The Philadelphia Union won’t be hosting a third straight US Open Cup final.
Brad Knighton made two saves in a shootout and Je-Vaughn Watson scored the winner as the New England Revolution beat the Union 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 score at the end of regulation and extra time in a dramatic USOC quarterfinal game at Harvard University’s Jordan Field on Wednesday night.
Lee Nguyen, Chris Tierney and Jose Goncalves all scored in the shootout for the Revs, before Watson — who netted the team’s only goal of regulation — sent New England into the Open Cup semifinals with the night's final PK.
Knighton stopped Sebastien Le Toux — the US Open Cup’s all-time modern scoring leader and the most prolific PK-taker in Union history — on Philly’s first attempt and also saved C.J. Sapong’s penalty. Ilsinho and Fabian Herbers put their PK attempts in for the Union, while Scott Caldwell pushed the Revs’ third attempt wide.
Although he didn’t make any saves in the shootout, Andre Blake enjoyed one of his best games in a Philly jersey, but his seven saves weren’t enough for the Union to advance to their fourth USOC semifinal in five years.
Trailing for almost all of the second half, the Union tied the game in the 90th minute when Herbers took a ball from Le Toux and beat Knighton to send the game to extra time in thrilling fashion.
Knighton kept the game level with a point-blank stop on Leo Fernandes five minutes into the first extra-time period. But that was nothing compared to a sensational double save from Blake, who stopped Andrew Farrell and Kelyn Rowe in succession, the second one almost defying belief, at the end of the session.
With both teams fielding strong lineups, the Revs, who last one the Open Cup in 2007, struck right before halftime. And they did so by catching the Union napping as Diego Fagundez played a free kick to a wide-open Watson, who calmly slotted a shot into the corner of the net for his first goal in a Revolution jersey.
Before that, Blake made a few big saves, including one on Kei Kamara in the 27th minute, to keep the game scoreless. The All-Star 'keeper also kept the Union in it with two more leaping, diving saves on Kamara in a two-minute stretch midway through the second half.
The Revs move on to face the Chicago Fire in the semifinals on Aug. 9 or 10.
New England Revolution(4-2-3-1, left to right): Brad Knighton; Andrew Farrell, Samba, Jose Goncalves, Je-Vaughn Watson; Daigo Kobayashi (Lee Nguyen 70'), Steven Caldwell; Diego Fagundez, Steve Neumann (Chris Tierney 76', Kelyn Rowe; Kei Kamara (Zachary Herivaux 83')
SUBS: Bobby Shuttleworth, Darrius Barnes, London Woodberry, Femi Hollinger-Janzen
Philadelphia Union(4-2-3-1, left to right): Andre Blake; Raymon Gaddis, Ken Tribbett, Richie Marquez, Fabinho; Tranquillo Barnetta (Leo Fernandes 76'), Warren Creavalle; Ilsinho, Roland Alberg (Fabian Herbers 66'), Chris Pontius (Sebastien Le Toux 66'); C.J. Sapong
SUBS: John McCarthy, Keegan Rosenberry, Josh Yaro, Brian Carrol
