New England Revolution
New England RevolutionFirst Season
1996President
Brian BilelloHead Coach
Bruce ArenaOwner
The Kraft GroupStadium
Gillette StadiumConference
MLS Eastern ConferenceSituated in the Greater Boston region of New England, New England Revolution compete in the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference. The team’s name is a nod towards the American Revolution of the 1700s, and the New England’s substantial involvement in the revolt.
The franchise is owned by American billionaire Robert Kraft and his son Jonathan Kraft. The pair and their business company also own local American Football team New England Patriots, who compete in the NFL and share the New England Revolution’s home stadium.
New England Revolution have built a large fanbase since 1996 and are the only MLS team who have competed since the League’s first season to have every single Major League Soccer game in their history be televised. The club’s supporter groups are called The Rebellion, Midnight Riders and Rev Army, and New England Revolution’s mascot is a fox by the name of Slyde.
The club’s main rivalry lies with the New York Red Bulls and has originated from the competitive nature between numerous New York and Boston teams in other sports-some examples including the Jets vs Patriots (NFL) and the Yankees vs Red Sox (Major League Baseball).
Until 2002, New England Revolution saw little success. In 2001, they advanced to the US Open Cup final, but were defeated 1-0 by LA Galaxy. Then, in 2002, Scottish international soccer legend Steve Nicol was appointed as the Revolution’s full-time head coach.
Nicol, who is renowned for playing for the English Premier League Club Liverpool FC, received the title of MLS Coach of the year in the 2002 season after leading the New England Revolution to the MLS Cup finals, where they lost 1-0 to the Galaxy again. Nicol then took the team to playoffs every season until 2010. New England Revolution only made the MLS Cup Final in 2005 however and lost once again 1-0 to LA Galaxy. Steve Nicol left the team at the end of the 2011 season, after managing them for 10 years.
The team won their first trophy in their 2007 MLS season, beating FC Dallas in the finals of the US Open Cup. New England Revolution reached the MLS Cup Finals in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2014, but are yet to win an MLS Cup title or MLS Supporters’ Shield.
Season Records
| Year | MLS Regular Season | Ranking | MLS Cup Playoffs | US Open Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | PTS | W | GP | GP | GP | GP | Conf | League | |||
| 2019 | 34 | 45 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 50 | 57 | 7th | 14th | 1st round | Round of 16 |
Honors
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| US Open Cup | 1 | 2007 |
New England Revolution’s home stadium is Gillette Stadium, a new stadium opened in 2002 with a capacity of over 65,000 fans.
From their debut season in 1996 until 2001, New England Revolution’s home games were played in Foxoboro Stadium. Other than hosting the Revolution, the stadium was home to several other games, including games in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In 2002, New England Revolution moved to Gillette Stadium. The stadium is shared with the New England Patriots, an NFL team also owned by the Revolution’s owner. The stadium has also hosted some international games, most notably some of the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup games and some other USMNT and USWNT games.
Home Kit
Out of the 10 first soccer clubs to compete in Major League Soccer’s first season, New England Revolution are the only team to have kept their original club logo. Their badge is based on the flag of the United States, featuring the red stripes and a soccer ball with stars on it in place of the normal white stars of the flag. New England Revolution’s home jersey is navy with red shorts, while the away jersey uses the club’s other main colour- white, with an all-white kit. The jerseys are produced by Adidas and sponsored by UnitedHealthcare, who have been the team’s jersey sponsor since 2011.