THE BASICS:
- New England Revolution
- Eastern Conference
- Home: Gillette Stadium
HONORS:
- U.S. Open Cup: 2007
REVOLUTIONSOCCER.NET:
Hiring of Jay Heaps as head coach continues to pay dividends for the Revolution, who have returned to prominence in the league. The club's patience with their young coach and young talent has supporters hopeful for some hardware in the coming years.
Entering their 20th season, the MLS original club is still in search of their elusive first MLS Cup, having now seen five opportunities go by the wayside. A strong mix of veteran stars and youthful savvy have the Revs looking to change that trend.
Rivals
Going back to the era of the MetroStars, the sports rivalry between the Boston-New York areas will always be heated. The New York Red Bulls are no exception, with major drama in major moments over the years. There's also a rabid rivalry with the Chicago Fire forged by some heady playoff battles, as the two teams faced each other 15 times in the postseason over a nine-year stretch. Lastly, D.C. United provides some more rich history to pull from. Fourteen of the last 16 matches between the two clubs have been draws or one-goal victories.
2014 Recap
They fell just short of winning their first MLS Cup, but there were plenty of positives to pull from the experience. Lee Nguyen became a breakout star and New England finally scored a big-time pickup in Jermaine Jones, who was massive to the team's success down the stretch. Despite a eight-game losing streak in the middle of the season, 2014 was when the Revs put MLS on notice. This was a team that could and would contend for trophies.
TRANSACTIONS IN:
- F Tristan Bowen (Re-Entry Stage 2 Draft)
- M Jeremy Hall (traded from Toronto FC)
- M Sean Okoli (traded from Seattle)
- M Donnie Smith (re-signed)
- F Juan Agudelo (free)
- M Tyler Rudy (free)
- D London Woodberry (free)
TRANSACTIONS OUT:
- F Dimitry Imbongo (traded to Colorado)
- F Geoffrey Castillion (traded to Colorado)
- GK Joe Nasco (trade from Colorado, option declined)
- GK Larry Jackson (option declined)
- GK Luis Soffner (option declined)
- D Jossimar Sanchez (option declined)
- M Shalrie Joseph (option declined)
- M Alec Sundly (option declined)
- F Andre Akpan (option declined)
- F Tony Taylor (option declined)
- D Stephen McCarthy (out of contract)
- F Patrick Mullins (Expansion Draft to NYCFC)
- F Tony Taylor (Expansion Draft to NYCFC)
2015 Prospectus
Having lost just two of the 18 players that suited up for the MLS Cup last December, the Revs enter the New Year as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, with Jones now on board for the entire season.
The return of Juan Agudelo, who scored seven goals for the Revs in 2013, bolsters the attack in a big way and could help spring Diego Fagundez back to life after a down year. If Nguyen can come close to duplicating what he did a year ago, New England will be a front-runner all season.
CLUB SOURCE:
"The big addition of Jones late in the season helped them a lot. They're finalists, and they're going to be there competing until the end of the season. They'll be looking to repeat."
CLUB SOURCE:
"They brought back Agudelo, and that's another dangerous guy that's going to help them out, give them more scoring threat and punch"
PLAYERS TO WATCH
PROJECTED LINEUP:
Shuttleworth; Alston-Goncalves-Farrell-Tierney; Caldwell-Jones; Rowe-Nguyen-Bunbury; Davies
Complete roster [revolutionsoccer.net]
FANTASY SOCCER
SLEEPER PICKS:
There's a lot of potential in Agudelo at $8.5m, but Charlie Davies isn't just going to give that spot away. With Jones out early on, Daigo Kobayashi figures to get that run in midfield, making him an early-season sleeper. Unless you think this is the year Andrew Farrell makes the jump from good to elite — at CB no less — the defense is a tricky proposition.
Armchair Analyst's Best Case Scenario
Figure out what happened from the end of August to the end of November in 2014. Bottle it. Transport it to 2015.
That's the best-case scenario for the Revs, whose end-of-season run is already legendary. Building on that would entail creating a bit more possession, getting a higher conversion rate from attackers not named "Lee Nguyen," and watching Farell blossom into the MLS version of Fabio Cannavaro.
Even without all that, this team is one of the favorites for the Shield and MLS Cup. If they stay healthy, a trophy-less season is a disappointing season in Foxborough.
