MLS Cup Final - The Biggest Game In Revolution History?

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Wednesday, December 03, 2014

Matt LaPan, GoLocal Sports Reporter

Soccer fans in New England have seen it all. A young franchise in a dominant sports market, a dominant team that were unable to clinch a championship, a team struggling to draw elite talent and now a team that is on the brink of a championship.

From 2005 through 2007, the New England Revolution were arguably the best team in MLS. With Jay Heaps, Taylor Twellman, Michael Parkhurst, Shalrie Joseph and others leading the 2007 roster, many thought that was "the season" for the Revs. That season ultimately ended in the Revs 3rd consecutive MLS Cup Final loss and led to the team breaking apart and going directly to the bottom of the league.

Special team, special year

That is what makes the 2014 season so special. Jay Heaps, the former Revs player, returning to resurrect a struggling franchise, major media markets competing for the league championship in a World Cup year that has brought new eyes to the league and sport and a midfield loaded with young, home-grown talent and bolstered by an international superstar. The stars are all aligning for Sunday's MLS Cup Final to be the biggest game in New England Revolution team history.

The Revs will be playing in their 5th MLS Cup Final when they take the field, Sunday. This will give them the second most appearances in the final, only trailing the Galaxy who will be appearing in their 9th final. These two teams will be meeting for the third time as opponents. The Revs and Galaxy met in both 2002 and 2005, both times the Galaxy came out on top 1-0. Those past results only fuel the fire for the Revs. They will be looking to hoist their first MLS Cup while the Galaxy are looking to bring the cup back to LA for the third time in four years.

This game also comes on the heels of a great showing from the U.S. Men's National team in the 2014 World Cup. The World Cup has brought soccer to the forefront in the American Sports culture in a major way. That has been seen in the stands of Gillette Stadium -- with the Revs averaging over 26,000 fans per home playoff contest, including a record-breaking 32,698 on hand for the Eastern Conference Finals. Retaining these fans is no easy task when the Revs are in a sports market that is known for its recent championship run. Bringing home a title and parading through the streets of Boston and/or Providence would go a long way in keeping those fans around.

The 2014 is also a team that had to fight just to get to where they are. Jay Heaps' squad struggled to start the season and endured a team-record losing streak in the middle of the season. With the MVP caliber play of Lee Nguyen and the huge boost that Jermaine Jones provided helped carry the Revs through to the final. They also endured major injuries to Chris Tierney and Andy Dorman, the transfer of Jerry Bengtson and the struggles of their young star, Diego Fagundez.

The biggest game in Revolution history

After dealing will all of that, the Revs find themselves 90 minutes away from cementing themselves as a part of "Title Town" is Boston. 90 minutes away from bringing a 4th major championship back to the Kraft family and a 10th major title to the city of Boston and the New England region since 2001. This game, quite simply, has a tremendous importance to the Revolution, the New England soccer community and the great fans that fill Gillette Stadium and is the single most important game in New England Revolution history.

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Related Slideshow: Key Match Ups in New England vs LA MLS Cup Game

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