New England claimed a special place in the fiery history of the American Revolution 248 years ago. In the interim, the city of Boston and the six-state New England region in the northeastern U.S. has produced far more than its fair share of sports champs. Is there another revolution underfoot in New England?
Like the NFL Patriots, the New England Revolution reels in Major League Soccer fans to Gillette Stadium just outside Boston. Robert Kraft, the Kraft Group´s head honcho, and his family are behind both franchises, which amply fill the coffers and trophy cases.
Can the Revs Make Fans Forget G.O.A.T. Brady?
Nobody in New England will quickly forget about the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick duo. They snagged six Super Bowls in nine tries with the Patriots well into the 2000s. But the Revs are making slow yet sure strides to increase their fandom.
Kraft´s support of soccer in the U.S. didn´t happen overnight. The business mogul secured Foxboro Stadium´s rights for Beantown to act as one of the nine host cities during the 1994 FIFA Men´s World Cup. That tournament´s rampant success laid the groundwork for a new dawn in New England sports.
In the summer of 1995, the Kraft family became the key investor and operator of MLS crave in New England. The Revolution arrived as one of 10 charter teams for that first merry season in 1996. Since then, the New Englanders have run away with at least one MLS Supporters´ Shield.
Dubiously, the Revolution has also sprinted out for five MLS Cup Finals in 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2014. That´s the most showings by any team that has never won the Cup.
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Not Always Cool Runnings for Krafts
Despite Kraft´s runaway success with the Pats, it hasn´t always been smooth MLS sailing. Journalist Kevin Alexander didn´t pull too many punches, calling the Krafts ´The Worst Owners In The League´ in the April 2014 issue of Boston Magazine. Alexander contrasted the clan´s sterling image as NFL owners with their seeming lack of interest in MLS, especially the Revolution.
The Revs face one problem that´s long plagued pro soccer in the U.S.: playing in a huge but half-full stadium. “They’ve also failed over the years to pay for any high-priced stars, earning a reputation as one of the cheaper franchises in the league. But it’s almost a moot point: Thanks to Gillette’s lifeless atmosphere, even megabucks couldn’t lure most veteran MLS and bigtime foreign players to dull Foxboro,” bemoaned Alexander.
However, as New England suited up for the 2024 season, a soccer-specific venue shone at the tunnel´s end. A new stadium would be “transformational for the community,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico. The politician is spearheading efforts to finally fit the Revs into a cozier stadium that can rock. This could be another revolution New England badly needs.