New England Exits U.S. Open Cup After 4-3 Thriller against Orlando City SC
MLS New England Revolution

New England Exits U.S. Open Cup After 4-3 Thriller against Orlando City SC

Published on April 29, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


PAWTUCKET, R.I. - The New England Revolution fell 4-3 to Orlando City SC in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 clash on Wednesday night at Centreville Bank Stadium. The two MLS Eastern Conference sides traded blows throughout a match that featured three equalizers by Orlando, before the visitors ultimately claimed the winner in second-half stoppage time.

New England saw five different players find the scoresheet, with winger Malcolm Fry, defender Andrew Farrell, and forward Marcos Zambrano all finding the back of the net. Homegrown midfielder Eric Klein contributed to the attack with two assists, while defender Gabe Dahlin also recorded a helper.

New England's opening goal came in the 21st minute through a pair of Homegrown talents. Klein, earning his first senior-team assist, shook off a defender near midfield and drove up the center of the field before chipping a perfectly weighted pass behind Orlando's back line. Fry, settling the pass in stride, took a composed touch and slotted the ball into the back of the net to record his first senior-team goal, the 12th of his professional career.

Orlando pulled level 10 minutes later, but the lead was reclaimed by Farrell's strike in the 37th minute. Dahlin, a Revolution II defender making his first-team debut, directed a clever outside-of-the-foot layoff into Farrell's path. The center back made no mistake, driving a low strike cleanly into the back of the net. The tally marked the third goal of Farrell's professional career, his first since August 2018. The lead was short-lived, as Orlando fired back with an equalizer four minutes later to send the game into the break knotted at 2-2.

Farrell, who wore the captain's armband, matched Scott Caldwell for the club record with his 14th U.S. Open Cup start. Farrell and forward Diego Fagundez remain tied for the club's record with 19 Open Cup appearances. Fagundez ended the night with one shot and four chances created.

Zambrano put New England back in front in the 57th minute, opening his Revolution account with a composed finish. Klein once again unlocked Orlando's back line, threading a ball in behind for the 21-year-old forward. Zambrano took a clean touch onto his right foot and drove his shot into the back of the net to give the Revolution the 3-2 edge. The United States youth international also had a first-half strike that rattled off the post.

With a trip to the Quarterfinals on the line, Orlando rallied from behind to close the scoring with two unanswered goals. After pulling level in the 70th minute, Zakaria Taifi sealed the win in the 92nd minute to end New England's Open Cup run.

The Revolution, still unbeaten in five straight MLS matches (4-0-1), will resume the regular season on Saturday night against Charlotte FC, the start of a four-game homestand at Gillette Stadium. Saturday's match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and airs on Apple TV in both English and Spanish. Listen to the club's local radio calls via 98.5 The Sports Hub, Rumba 97.7 (Spanish), and 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA (Portuguese).

MATCH NOTES

D Andrew Farrell tied the club record with his 14th start in the U.S. Open Cup, donning the captain's armband and scoring his third career goal - his first since 2018. Farrell added a team-high five clearances.

F/W Diego Fagundez and Farrell both remain tied for the club record making their 19th Open Cup appearance for New England in Wednesday's contest. Fagundez recorded a game-high four chances created.

F Marcos Zambrano tallied the first goal of his senior career, and his first for New England. The U.S. youth international registered a team-high five shots, with two attempts on target.

New England started five Homegrown Players in Wednesday's match - Fagundez, F/W Malcolm Fry, M Eric Klein, D Damario McIntosh, and M Cristiano Oliveira.

Fry tallied his first goal for the first team, sliding home a finish from a tight angle in the first half. The Groton, Mass. native made his eighth senior appearance in all competitions and recorded four shots.

Klein provided a pair of assists in his third career Open Cup start, setting up Fry's opening goal and Zambrano's second-half tally.

Revolution II D Gabriel Dahlin earned his first team debut, marking the occasion with an assist to set up Farrell's goal. The Swedish defender won both of his tackles and a team-high six duels.

Dahlin was one of four Revolution II players to make his first team debut, joined by midfielders Javaun Mussenden and Shuma Sasaki, and defender Schinieder Mimy off the bench.

GAME CAPSULE

U.S Open Cup Round of 16

New England Revolution 3 vs. Orlando City SC 4

April 29, 2026 - Centreville Bank Stadium

(Pawtucket, R.I.)

Referee: Abdou Ndiaye

Assistant Referee: Kevin Lock

Assistant Referee: Tom Felice

Fourth Official: J.C. Griggs

Weather: 53 degrees and mostly cloudy

Scoring Summary:

NE - Malcolm Fry 1 (Eric Klein 1) 21'

ORL - Iago 1 (Tiago 1) 31'

NE - Andrew Farrell 1 (Gabe Dahlin 1) 37'

ORL - Griffin Dorsey 1 (Justin Ellis 1) 40'

NE - Marcos Zambrano 1 (Eric Klein 2) 58'

ORL - Justin Ellis 1 (Unassisted) 70'

ORL - Zakaria Taifi 1 (Tyrese Spicer 1) 90'+2

Misconduct Summary:

ORL - Colin Guske (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul) 1'

ORL - Ignacio Gomez (Yellow Card - Hard Foul) 41'

NE - Allan Oyirwoth (Yellow Card - Hard Foul) 88'

New England Revolution: Donovan Parisian; Gabe Dahlin, Tanner Beason, Andrew Farrell ©, Damario McIntosh (Schineider Mimy 83'); Eric Klein, Allan Oyirwoth; Malcolm Fry, Diego Fagundez (Javaun Mussenden 78'), Cristiano Oliveira (Shuma Sasaki 88'); Marcos Zambrano.

Substitutes Not Used: J.D. Gunn; Jayden Da, Chris Mbaï-Assem, Carlos Zambrano.

Orlando City SC: Javier Otero; Adrian Marin, Griffin Dorsey (Zakaria Taifi 66'), Iago; Ivan Angulo (Luis Otavio 66'), Colin Guske, Braian Ojeda (Robin Jansson 66'), Ignacio Gomez (Tahir Reid-Brown 90'+4), Tiago (Tyrese Spicer 45'); Martin Ojeda, Justin Ellis.

Substitutes Not Used: Maxime Crepeau; Wilder Cartagena.

Check out the New England Revolution Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from April 29, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central