New England Revolution
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| Full name | New England Revolution | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Revs | ||
| Founded | 1995 | ||
| Stadium | Gillette Stadium (Capacity: 68,756) |
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| Owner |  Robert Kraft |
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| Head Coach |  Steve Nicol |
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| League | Major League Soccer | ||
| 2009 | Eastern Conference: 3rd Overall: 7th Playoffs: Quarterfinals |
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 Current season |
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The New England Revolution are an American soccer club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, that participates in Major League Soccer. The club is owned by Robert Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots of the National Football League. The name "Revolution" refers to the New England region's involvement in the American Revolution.
The Revs currently play their home matches at Gillette Stadium. The club played their home games at the adjacent and now-demolished Foxboro Stadium, during the 1996 through 2001 seasons. The Revs hold the distinction of being the only original MLS team to have every league game in its history televised.[1]
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History
The Revolution were one of the ten original MLS franchises to compete in the league's inaugural season. However, it took them until 2007 -- their twelfth year of existence -- to win their first trophy, the 2007 US Open Cup. The following year, they won the 2008 North American SuperLiga. The Revolution have never won MLS Cup, despite reaching finals in 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2007.
The club's main rival is widely considered to be Red Bull New York, although in recent years the Revolution have built rivalries with fellow Eastern Conference teams DC United and Chicago Fire, and their 2-time MLS Cup opponents, the Houston Dynamo. The team's supporter's clubs are called the Midnight Riders, the Rev Army and the Rebellion. The name 'Midnight Riders' is in honor of the famous rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes, who announced the departure of British troops from Boston to Concord at the beginning of the American Revolution. The Midnight Riders,and the Rev Army occupy the north stand of the stadium, which they have nicknamed "The Fort". The Fort is a general admission section and draws its name from the revolutionary theme which runs through the team and independent supporters' associations.[2]
The early years: 1996–2001
The inaugural Revolution team featured several US Men's National Team regulars returning from abroad to be part of the new league. Despite the presence of Alexi Lalas, Mike Burns, and Joe-Max Moore, however, the team was one of only two that failed to make the playoffs of the then-10-team league. The following season, the squad made the playoffs, but failed to advance past the first round. For the next five years, this would be the Revs best playoff result (which they matched in the 2000 season) as a revolving door of players and head coaches failed to make much of an impact on the fledgling league.
Attendance in these early years was high despite the team's poor on-field performances. More than 15,000 people per match regularly came to watch the Revolution play in the old Foxboro Stadium. The Revs did manage to make the final of the 2001 US Open Cup, but they lost to the Los Angeles Galaxy on a golden goal by Danny Califf. It was a harbinger of finals to come for the Revolution.
The Steve Nicol era 2002–present
The Liverpool FC great was appointed on a full-time basis for the 2002 season (he had previously held the position of interim head coach during 1999). Since he took over, Nicol has never failed to guide the Revolution to a playoff berth, a league-record eight straight seasons. The first six of those berths (from 2002-2007) resulted in an appearance in the conference final or better, including three consecutive MLS Cup finals from 2005-2007. Since the 2008 season, the Revs have failed to make it out of first round of the playoffs, and are currently in danger of missing the postseason entirely. Still, Nicol is respected as one of the best coaches in the league and near-universally revered by Revolution fans.[3][4]
Playoff success 2002–2007
In his first season in charge, Nicol guided the Revs to a first-place finish in the Eastern Conference. The team advanced through the playoffs to the MLS Cup final, where they lost to the Galaxy again, this time 1-0 on a golden goal by Carlos Ruiz.
