WHIPPANY -- Many Major League Soccer teams see the U.S. Open Cup as a chance to give some reserve players a chance to get game experience under their belts while giving the first-team players a break in order to focus on the MLS season.

For the Red Bulls though, the Open Cup matters more than anything this season, especially with New York having a bumpy start to MLS play this year.

Having played 18 games in MLS so far this year, the Red Bulls (8-8-2) have found regular season play more challenging than usual. Sitting in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, the Red Bulls have struggled to find the consistency in both their quality of play and their results that have strongly defined them in recent seasons.

So as the Red Bulls search for answers to their inconsistencies this year, the Open Cup just might have what New York is looking for. They have a chance make a strong run in the tournament heading into Thursday's 8:30 p.m. quarterfinal tilt with the New England Revolution at Harvard University.

"There is a huge urgency in our group," said Red Bulls midfielder Tyler Adams.

Making it far in the Open Cup, and perhaps even winning it, could in fact prove vital to the Red Bulls this season, as the tournament could possibly provide players with a needed boost as New York fights to find itself in a playoff spot when the regular season comes to a close in November.

"Well, I think, just that first one against NYCFC gave us a bit of a kick start, and even the game against Philly where I think in the overtime period they probably played better than us but we rallied around the penalty shootout," said Red Bulls midfielder Sacha Kljestan in reference to his teams most recent Open Cup wins over New York City F.C. and the Philadelphia Union.

"I think it's already started to kick start our season where we've had a lot of ups and downs. Obviously we want to keep this run going because I think it's gonna keep propelling us through the summer months."

Besides the boost that an Open Cup run could provide the Red Bulls, winning the tournament itself would bring New York into unprecedented territory.

The Red Bulls have never won the Open Cup, and the club has not hoisted a trophy since 2015 when it won the Supporters' Shield, a trophy many fans do not regard highly due to the Red Bulls' early exits from the MLS playoffs in recent years.

"We haven't brought a trophy back here other than the Supporters Shield, so we're taking this as a huge tournament," said Adams. "We're gonna put our best team out there, and you know we're gonna go for it."

With a victory over New England, the Red Bulls would find themselves in the semifinals and playing either Miami F.C. or F.C. Cincinatti, both USL (second division) sides. The Red Bulls would then fancy their chances of making it to the final, and, perhaps, even winning the tournament altogether.

"We want to win every game and we're playing it like it's our last one. We want to get to the final and ultimately win it," Adams said.

The game will kick off at 8:30 p.m. and will be aired on USsoccer.com.