’s lone triumph over the Revs came in a penalty shootout back in 2004.
Injury Report: Heaps says Revs will “rely on every player on the roster” in Open Cup
Just about every player on the Revolution’s roster had a part to play in their run to last year’s Open Cup final, and depth will once again be of paramount importance as the Revs kick off a new campaign on Wednesday night.
In reference to MLS veterans like Teal Bunbury, London Woodberry and Brad Knighton – players with loads of experience but limited minutes this season – Heaps said they’ll be “most important” if the Revs are to navigate their way through the early stages of the competition.
“You’ll certainly see their names on that roster sheet,” Heaps said. “It’s critical that they’re ready to go, because they’re the players with experience, and they’re the ones leading the charge. They’ve played significant minutes, and right now are looking to get more and more minutes as the summer goes on.
“I always look at this as a really good chance to see how deep our roster is, but it’s also for guys to step forward to get more minutes come this week, come next week and the rest of the MLS season.”
One player who won’t be available on Wednesday night is Xavier Kouassi, who continues to recover from a left quad strain. Both Zach Herivaux (San Antonio) and Donnie Smith (Charlotte) have returned from their loan stints to re-join the Revs ahead of their Open Cup campaign.
Final Thoughts: Revs head back to Providence for the first time since 2014
“I think it’s great visiting different venues around New England,” said Knighton. “We’ve done Brown, we’ve done Harvard, and now we’re looking forward to Providence College. Hopefully it’ll be a great atmosphere like Harvard was last year for us, and hopefully we can put on a show for the fans who come out.”
