PAWTUCKET, R.I. – Despite playing in different leagues, the 20-mile difference between the New England Revolution and Rhode Island FC practically invites a rivalry. And if there wasn’t one before, Tuesday night’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup showdown at Centreville Bank Stadium may have solidified it, as the Revs advanced to the Round of 16 after an electric penalty shootout.
Diego Fagundez put the Revs on the board in the 51st minute, finishing a chance created by defenders Damario McIntosh and Peyton Miller for his first goal since returning to New England. While it seemed like New England were poised to ride out the win, especially after goalkeeper Donovan Parisian pulled out late-game heroics in his first team debut, Rhode Island sent the game into extra time with a dramatic equalizer deep into stoppage time.
Scoreless through extra time, the match moved to penalties, where Parisian’s heroics reached another level. For a 21-year-old making his first team debut, facing a shootout could have been daunting. Instead, it became a dream scenario for the Arizona native, who stopped three consecutive penalty attempts from Rhode Island to send the Revs through.
“I’m feeling ecstatic. I’m just really, really happy for the team, for myself, the coaches, everyone. A lot of work gets put into it, specifically for the PKs, doing homework on it and trusting Kevin Hitchcock,” Parisian said with his signature big smile following Tuesday’s performance. “Marko [Mitrović] made it an important part that we would go and take the penalties on our side, let the fans drive us, motivate us. Hearing them is just the extra boost and everything that you want, and it drives you.”
Parisian joined the Revolution last season as a first-round pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. Since then, he has developed under goalkeeping coach Kevin Hitchcock, spent time backing up one of his idols, Matt Turner, and earned minutes with Revolution II in MLS NEXT Pro. Tuesday’s match was his first senior appearance, but his 18th professional start overall.
“Donovan is a fantastic kid. He’s a very charismatic person,” said Mitrović after the match. “He has an amazing work ethic. We know that Matt Turner is our number one, but he supports Matt with the other goalkeepers. They have great group leadership from our goalkeeper coach Kevin Hitchcock. Donovan had some performances this year and games with the second team, but I’m happy for Donovan because second team and these kinds of games are a different experience. I’m very happy with Donovan and his performance tonight.”
While Parisian deservedly stole the show, he started the game alongside a largely rotated Revolution squad giving several players valuable minutes. Among the group was the club’s newest signing, striker Marcos Zambrano, who made his Revolution debut.
“We had a group of guys today that worked so hard every day in training sessions and doing their job,” explained Mitrović. “We felt that they earned the opportunity to play today and I’m very happy for them, because some of them don’t have a lot of minutes under their legs. It wasn’t easy, especially to play 120 minutes, and I feel very happy for them.”
New England will now face either Orlando City SC or FC Naples in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, but not before taking on the Columbus Crew at home, and then hitting the road for two more regular season duels while the team continues to push through a jampacked April. The message from Mitrović and his squad remains unchanged: every match matters. The month ahead may be relentless, but Tuesday’s performance showed a team eager to embrace every challenge.
