FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It was the largest crowd in the history of MLS Cup, and somewhere among the more than 61,000 fans in the crowd were two young boys who hoped one day they would get their chance to play in the big game.
Chris Tierney and Scott Caldwell were both there when the New England Revolution hosted the 2002 MLS Cup final at Gillette Stadium against the LA Galaxy (above), and the game left undeniable impressions on each.
“There’s a picture in my house, I was there with some of my buddies,” said Caldwell, a native of Braintree, Massachusetts. “I remember the gist of it, but not the whole game itself. It was great crowd, awesome atmosphere.”
Tierney, a native of nearby Wellesley, remembers it too. Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz scored the game’s only goal in the 113th minute to give the Galaxy the win, and hand the Revs the first of their four losses in the MLS Cup final.
“Carlos Ruiz won the game for the Galaxy,” Tierney said of his memories of that day. “Hopefully we can flip the script on that one this year.”
Now the Revs are back in MLS Cup against the Galaxy at StubHub Center on Sunday (3 pm ET; ESPN, UniMas, UDN, TSN1, RDS2), and the local ties run deep with the club.
Caldwell and Tierney were wide-eyed kids from the Boston suburbs when the Revs made their first appearance in the final back in 2002. Current head coach Jay Heaps was starting at right back – making everyone proud back in the Western Massachusetts town of Longmeadow – and a 16-year old named Charlie Davies was watching on television and starring at a Massachusetts prep school with a career at Boston College on the horizon.
Now these New England natives, who have each played a major role in the success of the club this season, will get their chance to give the franchise its first MLS title.
“It means so much,” Davies said. “It’d be so special to be the first team to bring MLS Cup back to New England.”
It was Davies, Tierney and Caldwell who propelled the team into the MLS Cup Final this year, combining for the series-clinching goal in the 70th minute vs. New York last Saturday.
Each player had standout seasons for the Revolution, and their efforts have been magnified during the playoffs as they combined for five goals and five assists in the club’s four postseason matches.
“It just means so much, every time I put on the jersey and see the fans,” Caldwell said. “I was one of them. I still am a fan of the organization, the team, and I’m just really looking forward to the game.”
Said Tierney: “I’m a Revs fan through and through. It’s something I grew up with and grew up dreaming of playing with the first team. To be playing in an MLS Cup with this club is a dream come true to me.”
