New England Revolution and Chicago Fire FC will again face each other this Tuesday in the US Open Cup Round of 16 with a potent mix of then and now. The Revs arrive with the best defense in MLS, six league games unbeaten, and having won the previous round over Rhode Island FC.
Fire, on the other hand, are riding their most successful spell of the year, having won their past three matches in all competitions, including a 4–0 thrashing of Detroit City. There's a quarterfinal berth at stake, but the match also carries a tradition of historical rivalry far from ice.
A rivalry rich in history and tiebreaker parity
US Open Cup history between New England and Chicago began in 2005. Since then, there have been three matches in the competition. Fire swept the first two, advancing in 2005's fourth round and 2006's quarterfinal. Revolution's retaliation was a decade later in 2016, when it took the semifinal. In knockout games, the matches were always close. Now, in 2024, once again a clash between the two decides who stays alive in the national tournament.
It's an old rivalry dating back to decades in MLS and continues to remain fresh with each other in the Cups. No team can be said to have an advantage. The setting changes, so do the teams, but the encounters remain tough and unpredictable. The quarterfinals are on the line, but for both teams, it's also a chance to remind everyone of their position.
Revolution prospers with solid defense and youthful potential
New England Revolution is on good ground. The team comes into the game on a six-game unbeaten streak in the MLS regular season (four wins and two draws) and has yielded just 10 goals in 12 games, a mark that is currently the league's top defense.
At the US Open Cup, the Revs beat Rhode Island FC 2–1 in the final round. The recent performance continues New England to be one of the most defensive solid teams in MLS, and the team goes into the game confident against Fire, even with a crazy schedule ahead.
Sensing their way into the quarterfinals of the Open Cup, apart from sustaining their momentum, would be keeping alive the hope of a national championship at the end of an extended run.
Chicago Fire mounting momentum with three consecutive wins
Fire is warm. With the team having beaten Detroit City FC 4–0 in the previous round of the Open Cup, they then won two more games in MLS, one of them a 4–1 away win at Charlotte FC last weekend. That is three wins in succession, one of the best stints of the season.
The squad is also in the top five when it comes to goals scored in MLS to date, with 24 goals. At the same time, they have conceded 24 goals, marking high-scoring, high-octane matches. The defense remains to develop greater solidity, but the attack works.
Under new head coach Gregg Berhalter, Fire looks to have gained its stride. The team has not lost in three games and takes the field with confidence to try and break an uncomfortable streak: since 2019, Chicago Fire has not beaten New England Revolution in the MLS regular season. That's 12 games without a win, eight draws and four losses.