Revs faced with limited options for Open Cup
Shorthanded New England meets Harrisburg City Islanders on Tuesday
Even though they will once again play shorthanded, the Revolution and their current quota of 15 squad members realize the circumstances don't provide an excuse to fall to the current USL Second Division leaders at Veterans Stadium in New Britain, Conn.
"The players know the situation," New England coach Steve Nicol said. "We all know the situation. It's OK to cry about it, but at the end of the day, you have to face it."
The two teams have played once before in Open Cup play when New England emerged with a 2-1 victory on Aug. 8, 2007 on its way to lifting the trophy. Both sides are substantially different than the ones that competed on that occasion, but that doesn't mean the task will be any easier for the depleted and fatigued Revs.
This is the fourth match for New England in the past 10 days, leading to the inevitable question of how much the Revs have left in the tank for the City Islanders. Nicol said he isn't sure how his team will respond, but said he thinks that some of the inherent advantages of playing at a higher level -- for instance, the additional yard of pace -- might be negated because of the fatigue.
"It's hard to say," Nicol said. "Four games in 10 days with generally the same players means it's going to be hard. All of the advantages you have over a team in a lower league are going to be nullified because of the amount of games we've played."
With freshness at a premium, Nicol said his players need to approach the match correctly in order to ensure they maximize their chances to progress to the next round. The winner would face either D.C. United or PDL side Ocean City Barons on July 7.
"We have to go about it in the right manner," Nicol said. "That's the most important thing. It's the approach that matters the most. If we get the approach right, then we'll take our chances."
Nicol also has to find a way to cobble together a starting XI from his threadbare squad. The majority of his players logged significant minutes in the recently concluded SuperLiga group stages. With a two-day turnaround from the 1-0 win over Atlas on Sunday, the Revs will be taxed to the limit. Wells Thompson (suspension) and Jay Heaps (U.S. national team duty) won't be around to help lighten the load, but Mike Videira is once again available after being suspended for the final SuperLiga group game.
Gabriel Badilla is also an available option for the first time this season. The Costa Rican defender has missed the entire 2009 campaign with a back injury, but has recently recovered to the point where Nicol expects to use him as a substitute in order to evaluate his progress.
"He's played 25 minutes in a practice match," Nicol said. "That's the extent of his playing. He'll see the field, but we'll see where he is in terms of fitness."
Although Nicol is limited in the changes that he can make because of the lack of options, he is expected to make a change between the posts with Revolution backup goalkeeper Brad Knighton likely to start in place of Matt Reis. Knighton hasn't started a match since May 16 and said he is looking forward to live action.
"I'm always looking forward to playing," Knighton said. "I'm just looking to get back out there. I've been training hard and waiting for my moment again and hopefully take the most of the opportunity."
Opportunity also knocks for Harrisburg. The City Islanders are currently perched atop the USL Second Division (7-3-2, 23 pts.) with the leading scorer in the division -- former Penn State standout Chad Severs -- in their ranks. Harrisburg played two league matches this weekend in North Carolina, collecting a draw against Charlotte on Friday before losing to Wilmington on Saturday.
Even though the City Islanders had to trek to North Carolina and play back-to-back games this weekend, the former UNC-Wilmington goalkeeper said he thinks the visitors will be up for the match considering the stakes.
They won't be the only ones, according to Knighton.
"They are coming in with the mindset that they can go through to the next round," Knighton said. "We're going in with the same mindset."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com