After losing in the conference finals in 2003 and 2004, the Revs repeated their 2002 feat finishing tops in the east and losing to LA 1-0 in extra time again in 2005. New England had a real chance to win their first MLS championship, in MLS Cup 2006, against the Houston Dynamo. After Taylor Twellman scored in the 113th minute, the Revs allowed a game-tying header from the Dynamo's Brian Ching less than a minute later that sent the game to penalty kicks, where the Revs lost 4–3. The 2007 MLS Cup was a rematch from the previous year, though the result was the same as Houston defeated New England 2–1.[5] It was New England's fourth loss in the MLS Cup in a six year span, a disappointing feat that led to comparisons to the NFL's Buffalo Bills.[6]
Their 2002 MLS Cup appearance granted them a spot in the 2003 CONCACAF Champions Cup, but lost their first matchup 5:3 on aggregate after playing two games on the road to LD Alajuelense. The Revolution again faced LD Alajuelense of Costa Rica in the home and away 2006 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. The "home" game was played February 22, 2006, in Bermuda despite some fans feeling that playing at Gillette Stadium in the adverse conditions of winter in New England could have been advantageous. The Revs failed to advance, as they drew 0–0 in Bermuda and lost 0–1 in Costa Rica.
Minor trophies, minor rebuilding 2007–present
In the 2007 season, the Revs made it to two cup finals. Though they again lost the main prize, MLS Cup, they defeated FC Dallas to win their first-ever trophy: the 2007 US Open Cup. The victory qualified the club for the preliminary round of the newly expande CONCACAF Champions League. Additionally, their top-four finish qualified them for SuperLiga 2008. This meant the Revolution would be competing in four different competitions (MLS, Open Cup, Champions League, and SuperLiga) during the 2008 season.
The 2008 season started wonderfully for the Revs. By mid-July, they were leading the overall MLS table and had finished as the number one overall seed in SuperLiga. The team won the tournament, defeating the Houston Dynamo on penalties to earn a small amount of revenge on for their successive MLS Cup defeats. Unfortunately, the team's second trophy in as many seasons would be the high point for the 2008 Revs. Fixture congestion led to a rash of injuries and general fatigue, and the team crashed out the Champions League with an embarrassing 4-0 home defeat to regional minnows Joe Public FC of Trinidad and Tobago (the tie ended 6-1 Joe Public on aggregate). The team also struggled in domestic play, limping to a third-place finish in the East and losing to the Chicago Fire in the first round of the playoffs. The Revs did manage a semifinal appearance in the 2008 Open Cup, but lost to DC United and failed to defend their 2007 title.
In 2009, the Revs continued the mediocrity that had plagued the second half of their 2008 season, losing to Chicago again in the first round of the playoffs. The team also lost to Chicago in the semifinals of the 2009 SuperLiga. 2010 started even more dismally than 2009, with the team failing to put together an unbeaten streak longer than three games until July. Luckily, this unbeaten streak coincided with the Revs' third consecutive SuperLiga appearance, and for the second time in three years, the team made the competition's final. Unfortunately for the Revs, they lost 2-1 to Monarcas Morelia of Mexico.
July 2008 incident aboard aircraft
On July 18, 2008, Revolution players and staff were on American Airlines Flight 725, a Boeing 757 with 151 passengers and seven crew on board, flying from Boston to Los Angeles. The team was en route to play Chivas USA as part of the 2008 SuperLiga tournament. During the flight, team staff helped to subdue an unruly passenger who had undressed and was attempting to open the plane's emergency exit during the flight. The plane was diverted to Oklahoma City, where the passenger was removed by FBI personnel.[7][8]
Rivalries
The Revolution has rivalries with the New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union and to a lesser extent, DC United. These rivalries are borne out of both geographic proximity and the fact that the cities that these clubs represent are rivals in other sports. The Red Bulls are arguably the Revolution's biggest rivals as that team is geographically the closest to New England. New England also has a smaller rivalry with the Chicago Fire as the clubs have clashed several times in the MLS playoffs.
