It was almost like slow motion.
The Revolution found itself up by one during the 2006 MLS Cup Finals after Taylor Twellman scored a goal in the 113th minute. With the opportunity to take New England by storm, the Revs watched as Houston Dynamo forward Brian Ching headed a ball past Matt Reis to force penalty kicks.
The Dynamo would go on to win the game and the MLS championship.
Five years later, the Revs find themselves at the bottom of the conference as they prepare for their Wednesday night match against Houston.
While fans at Gillette Stadium expect perfection from the New England Patriots, at the beginning of the decade, the Revs looked poised to equal — if not exceed — the Pats' accomplishments.
The Revolution made six straight appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals, advancing to the Cup Finals four times, including a three-year span from 2005-2007. In '05, the squad lost 1-0 to Los Angeles in the Finals, but in the following two years, the team was expected to win it all.
While the Revolution are certainly used to playing second fiddle to its big brother at Gillette, as well as the trio of other Boston pro teams, the team had an opportunity to grab hold of the city in 2006. While the other four teams struggled to make a playoff push, the Revs cruised to the Finals, where, as mentioned, they suffered defeat.
A Finals rematch the following year still failed to result in a Revolution championship — which was an even more heartbreaking result the second time around.
The Revs made conference semifinals appearances in '08 and '09, but failed to advance beyond that point. After a sixth-place finish last season, the 2011 squad bears little resemblance to the near-championship squads of years past.
On Wednesday night, though, the man who forced penalty kicks in the '06 Finals will be captain of the opposition.
While the match doesn't possess the drama and importance of that championship game, it's no doubt a reminder of what was, and a New England victory would bring some satisfaction to those Revs who failed to take New England by storm on that fateful day.
