New England Revolution’s second trip to Rhode Island in 2025 didn’t go as well as their first, as they fell 3-1 to Chicago Fire FC in a Round of 16 matchup at Providence College’s Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium on Tuesday.
The Revolution’s trip south was their second visit to the Ocean State in this year’s competition, after it topped USL Championship side Rhode Island FC 2-1 in the Round of 32, while the Fire advanced to the Round of 16 after topping USLC side Detroit City FC 4-0.
Playing the match a half-hour south of their typical home of Gillette Stadium and with a lineup largely composed of players from their MLS NEXT Pro reserve side, the Revolution mostly held their own through the first half. They lost the possession battle but accumulated a handful of near chances against a Chicago side primarily composed of regular first-team faces.
In the 38th minute, the Fire broke through when midfielder Jonathan Bamba found an opportunity from a loose ball in the box. It took a slight deflection off Revolution defender Eric Klein, preventing goalkeeper Alex Bono from making the save and leading to an own goal. It would be the only goal of the half.
In the middle of a congested part of their schedule, this being New England’s second of five games in a two-week span, Revolution coach Caleb Porter said his youthful lineup was an attempt to give younger players meaningful first-time experience while also giving starters a rest.
“I thought did well,” Porter said. “It was a tricky game to manage, having played Saturday. There was no way we were going to risk, with three games next week, guys like Ganago or Gil, especially on this turf. We used it as an opportunity to try to advance with younger guys.”
Fire coach Gregg Berhalter said his squad agreed with his halftime assessment that their showing had been underwhelming.
“It was challenging at half time. I wasn’t happy with the performance, I asked them if they were happy with their performance and they said no.” Berhalter said. “There were clearly expectations that we could perform better.”
Chicago’s possession advantage continued into the second half, eventually leading to more chances. In the 69th minute, Chicago’s first official shot of the night found its target when Hugo Cuypers wrangled a deflection off the crossbar and beat Bono to make it 2-0.
The Fire would add another goal in the 79th minute, when Danish midfielder Philip Zinckernagel calmly dribbled through the defense, showing good control before slipping it past Bono. Maren Haile-Selassie was credited with the assist.
According to Berhalter, the Revolution’s inexperienced lineup didn’t relieve any pressure on Chicago.
“Anytime we’re on the field we want to win,” Berhalter said. “When you see lineup, perhaps the pressure goes up on you, because you have to win. They had nothing to lose.”
He added he’s happy to be playing three games in a week, saying in-game experience is the best way to maintain fitness levels.
“I think this Open Cup is a great, historic tournament,” he said. “The alternative is we have two very difficult sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday to get the same type of fitness we got today. We got to do this with a real opponent. It’s great.”
The Revolution added a consolation goal in the 89th minute, as Providence College alum and Rhode Island native Gevork Diarbian’s attempt was deflected into the net by Chicago defender Justin Pledger Reynolds, who was credited with the own goal. The final whistle sounded minutes later, leading to a 3-1 finish.
With the loss, the last time New England moved past the Round of 16 was 2017, when they lost in the Quarterfinals against the New York Red Bulls.
The Quarterfinals now await Chicago Fire, who improved their all-time US Open Cup record to 47-17-7, the most wins and advances (51) of any club in competition history. They’re chasing a record-tying fifth Open Cup title.