Here we are again

Waaaay back in 2001, I wrote a week's worth of stories for The Providence Journal about the New England Revolution. The Revs were playing in their first-ever cup final, the U.S. Open Cup, and they were playing against the L.A. Galaxy.

I talked to New England's Ted Chronopolous over the phone and wrote a story on the club's terrible years and how fulfilling it was to finally play for a cup. I believe he was the final or one of the last original Revolution players so he'd been through it all.

I met up with Fernando Clavijo the day before the match and talked to him about the final for an advance on the match and covered the final itself for the ProJo.

Six years later, the Revolution are a vastly improved side. They are bona fide championship contenders, having reached MLS Cup each of the last two seasons. And once again, they have made it to the pinnacle of another tournament as the Revs will play FC Dallas in tonight's US Open Cup final.

But the more things change, the more stagnant they become. Still, the 2007 Revolution's mantle is as barren as it was when Chronopolous and I chatted about the club's first six hapless seasons of existence.

I suppose the Revs have as good of a chance to win a title now than they have in each of their other four cup appearances. They've come close in all of them but lost to the Galaxy in '01 in golden goal extra time, fell to the Galaxy in '02 in MLS Cup in golden goal extra time, lost to the Galaxy yet again in '05 in the MLS Cup after extra time and fell to Houston in the 2006 MLS Cup via a penalty kick shootout.

Four cup finals, four games that were even after 90 minutes, four times the bounces went against the Revolution. Will the Revs finally revel in glory after tonight?

I say yes. Taylor Twellman bags a late winner and the Revs win 1-0.