FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The magic of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup returns on Tuesday night as the New England Revolution enter the competition in the fourth round, visiting defending USL champion Louisville City FC.
Kickoff from Lynn Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET and a live stream of the action will be available, with details coming soon on revolutionsoccer.net and all of the Revolution’s social channels.
The winner of Tuesday night’s match will advance to the competition’s Round of 16.
This trip to Kentucky continues a hectic stretch for the Revs as it will be their fourth game in 11 days, and they’ll follow it up with a two-game journey through Chicago (June 9) and San Jose (June 13).
Current Form: Revs go unbeaten in three-game week; Louisville winners of four straight
After kicking off their busiest period of the season with back-to-back draws against Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Atlanta United FC, New England got back to their winning ways on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium with a come-from-behind victory over the rival Red Bulls.
Diego Fagundez bagged his fourth goal of the season just before halftime to pull the Revs level at 1-1, setting the stage for Teal Bunbury to notch his team-leading eighth goal of the year – and league-leading fifth game winner – in the 78th minute of the Revolution’s 2-1 victory.
HIGHLIGHTS: Bunbury stays red-hot as Revs earn first comeback win of 2018
Unbeaten in three and tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference standings the Revs will now turn their attention to the Open Cup, and head coach Brad Friedel has every intention of sending out a squad capable of advancing in the competition on Tuesday night.
“Whoever I put on the field, I fully expect to win. We’re going to Louisville to win the game,” Friedel said. “I’ve said this many times – losing can be a bad habit that you get into, and winning can be a great habit that you get into.
“No matter who goes on the field, we expect to have a good performance.”
There’s no doubt the Revs will need a good performance to advance past Louisville City. The defending USL Cup champions have won four straight in all competitions while outscoring opponents 10-1, and they currently occupy second place in the USL’s Eastern Conference, one point back of FC Cincinnati but with two games in hand.
“They’re a really good group; it’s a group that’s been together for a long time,” said Andrew Farrell, a Louisville native and close friend of Louisville City captain (and former Revolution midfielder) Paolo DelPiccolo. “Experience is pretty big for them.
“Obviously in the Open Cup games, teams who maybe would be perceived as the underdogs always come out and play well. They’re a team that won the championship last year, and the two years before that they were in the Eastern Conference final, so it’s a team with a good pedigree. They’re going to be a tough, tough opponent.”
Past Meetings: Revs and Louisville City FC set to do battle for the first time
Tuesday night’s showdown will be the first-ever between the Revolution and Louisville City FC, who entered USL as an expansion team for the 2015 season.
There are, however, a couple notable connections between the clubs. In addition to DelPiccolo, Louisville also feature forward Luke Spencer, who spent a portion of the 2012 preseason with New England after being selected 23rd overall in the MLS SuperDraft. Spencer, whose stint with the Revs was cut short by a knee injury, was Louisville’s leading scorer last year with 10 goals.
Louisville have advanced to the Open Cup fourth round with shutout victories over the Long Island Rough Riders (5-0) and Saint Louis FC (1-0).
While the Revs will enter the competition on Tuesday night, they have made deep runs in the tournament the past two years, advancing to the final in 2016 and the quarterfinals last season.
Injury Report: Agudelo and Herivaux return to the mix; Tierney out for the season
Juan Agudelo (hamstring) and Zach Herivaux (international duty) returned to the fold for New England in this past weekend’s win over the Red Bulls, both coming off the bench to help close out the victory.
That duo, along with several others on the Revolution roster, could see more significant minutes against Louisville City as Friedel looks to find the proper balance ahead of a two-game trip to Chicago and San Jose.
“We’ll take it very seriously; you’ll see with the lineup that we put out there,” said Freidel. “We will be giving a few players a chance to play, of course, but we’re also going to be playing a lot of players who’ve had many minutes this season.”
Rookie Mark Segbers could be one of those players to get an opportunity on Tuesday night, as he’s returned from his loan stint with Orange County to provide more depth through this critical stretch.
There was unfortunate news for Chris Tierney, however, as the Revolution veteran was lost for the season after tearing his ACL in the Revs’ draw with Atlanta United FC last Wednesday night.
Final Thoughts: Five games to a trophy … and the Concacaf Champions League
“It’s special because it’s different,” Agudelo said of the Open Cup. “It’s different how it’s inviting other teams, other divisions to participate, and it’s awesome that you can win a ticket to the Concacaf Champions League. I think that’s really important, especially with how that’s grown.”
