The U.S. Open Cup is a long road for teams in the MLS, especially those who are in the thick of the fight for playoff spots at home as well. For FC Dallas and the New England Revolution, the road towards potential cup glory ends on Tuesday night in Frisco in a match that could legitimately end up being a big boost for either team in their quest for bigger goals in the MLS this season.
The U.S. Open Cup Final will go down Tuesday, September 13, 2016, at 10 p.m. ET at Toyota Stadium. The match will be televised live on ESPN2.
Odds Analysis
The Hoops have to be the favorites in this match. They've had a tough road to reach this point in the tournament, and they've historically played quite well at home, so even though they're fresh off of a shocking 1-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids here, they'll be the odds-on favorites to hoist the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday night.
Keep in mind that the loss for Dallas was its first at home this season, while New England, a team on the wrong side of the red line for the playoffs at the moment, has just one victory away from home.
Key Injuries
FC Dallas is on the path to the Supporters' Shield for a reason. Yes, this team is insanely talented by MLS standards, much of which has come from homegrown talent, but the club has stayed relatively injury-free as well. Zach Loyd has a concussion and is going to miss the final of this tournament, but whatever side Oscar Pareja wants to throw out there aside from that will end up being available and ready for duty.
New England can't nearly say the same thing. The Revs are without Xavier Kouassi for sure, and in all likelihood, Jordan McCrary, Teal Bunbury and Bobby Shuttleworth will all be out of the fold as well. This isn't a particularly deep team this year, and with the bigger prize of the MLS Cup will hanging in the balance, the Revs might choose to leave anyone with nicks and scratches out of this lineup as well.
How They Got Here
You can always tell the teams that take this tournament seriously and the teams that don't, and history has suggested that FC Dallas definitely does. The club was nearly ousted in its first stage by the Oklahoma City Energy of the USL, a match that ended in a penalty shootout, but from that point forward with mostly a senior squad, the Hoops have dismissed Colorado, Houston and LA, the latter two matches of which came on the road.
The Revs got a bit of a break in the opening rounds of the U.S. Open Cup. NYCFC was beaten in the fourth round by the NASL's New York Cosmos, and as a result, New England has only had to beat two MLS teams to get to this point. Philadelphia was taken out in a penalty shootout, while Chicago was dismissed 3-1 in the semis.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
Though it would be a nice story to tell about New England winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, we don't see it happening. The Hoops take this tournament very seriously, and though they haven't won it since 1997, this has been a goal spoken about all season long. A double along with the MLS Cup would be a tremendous thrill for this squad.
Don't forget that the Hoops were beaten by Colorado in a match where many of the regulars were allowed to rest to prepare for this game. It was a measure New England didn't take over the weekend, and it's one that we think will come back to bite it in the backside. Frisco is one of the toughest places to play in the MLS, and after a stretch of over a calendar year without a defeat a home, FC Dallas will look to start a new winning streak at home on Tuesday night and celebrate a major piece of silverware at the same time.
U.S. Open Cup Odds: FC Dallas 3, New England 1
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