Television and radio
All Revolution matches are televised locally in high definition on Comcast SportsNet New England; nationally televised matches air on ESPN, ESPN2, and FOX Soccer Channel. All matches are broadcast on radio by WBZ-FM, but this is a simulcast of the TV feed. Brad Feldman handles play-by-play on both TV and radio with Jay Heaps doing color commentary.[9] Matches had previously been aired on WSBK-TV in standard definition.
Honors
- MLS Cup
- Runners-up (4): 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007
- US Open Cup
- Champions (1): 2007
- Runners-up (1): 2001
- MLS Supporters' Shield
- Runners-up (1): 2005
International
- SuperLiga
- Champions (1): 2008
- Runners-up (1): 2010
Players
Current roster
As of August 14th, 2010.[10]
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable former players
This list of former players includes those who received international caps while playing for the team, made significant contributions to the team in terms of appearances or goals while playing for the team, or who made significant contributions to the sport either before they played for the team, or after they left. It is clearly not yet complete and all inclusive, and additions and refinements will continue to be made over time.
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- See also All-time New England Revolution roster
Head coaches
Frank Stapleton (1996)
Thomas Rongen (1997-98)
Walter Zenga (1999)- Steve Nicol (1999, interim)
- Fernando Clavijo (2000-02)
- Steve Nicol (2002-)
Team records
As of August 28st, 2010.[11]
- Games Played: Jay Heaps, 243
- Games Started: Jay Heaps, 238
- Minutes Played: Jay Heaps, 21,619
- Goals: Taylor Twellman*, 101
- Assists: Steve Ralston, 73
- Game-Winning Goals: Taylor Twellman*, 28
- Game-Winning Assists: Steve Ralston, 22
- Hat Tricks: Taylor Twellman*, 3
- Multi-Goal Games: Taylor Twellman*, 16
- Penalty-Kick Goals: Steve Ralston, 9
- Games Played In Goal: Matt Reis*, 165
- Games Started In Goal: Matt Reis*, 182
- Minutes Played In Goal: Matt Reis*, 16,302
- Goals Against Average: Matt Reis*, 1.33
- Wins: Matt Reis*, 74
- Saves: Matt Reis*, 706
- Shutouts (clean sheets): Matt Reis*, 50
* Active
- All-Time regular season record: 177-194-79
Home stadiums
- Foxboro Stadium (1996-01)
- Gillette Stadium (2002-)
On June 14, 2006, MLS announced that the Revolution were hoping to build a new soccer-specific stadium. Bids have gone out to local towns around New England to see where the Revs could have a stadium built.[12]
On August 2, 2007, the Boston Herald published an article stating that the city of Somerville and Revolution officials have held "preliminary discussions" about building a 20,000 to 25,000 seat stadium on a 100 acre site off of Innerbelt Road near Interstate 93, and could cost anywhere between $50 and $200 million based on other similar soccer specific stadiums built by Major League Soccer teams.[13] After a two-year hiatus, the Revolution renewed their plans to build a stadium in Somerville since the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority finalized its Green Line maintenance facility plans. [14] In an July 2010 interview with team owner Kraft has said that over $1MM has been invested in finding a suitable site, preferably in the urban core. [15] However, the club also has three other sites in consideration in the event of the proposal's termination.
