With 10 minutes to go in Wednesday's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, FC Dallas had five strikers strung along the front line, hoping to pierce the New England Revolution rearguard for a third time to send the match into extra time.
"I kept looking at the clock, hoping it would be over." Revolution captain Steve Ralston said. "I kept trying to get the guys to keep going."
It was all hands on deck, as New England, seeking its first ever title, shored up the back line. It paid off as the Revolution ensured the third final they played at Pizza Hut Park would be the first they won, with a 3-2 victory against FC Dallas.
"I think in the last 20 minutes, we showed our experience," Revolution head coach Steve Nicol said.
But when Alex Prus blew the final whistle, the players celebrated and mounted a structure they had only seen from ground level.
"It's a much better view from the stage," Ralston said after he lifted the trophy.
Revolution head coach Steve Nicol felt the view rewarded his swashbuckling side for their effort on the evening.
"I think we deserved it," Nicol said. "We scored three and I think we could have scored more."
Much of that had to do with the effervescent form of Nicol's front-line pairing of Pat Noonan and Taylor Twellman.
Noonan scored the opening goal after Adrian Serioux knocked Wells Thompson's cross over Dario Sala into Noonan's path at the far post to tap home. Noonan then headed a ball off Carlos Ruiz's back to find Twellman at the far post for the team's second. And Twellman crossed to Noonan's back heel to find Thompson for the winner in the 65th minute.
The rampant striking duo posed problems all night and evoked praise from the Revolution boss.
"You name it, they did it [tonight]," Nicol said. "They did as much off the ball as they did off the ball. They kept tracking back. When we attacked, they were a handful."
But it was perhaps Matt Reis's save in the 38th minute that turned the tide in New England's favor. Noonan opened the scoring in the 21st minute before Arturo Alvarez knotted it with a highlight reel goal with the outside of his left boot three minutes later.
Carlos Ruiz played Alvarez through one-on-one with Reis and Reis stuck out a boot to avert the danger.
"It was a huge save," Nicol said. "If Alvarez scores there, it really turns the game."
Instead, New England scored through Twellman just prior to halftime and Thompson's goal provided the eventual match winner to lift the first trophy in the club's history in the highest-scoring final since 1993.
The result left Heaps, the only player to experience the four previous losses for New England in championship games (three MLS Cup Finals, one Open Cup Final), at a rare momentary loss for words.
"It's hard to explain," Heaps said of his emotions at the final whistle. "This is one of my top moments as a professional."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
