The New England Revolution defeated Rhode Island FC to advance to the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup. Here are three stats that defined the match.
19 Fouls
The New England Revolution fouled Rhode Island FC 19 times. This is the most so far in 2026.
This illustrates that there was some level of hostility between the two sides. While it will be hard to rival El Clamico, there are some embers forming that could eventually heat up a rivalry between RIFC and the Revs.
“I would say that it’s great when you have a club that’s close to you and you can kind of build that [rivalry]. I just don’t know because U.S. Open Cup, there are [records] that you have to obtain in order to play," head coach marko Mitrovic said. "So, we have no guaranteed games to play against them. But once we play, it’s a great rivalry. It would be amazing, because it’s always great to have a special game.”
2,029 Days
It had been a long time since Diego Fagundez had scored for the New England Revolution.
The goal was an absolute beauty. Fagundez received the ball at the top of the box and smashed it past Koke Vegas.
Que Golazoooo
— Sam Lattof (@samlattof.bsky.social) April 14, 2026 at 8:16 PM
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“Diego [Fagundez] is someone who has a lot of experience in the league and has a quality that can change the game," Mitrovic said. "As we saw, it wasn’t an easy goal from Diego. We spoke about Diego when he signed with us. [He was] someone who didn’t play soccer for five months. Then, to get back to playing without a preseason and without playing for so long, it's not easy. I said several times that I have no expectations from Diego right now. The most important thing for us right now is get that preseason back to him and today was a great opportunity. Diego got 70 minutes. The last time he probably played 70 minutes was six months ago. Then he got rewarded with that goal. He's in a good spot for the next training sessions, the days coming, and can push himself to help us.”
While expectations might be low, it will be interesting to see if Fagundez's performance in the cup can earn him some minutes in MLS play or maybe even a start.
First
There were plenty of first across the pitch for New England. Marcos Zambrano earned his debut for the Revs but also his first-ever senior team start.
“I think this is actually [Marcos Zambrano] first senior game tonight," Mitrovic said. "I think he gave his best fighting, running. He's a forward that his highest quality is to connect with the ball in the box and score goals, but unfortunately, we didn't create those situations for him. But I think for him to taste that senior experience was great. He kind of broke the ice today, and let's see in the future how everything is going to go. But again, I'm very happy for Marcos that he got this opportunity."
Donovan Parisian also made his first team debut and made crucial saves in the shootout to see New England through to the Round of 16. It was a solid performance especially after the Revs allowed a stoppage time goal in the 101st minute.
Finally, there is Tanner Beason. His game-clinching penalty kick was his first as a pro. Back at Stanford, he was prolific at PK's as he was 9-9 in penalties in his career according to an article from the college. Additionally it claims that his last miss was in junior high school.
