Even though the weather was fine—cold but clear—the metaphorical storm clouds were gathering. The New England Revolution had just posted the most successful regular season in MLS history—a record-setting 22-5-7 romp that was good enough to win the Supporters’ Shield by a whopping 12 points. That’s a chasm in a league typically defined by fine margins.
Those were the reasons to expect a long playoff run (by MLS standards—it’s only 3-4 games). But there were just as many reasons to anticipate an early exit. A combination of factors that included a FIFA break and a bye that’s supposed to reward first-place finishers forced the Revs to wait 23 days between games.