USA MLS 03/23 18:00 - [15] New England Revolution v Chicago Fire [10] D 1-1
USA MLS 03/17 18:00 - [15] New England Revolution v FC Cincinnati [7] L 1-2
CONCACAF Champions Cup 03/15 00:00 4 Alajuelense v New England Revolution D 1-1
USA MLS 03/10 00:30 - [13] Atlanta United v New England Revolution [14] L 4-1
CONCACAF Champions Cup 03/06 23:00 4 New England Revolution v Alajuelense W 4-0
USA MLS 03/03 19:00 - [14] New England Revolution v Toronto FC [10] L 0-1
CONCACAF Champions Cup 03/01 01:15 7 New England Revolution v CA Independiente de la Chorrera W 3-0
USA MLS 02/25 00:30 - [3] DC United v New England Revolution [3] L 3-1
CONCACAF Champions Cup 02/22 01:00 7 CA Independiente de la Chorrera v New England Revolution W 0-1
Europe Friendlies 02/15 18:00 - FC Cincinnati v New England Revolution L 5-2
Europe Friendlies 02/14 17:00 - New England Revolution v Philadelphia Union D 0-0
America Friendlies 02/11 00:30 - Orlando City SC v New England Revolution L 3-1
Europe Friendlies 02/01 17:00 - FC Cincinnati v New England Revolution L 2-0
Europe Friendlies 01/24 18:00 - New England Revolution v New York Red Bulls L 0-3
USA MLS 11/09 00:00 7 [5] New England Revolution v Philadelphia Union [4] L 0-1
USA MLS 10/28 21:00 7 [4] Philadelphia Union v New England Revolution [5] L 3-1
USA MLS 10/21 22:00 - [5] New England Revolution v Philadelphia Union [3] W 2-1
USA MLS 10/15 00:30 - [7] Nashville SC v New England Revolution [5] L 3-2
USA MLS 10/07 23:30 - [2] Orlando City SC v New England Revolution [5] L 3-2
USA MLS 10/04 23:30 - [3] New England Revolution v Columbus Crew [5] L 1-2
USA MLS 09/30 23:30 - [6] New England Revolution v Charlotte FC [13] W 2-1
USA MLS 09/24 00:30 - [11] Chicago Fire v New England Revolution [5] D 2-2
USA MLS 09/17 01:30 - [14] Colorado Rapids v New England Revolution [2] L 2-1
USA MLS 09/10 00:30 - [7] Minnesota United v New England Revolution [2] D 1-1
USA MLS 09/02 23:30 - [2] New England Revolution v Austin FC [10] D 2-2
USA MLS 08/30 23:30 - [3] New England Revolution v New York Red Bulls [11] W 1-0
USA MLS 08/26 23:30 - [8] CF Montreal v New England Revolution [2] L 1-0
USA MLS 08/21 00:30 - Nashville SC v New England Revolution - Postponed
Leagues Cup 08/08 00:00 4 [2] New England Revolution v Queretaro [2] L 4-5
Leagues Cup 08/04 00:00 5 [2] New England Revolution v Atlas [1] W 10-9

The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inaugural season.

The club is owned by Robert Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots along with his son, Jonathan Kraft. The name "Revolution" refers to the New England region's significant involvement in the American Revolution that took place from 1775 to 1783.

New England plays their home matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, located 21 miles (34 km) southwest of downtown Boston. The club played their home games at the adjacent and now-demolished Foxboro Stadium, from 1996 until 2001. The Revs are the only original MLS team to have every league game in their history televised.

The Revolution won their first major trophy in the 2007 U.S. Open Cup. The following year, they won the 2008 North American SuperLiga. They won their first Supporters' Shield in 2021. The Revolution have participated in five MLS Cup finals in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2014, which are the most of clubs who have not won the MLS Cup.

