The Open Cup is a fickle thing. There are rarely easy games, even against lower league teams. Both the Philadelphia Union and the New England Revolution have scratched and clawed their way to the quarterfinals in Harvard. The Revolution have yet to play an MLS team in the competition, but that shouldn’t diminish what they’ve done so far. A 1-0 victory against the Carolina Railhawks might have been their easiest game to date, though the Railhawks are no easy opponent, as seen by the scoreline. In the round of 16 the Revs played NASL powerhouse NY Cosmos, and squeaked out a 3-2 victory. The Union, meanwhile, edged the Harrisburg City Islanders 3-2 with a last gasp goal before moving on to rivals New York Red Bulls. In the first half of that game the Red Bulls dominated, proving how strong they are tactically. However, the Red Bulls only got 1 goal from the first half, and found a way to bottle the game, allowing the Union to strike back, and eventually the Union won 2-1 as the Red Bulls fell apart. Neither team has been convincing thus far in the competition, but there are plenty of reasons to believe this will be one fantastic match.
Revolutionary form:
The Revs are 5-1-3 in all competitions over the past 9 games. The addition of Kei Kamara undoubtedly was a great move for the team, as he is the type of forward with the quality to produce goals. New England now have 4 reliable forwards alongside Kamara, with the likes of Teal Bunbury, Charlie Davies, and Juan Agudelo. Should one forward slump, there is plenty of talent to pick up the slack. With 13 goals in the last 9 games, the Revs have been shutout only 3 times, and recorded 2 shutouts of their own. Needless to say New England looks likely to have goals scored on either end. Meanwhile the Revolution midfield has been a strong point for a while now. Lee Nguyen has been a dominant attacking midfielder in the league for a while. The blond-haired maestro gave the Union a headache last time these two teams met, getting between the midfield lines and forcing holes in the defense. He even managed to hit both posts on a free kick, as the ball seemed magnetized to the woodwork. Alongside Nguyen, Diego Fagundez, Chris Tierney, Scott Caldwell, and Kelyn Rowe provide creativity and defensive work rate throughout the midfield. With the Revs at home, in good form, and looking to strike back from the 3-0 loss the last time these two met, the stage is set for New England to push into the semifinals.
USOC mania:
It doesn’t matter who is playing who, the Open Cup is always interesting. For the Union, two 90 minute goals decided their first Open Cup match against the City Islanders. Next match, a second half push turned the game around against the Red Bulls. For the Union this year is a chance to make it to the finals for the 3rd year in a row, and maybe they will win one this year! In the past years it was a weak Union side that made a run to the final. This year we are looking at a rejuvenated team, filled with young legs, and real talent. Perhaps coach Jim Curtin won’t play a full strength squad, with first place in the league on his mind. But perhaps he will go for broke, and play whoever is available. This is no doubt a strong Union team, and one with depth. A sub here or there won’t necessarily weaken this Union side, and may perhaps even bring something new to the table.
Despite the Union’s strengths this year, they have struggled on the road, having only won once. The Union have a 1-3-5 record on the road, proving that they have made a habit of winning at home, but haven’t found the same mojo to win on the road. Something will have to chance for the Union should they want to win Wednesday night. A tie might be enough to push the game to penalties, but that shouldn’t be something to be relied on. Surely the Union will try to play like it is a home game, and take the attack to New England, but they may be in for a tough game.
The game will be played Wednesday night, at 7 PM EST at Harvard University.
Philadelphia Union
NE Revolution
