Joe Germanese

2008 Semifinals: DC United knock off defending champs to reach Open Cup Final

August 12, 2008 by

A pair of goals from reigning Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player Luciano Emilio were enough to put DC United one win match away from their first championship in four years with a 3-1 victory over the defending Open Cup champion New England Revolution.

The 1996 Open Cup champions opened the scoring on four minutes with Emilio’s first tally, finishing off a Brian Namoff cross. The Revolution responded in the 34th minute on a goal from Joe Germanese, and the match went to halftime level at one.

2008 Third Round: Debutantes push Revolution past Richmond Kickers

July 1, 2008 by

Had the New England Revolution lost to the Richmond Kickers in this Third Round matchup in New Britain, Conn., they may have blamed their poor choice of a stadium, as a nearly two-hour lightning delay pushed the start of the game close to 9:00. Strangely, no rain fell at their other prospective US Open Cup homes: Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, and Lusitano Stadium in Ludlow, Mass., home of the Kickers’ USL-2 rival Western Mass but used often by New England for Open Cup home games. However, the performance of two players making their professional debut helped to kick-start the Revolution’s defense of their 2007 title by defeating Richmond 3-0.