General Managers
- Brian O'Donovan (1995-00)
- Todd Smith (2001-02)
- Craig Tornberg (2003-08)
- Micheal Burns (2009-)[16]
Year-by-year
| Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions' League |
SuperLiga |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 5th, East | Did not qualify | Did not enter | Did not qualify | Started in 2007 |
| 1997 | 4th, East | Quarterfinals | Round of 16 | Did not qualify | |
| 1998 | 6th, East | Did not qualify | Did not enter | Did not qualify | |
| 1999 | 5th, East | Did not qualify | Did not enter | Did not qualify | |
| 2000 | 2nd, East | Quarterfinals | Round of 32 | Did not qualify | |
| 2001 | 3rd, East | Did not qualify | Final | Not held | |
| 2002 | 1st, East | Final | Did not enter | Did not qualify | |
| 2003 | 2nd, East | Conf. Final | Quarterfinals | First Round | |
| 2004 | 4th, East | Conf. Final | Round of 16 | Did not qualify | |
| 2005 | 1st, East | Final | Round of 16 | Did not qualify | |
| 2006 | 2nd, East | Final | Quarterfinals | First Round | |
| 2007 | 2nd, East | Final | Champions | Did not qualify | Did not participate |
| 2008 | 3rd, East | Conf. SF | Semifinals | Did not qualify | Champions |
| 2009 | 3rd, East | Conf. SF | Round of 16 | Preliminary Round | Semifinals |
Average attendance
regular season/playoffs
- 1996: 19,025
- 1997: 21,423/16,233
- 1998: 19,188
- 1999: 16,735
- 2000: 15,463/10,723
- 2001: 15,645
- 2002: 16,927/19,018
- 2003: 14,641/14,823
- 2004: 12,226/5,679
- 2005: 12,525/13,849
- 2006: 11,786/9,372
- 2007: 16,787/10,217
- 2008: 17,580/5,221
- 2009: 12,427/7,416
- All-Time: 15,844/11,255
References
- ↑ "Revolution announces TV and radio schedule for 2006". 2006-03-14. http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/search/index.cfm?ac=searchdetail&pid=18665&pcid=115.
- ↑ Joyce Furia (2006-02-07). "Meet the Coach, Meet the Midnight Riders". Soccer New England.
- ↑ Biglin, Mike (November 16, 2007). "MLS Cup 2007: Formula for success". http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/x1295538337. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ↑ Madaio, Bob (February 3, 2010). "The New England Revolution's Steve and Shalrie Show". http://bleacherreport.com/articles/339168-the-new-england-revolutions-steve-and-shalrie-show. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ↑ Dynamo beat Revolution 2-1 to repeat as MLS champions. Fox Sports. 2007-11-18. http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/7462040. Retrieved 2007-11-18
- ↑ Silly in Philly ... Rebel Weekend Recap. The Rebellion. August 4, 2010. http://www.nerebellion.org/2010/08/silly-in-philly-rebel-weekend-recap/. Retrieved August 21, 2010.
- ↑ Sources: Revolution heroes nab unruly plane passenger - BostonHerald.com
- ↑ The Associated Press: FBI: Soccer team members help subdue man on flight
- ↑ "Revs new TV home is Comcast SportsNet". 2010-03-15. http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/news/index.cfm?ac=latestnewsdetail&pid=42140&pcid=115.
- ↑ http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/team/index.cfm?ac=players
- ↑ http://sdm3.com/index.cfm?n35192s517c3625092t499l32o2101
- ↑ Major League Soccer Communications (2006-06-14). "Major League Soccer to seek proposals in New England for soccer-specific stadium sites". MLSnet.com. http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20060614&content_id=62400&vkey=pr_mls&fext=.jsp.
- ↑ Scott Van Voorhis (2007-08-02). "Revolution’s the goal: Somerville talks stadium with Krafts". Boston Herald. http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1014772.
- ↑ Andrew Slevison (2010-06-29). "Revs relaunched Somerville stadium plans". Tribal Football. http://www.tribalfootball.com/new-england-revolution-re-launch-somerville-stadium-plans-938301.
- ↑ Eric Moskowitz (2010-06-18). "Kick-start for team, city". Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/articles/2010/07/18/new_stadium_could_kick_start_revolution_somerville/.
- ↑ http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/team/index.cfm?ac=MgersandExecsbio&bio=31974
External links
- Official Website
- Midnight Riders Supporters' Club
- The Rebellion Supporters' Club
- RevsNet (Unofficial News Source)
- New England Soccer Today (Unofficial News Source)
- Revolution Recap Weekly Radio Review
- Official Revolution board, courtesy of BigSoccer
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