History

The early years (1996–2001)

Soccer has a long history in the New England region. In 1862, the Oneida Football Club in Boston was the first organized team to play any kind of "football/soccer" in the United States. In the 1920s, the Boston Soccer Club (later renamed the Bears) and Fall River F.C. were formed and played in the professional American Soccer League, which comprised teams based in the Northeastern U.S. region. The 'Marksmen' were one of the most successful soccer clubs in the United States, winning the National Challenge Cup four times. At the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay, Bert Patenaude (from Fall River, Massachusetts) scored the first hat-trick in World Cup play. The USMNT finished in third place. The Boston area was next represented by the New England Tea Men (1978–80) and Boston Minutemen (1974–76), who played in the FIFA-backed, major professional North American Soccer League (NASL). However, each club struggled for financial solvency and folded. The NASL folded in 1984, leaving the United States without a top-level soccer league until Major League Soccer (MLS) began play in 1996.

The success of the 1994 FIFA World Cup (with Foxboro Stadium as one of nine venues) paved the way for a new era of sports in the Boston area and to bring professional soccer back to the region. On June 6, 1995, Robert Kraft became the founding investor/operator of the Revolution, joining Major League Soccer (MLS) as one of its 10 charter clubs for its inaugural season in 1996. Kraft is also the owner of the National Football League's (NFL) New England Patriots and CEO of the Kraft Group.

The inaugural Revolution team featured several U.S. 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 playoff result would be the Revs' best (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 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Revs did manage to make the final of the 2001 U.S. 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.

Steve Nicol era (2002–2011)

Taylor Twellman was an integral part of the Revs' success, leading them to four MLS Cup finals

Liverpool great Steve Nicol was appointed as head coach on a full-time basis during the 2002 season. He had previously held the position of interim head coach during the 1999 and 2002 seasons. After taking over, Nicol guided the Revolution to a playoff berth for a league-record eight straight seasons, failing for the first time in 2010. The first six of those berths (from 2002 to 2007) resulted in an appearance in the conference final or better, including three consecutive MLS Cup finals from 2005 to 2007. From the 2008 season until 2013, the Revs failed to go further than the first round of the playoffs. Still, Nicol was respected as one of the best coaches in the league.

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. Held at Gillette Stadium, the Cup final was attended by 61,316 spectators, the largest figure for any MLS Cup until 2018.

Consecutive MLS Cup finals

After losing in the conference finals in 2003 and 2004, the Revs repeated their 2002 feat finishing tops in the east and losing the cup final to Los Angeles 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 an equalizing 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.

In the 2007 season, the Revs made it to two cup finals. The 2007 MLS Cup was a rematch from the previous year, though the result was the same as Houston defeated New England 2–1. The Revolution hold the record for most losses in MLS Cup games. Though they lost the 2007 MLS Cup, they defeated FC Dallas 3–2 to win their first-ever trophy: the 2007 U.S. Open Cup.

Their 2002 MLS Cup appearance granted them a spot in the 2003 CONCACAF Champions Cup, but they lost their first match-up 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.

Rebuilding (2008–2011)

New England Revolution starting lineup photo in 2007

The 2007 U.S. Open Cup victory qualified the club for the preliminary round of the newly expanded CONCACAF Champions League. Additionally, their top-four finish qualified them for SuperLiga 2008. Therefore, the Revolution competed in four different competitions (MLS, Open Cup, Champions League, and SuperLiga) during the 2008 season. The Revolution had an excellent run at the beginning of the 2008 season. 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 in the final on penalties to earn a small amount of revenge on for their successive MLS Cup defeats. That trophy, however, was 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 managed a semifinal appearance in the 2008 U.S. Open Cup, but lost to D.C. United.

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. Despite the abysmal progress, 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, but lost 2–1 to Monarcas Morelia of Liga MX.

The team failed to make the playoffs in either 2010 or 2011, and at the end of the 2011 season, announced they had parted ways with manager Steve Nicol, who had managed the team for 10 years.

2010s

The team hired former player Jay Heaps as head coach. The 2012 season was another disappointment. In 2013, the team finished 3rd place in the Eastern Conference, making the playoffs for the first time since 2009 with the help of a budding Homegrown Player, Diego Fagúndez, who grew up in Leominster, Massachusetts.

