FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Chris Tierney has waited a long time for this opportunity.
Signed as a rookie in June 2008, Tierney just missed out on the New England Revolution squads which made three straight MLS Cup appearances from 2005 to 2007. The pillars of those squads were still intact – Taylor Twellman, Steve Ralston, Shalrie Joseph, etc. – but they never reached another final.
Instead, the first six years of Tierney’s career were marked by varying degrees of frustration. A SuperLiga title during his rookie season was a high point, but a pair of early playoff exits in 2008 and 2009 was followed by three straight years without postseason soccer, ushering in the Jay Heaps era.
Since then it’s been a steady climb back to the top for the Revs, culminating with a return to MLS Cup, where the Revs will meet the LA Galaxy on Sunday afternoon at StubHub Center.
“It means a ton to me personally,” said Tierney, whose 155 regular-season appearances are the most in Revolution history for a player who hasn’t appeared in an MLS Cup. “This is the club I grew up supporting. It’s the club I’ve always wanted to play for and I’ve worked my butt off these seven years to put myself in a position like this.
“Things came together this year and we’ve got a great squad and a great staff. The fans have been amazing this year, really taking things to the next level for us. It’s an exciting time to be a part of this club and I’m excited for the opportunity to play in a final.”
Tierney admits that his tenure with the Revolution has featured its’ share of ups and downs – punctuated by a five-win season back in 2011 – and the trials and tribulations along the way, in a sense, make reaching this juncture all the more special.
But that kind of reflection is for another time – one when MLS Cup isn’t lurking just a few days away.
“Maybe at the end of the year when all is said and done I’ll look back over it and kind of reflect on how cool it is to be in this position, but right now, it’s all business,” Tierney said. “I’m focused on playing a soccer match this weekend and making sure I do everything personally and we do everything as a team to give ourselves the best chance to win.”
Professionally, it’s been a seven-year wait for Tierney to get that chance, but personally, it’s been even longer. A native of Wellesley, Massachusetts, he grew up watching the Revolution, and as a youngster dreamt of one day lifting the MLS Cup trophy for his hometown club.
On Sunday, he’ll have the chance to bring his beloved Revs a first-ever league title.
“I’m really proud to be a Revolution player and to be a part of the New England soccer scene,” Tierney said. “To bring a trophy back here – where soccer really is a hotbed and I think it doesn’t really get the credit that this fan base deserves all the time – to be a part of a squad that does that would be amazing.”
