Misery for the New England Revolution is joy for FC Dallas.
The Texan side took down the Revs, 4-2, in Tuesday night’s US Open Cup final at Toyota Stadium, ending a 19-year drought of not winning a major tournament title.
Juan Agudelo’s sixth minute goal put the Revolution on top off the very first shot of the game, though the tide quickly turned toward the hosts, who scored four unanswered goals and controlled most of the match.
It was Agudelo who struck first though, neatly rounding his marker after receiving the ball at the top of the box from Gershon Koffie and thumping a shot past Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz.
That breakthrough – which was well-celebrated by the Revolution – did not seem to deter Dallas, who proceeded as if they had intended to give the visitors a head start.
Max Urruti equalized in the 15th minute. He took down a cross by Mauro Diaz at the edge of the box and got by Je-Vaughn Watson, then powered a slick volley that flew past New England goalkeeper Brad Knighton.
Dallas maintained their high pressure, which paid off as they scored their go-ahead goal in the 40th minute as defender Matt Hedges advanced into the penalty area and headed in another driven cross from Diaz to make it 2-1.
The Revolution defeated Dallas 3-2 in the 2007 US Open Cup, their last major tournament win. But there was little to suggest that the Revs were capable of replicating that same scoreline by rebounding from a deficit on Tuesday night.
It didn’t help that Koffie, who was playing centrally in Revolution coach Jay Heaps’ recently crafted 4-4-2 formation, had to exit the field in the 42nd minute for Kei Kamara due to an ankle injury. Heaps had to burn another substitution when Watson, suffering from a groin strain, came off for Tierney.
With those two moves, plus the delay from the three goals that had been scored, referee Baldomero Toledo extended his initial call for four minutes of first half stoppage time.
That gave Dallas enough time to make it 3-1.
Andrew Farrell tackled Michael Barrios on the left flank in the fifth minute of added time. On the ensuing freekick, Jose Goncalves dragged down Matt Hedges, Toledo awarding a penalty kick after consulting with his sideline assistant.
Heaps – irate – and his players all protested, but Diaz still got his chance from the penalty spot, which he converted, rolling a quick shot underneath a diving Knighton.
At that point, the game seemed out of reach. New England concluded the opening half with just one shot and Dallas were succeeding in controlling possession, administering high pressure to force turnovers, and simply being faster than their opponents.
Urruti scored his side’s final goal off a breakaway in the 61st minute after receiving possession via a through ball from Diaz.
Dallas eased up after that point, but only slightly. Knighton even finished the game with five saves, while Urruti hit the post late in the second half off a header.
To add more attack, Heaps switched Teal Bunbury on for Kelyn Rowe in the 69th minute. The move paid off, as Bunbury helped create the Revolution’s second goal.
In the 73rd minute, he played the ball across the box, possession eventually reaching Agudelo, who hammered a shot into the back of the net from point-blank range. Agudelo has scored in three consecutive matches in all competitions.
The Revolution maintained their high pressure, but faced too steep of a task in coming back with short time remaining.
Dallas, who lead the Western Conference standings and are a credible contender for MLS Cup, have won the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup trophy, which also carries a cash prize of $200,000 and an automatic berth in next year’s CONCACAF Champions League.
This is only Dallas’ second major trophy in their history. They last won the 1997 US Open Cup – at the time, their franchise name was the Dallas Burn.
Follow Julian on Twitter @juliancardillo
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