In the April 2014 issue of Boston Magazine, journalist Kevin Alexander named the Kraft family as "the Worst Owners in the League" in an article that contrasted the family's sparkling reputation as NFL owners with their alleged lack of interest in MLS and the Revolution. The 2014 season brought success. The Revolution signed U.S. national team member Jermaine Jones in late August on a designated player contract. They then went on a 10–1–1 streak led by Jones and MVP candidate Lee Nguyen to finish in 2nd place in the regular season in the Eastern Conference. The Revolution breezed through the playoffs without losing a game, making it to their first MLS Cup Final since 2007. New England lost 2–1 to the LA Galaxy, their lone goal scored by Chris Tierney, a native of Wellesley, Massachusetts. This marked the club's fifth MLS Cup loss in five MLS Cup Final appearances.

Bruce Arena era (2019–2023)

Carles Gil was named MLS MVP in 2021.

On May 9, 2019, coach Brad Friedel was fired by the Revolution after a 12–21–13 career record and a 2–8–2 record to open the 2019 season. He was replaced by former D.C. United, LA Galaxy and USMNT coach Bruce Arena. Under Arena, the Revolution went eleven games undefeated until losing 2–0 to the Los Angeles FC on August 3, 2019. They were eliminated in the 1st Round of the 2019 Playoffs by Atlanta United FC, getting shut out 1–0. The Revolution lost to the Columbus Crew 1–0 in the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2020 Playoffs.

2021: Supporters' Shield winners

The 2021 season saw the Revolution win their first Supporters' Shield in club history by having the best record in the regular season. New England set a new MLS record for points in a season (73), surpassing the previous mark of 72 set by Los Angeles FC in 2019. Goalkeeper Matt Turner won the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award, and Carles Gil won the MLS Most Valuable Player Award. In the MLS Quarterfinals, the Revolution lost to eventual MLS Cup finalist, New York City FC on penalties, ending their hopes to be the first MLS team to complete the league double (winning both the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup) since 2017.The franchise's turnaround since May 2019 has been credited to head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena.

2022 and Arena's Departure

Bruce Arena, New England's head coach and sporting director 2019-2023

As well as the 2021 offseason departure of Tajon Buchannan, the 2022 season saw the departure of key players Matt Turner and Adam Buksa, and the Revolution were unable to repeat the success of their 2021 campaign, finishing the season 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 10-10-12 record, and losing in the quarterfinals of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League to Pumas UNAM despite winning the first leg of the tie 3-0.

The club would return to form in 2023, bouyed by the play of Đorđe Petrović, who would be sold to Chelsea F.C. in August for a reported £12.5 million, plus £1.5 million in add-ons.

On August 1st 2023, with the club in sole possession of 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, The Revolution released a statement that Bruce Arena had been suspended due to "reports of inappropriate and insensitive remarks." On September 9, 2023, the Bruce Arena era would end after Arena's resignation following a six-week investigation. In a club statement, The Revolution announced that Richie Williams would continue to serve as interim coach until the end of the 2023 season, with Curt Onalfo continuing to serve as interim Sporting Director. Three days later on September 12, the team announced that Clint Peay would be replacing Williams as interim manager. Assistant coaches Shalrie Joseph and Dave van den Bergh were additionally released by the club. During Peay's tenure the Revolution would finish out the regular season with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 4 defeats, finishing 5th in the Eastern Conference and dropping both matches in the first round of the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs to the Philadelphia Union 3-1 and 1-0.

The New England Revolution is a professional soccer team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The team was founded in 1995 and has been a member of Major League Soccer (MLS) since its inception. The Revolution plays its home games at Gillette Stadium, which is also home to the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL).

The team's colors are navy blue, red, and white, and its logo features a stylized soccer ball with the letters "NE" in the center. The Revolution has a strong following in the New England region and has consistently been one of the top teams in MLS.

The Revolution has had several notable players throughout its history, including Taylor Twellman, Shalrie Joseph, and Clint Dempsey. The team has also had success in the MLS Cup Playoffs, reaching the final five times but never winning the championship.

The current head coach of the Revolution is Bruce Arena, who has won five MLS Cup championships in his career. The team's current roster features several talented players, including Carles Gil, Gustavo Bou, and Matt Turner.

Overall, the New England Revolution is a respected and competitive team in MLS, with a passionate fan base and a history of success.