FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Expecting familiar faces from the New England Revolution for Tuesday night's Open Cup semifinal against D.C. United at RFK Stadium?
Think again.
Revolution head coach Steve Nicol had to balance the upcoming fixture crunch -- the team plays in San Jose this weekend and just finished a grueling month of July in SuperLiga -- with the team's desire to retain the U.S. Open Cup. Nicol said he'll stick with the primarily reserve roster that dispatched Crystal Palace Baltimore and Richmond Kickers in the earlier rounds.
"The guys who got us here deserve to play in this game," Nicol said. "They've played some games in the SuperLiga and they've played some games in the league."
Given the stakes and the upcoming glut of matches, this semifinal amounts to a stern test of who can step into the first team and earn more playing time.
"There are some guys here who haven't had as many minutes as they would like," Nicol said. "They'll be asked a lot of questions tomorrow night."
A couple of familiar faces have made the trip, none more influential than Revs central midfielder Shalrie Joseph. Joseph is suspended for the San Jose game after picking up a red card, but he might have made the trip anyways to give the side some additional sturdiness in the center of the park.
"D.C. is going to be a hard game, but the reserve guys have done great all season," Joseph said. "I'm just here to lend some more experience. I just want to help this team."
The Revs haven't faced much in the way of obstacles in its first two Open Cup matches. With two USL teams facing off on the other side of the draw, the winner of Tuesday night's game will be favored heading into the final.
"It's the Open Cup semifinals," Revs midfielder Khano Smith said. "We're the defending champions. There's a good chance we can win it."
Winning the game will mean extracting good performances out of everyone on the field, Smith thinks.
"We just have to perform at our best," Smith said. "Everyone has to perform to the best of their abilities."
Those abilities may be compromised after playing on Saturday and facing a reserve fixture on Sunday after a non-stop July.
"It's really tough on the body, but we just need to get past it," Smith said.
United also had to cope with fixture congestion after playing on Sunday afternoon and getting stuck on I-95 on its way home on Sunday night.
"They have to be a little bit tired, too," Joseph said.
No matter the fatigue or the lineup, the expectations don't change, Nicol said.
"We're here to win the game," Nicol said.
“Of course we consider the fans’ interests”
Revs’ Smith seeking to take next step
