FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It’s only mid-March, but the New England Revolution will face one of their toughest tests on Saturday night when they visit the defending Supporters’ Shield and U.S. Open Cup champion FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium.
FCD have opened the season with four points from a pair of road games and now return home to Frisco, Texas, where they went 12-1-4 last year. On Wednesday night they’ll kick off a CONCACAF Champions League semifinal series against Mexican powerhouse Pachuca, as they look to become the first-ever MLS club to claim the regional crown.
But the Revs aren’t shying away from the magnitude of Saturday night’s task; instead, they’re embracing the opportunity to go on the road and prove themselves against a side deemed by many to be the league’s best.
“If you’re not looking forward to it and taking advantage of an opportunity like this, then you shouldn’t be on the field,” said Scott Caldwell. “Everyone’s got to look forward to this and want to prove themselves against the best.”
Right back Andrew Farrell has always relished opportunities to face off against the league’s elite, putting together some of his best individual performances against the likes of Thierry Henry and Sebastian Giovinco. This weekend he’ll be tasked with helping to shut down one of Major League Soccer’s most powerful attacks, featuring Michael Barrios, Cristian Colman and Maxi Urruti.
“It’s exciting,” Farrell said. “We get to test ourselves against one of the top teams in the league, on the road, after a week off … We’re going to see what kind of grit we have, and hopefully we get a good result.”
The Revs will head to Frisco in search of their first points this season after opening with a 1-0 loss in Colorado – where the Rapids haven’t lost a regular-season game since 2015 – and a positive result against FCD could provide a welcome boost heading into next weekend’s delayed home opener against Minnesota United.
“We can really use a good result to kind of push us forward in this beginning part of the season,” said Caldwell.
