The New England Revolution is a soccer team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, [1] that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the first-division league in the United States. [2] The club began play in 1996 as one of ten original MLS teams. [3] The Revolution have had nine permanent managers, with four interim managers (not including those who later served full-time as the manager).
The longest-serving manager is Steve Nicol, who was in charge for 330 league and playoff matches over two stints, with the longest being a ten-season run from May 2002 to October 2011. He is the most successful Revolution manager in terms of honors won, having led the team to a US Open Cup win in 2007 and a SuperLiga win in 2008; during his tenure the Revolution also made four unsuccessful trips to the MLS Cup final. The shortest-serving permanent manager (excluding the current one) is Frank Stapleton, who stepped down after the club's inaugural season. The current manager is Caleb Porter, who was hired after the 2023 season.
The New England Revolution announced former Arsenal and Manchester United player Frank Stapleton as their first manager on January 4, 1996. They were the last team in MLS to announce a manager. [4] His tenure was marked by clashes with high-profile players Giuseppe Galderisi and Alexi Lalas, and he resigned after the team missed the playoffs in its inaugural season. [5] In the off-season, the Revolution signed Thomas Rongen, who had won the inaugural regular-season title as the manager of the Tampa Bay Mutiny. [6] Under Rongen, the Revolution reached the MLS playoffs, losing to D.C. United in the first two games of a three-game series. [7] Rongen was fired in August 1998 with the team in last place and was replaced by former Revolution goalkeeper Walter Zenga. [8] Two months later, Zenga was announced as a player-manager. [9] The team secured its worst record to date in the 1999 season, and he was let go despite him being one of the better players on the team and there being two games left in the season. Steve Nicol, a former Liverpool player, was named as the interim manager. [10]
Before the 2000 season, former U.S. national team player Fernando Clavijo was appointed as a manager, and the team underwent a rebuild. [11] That season, Clavijo led the team to their first season with a winning record and their first playoff victory, which was against the Chicago Fire. [12] The next season, the club reached the 2001 U.S. Open Cup final, which they lost 2–1 after sudden death extra time to the LA Galaxy. [13] Clavijo was fired midway through the 2002 season with the Revolution at a 2–4–1 record, and the club elevated Steve Nicol from assistant coach to manager. [14]
After being named interim manager in May 2002, Nicol led the team to the 2002 MLS Cup final, where the Revolution lost 1–0 in overtime. [15] He was named MLS Coach of the Year, and secured the permanent manager job despite his limited experience. [16] In 2005, Nicol again led the Revolution to the MLS Cup, and the team earned the same result: a 1–0 loss to the Galaxy in overtime. [17] The next year, the team became the first to lose two consecutive MLS Cup finals when they lost 4–3 in a penalty shootout to the Houston Dynamo. [18] The 2007 season would bring a first as Nicol led the Revolution to a trophy: the 2007 U.S. Open Cup final, in which the team defeated FC Dallas 3–2. [19] However, the season would again end in disappointment, with a 2–1 loss to the Dynamo in the MLS Cup final. [20]
The Revolution reached two more finals under Nicol: the 2008 SuperLiga final, [21] which they won 6–5 in a penalty shootout over the Dynamo, and the 2010 SuperLiga final, which they lost 2–1 to Atlético Morelia. [22] During Nicol's last two seasons in charge, 2010 and 2011, the team missed the playoffs. [23] [24] On October 24, 2011, the club announced via a press release that they "mutually decided to part ways" with Nicol, ending a ten-season run with the team that included eight consecutive playoff appearances. [25]
On November 16, 2011, the Revolution announced that former player Jay Heaps would become the sixth permanent manager. Heaps had appeared in all four MLS Cup losses as a Revolution player. [26] Under Heaps, the team reached the 2014 MLS Cup final, where they lost 2–1 to the Galaxy, marking their fifth MLS Cup final loss in the same number of appearances. [27] In Heaps' tenure, the team reached the playoffs from 2013 to 2015, although he was ultimately fired in September 2017 following a poor stretch which included a 7–0 loss to Atlanta United. [28]
Former U.S. Men's national team goalkeeper Brad Friedel was appointed as manager on November 9, 2017. [29] Friedel was fired in May 2018, with a 2–8–2 record in the 2018 season. His last game in charge was a 5–0 defeat to the Chicago Fire. [30]
On May 14, 2019, the club announced Bruce Arena as the manager and sporting director. Arena held the record for the most wins as a U.S. national team manager, as well as five MLS Cups. [31] Under Arena's stewardship in 2021, the club won the Supporters' Shield, and set the record for the most points in a single season with 73 points in the 2021 season, [32] although they were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by New York City F.C. [33] The next season, the team missed the playoffs for the first time in Arena's tenure. [34]
On August 1, 2023, the club suspended Arena from his roles as manager and sporting director pending an MLS investigation into his alleged use of "insensitive and inappropriate language". [35] He resigned on September 9, saying in a statement: "I know that I have made some mistakes and moving forward, I plan to spend some time reflecting on this situation and taking corrective steps to address what has transpired." [36] Richie Williams, who had been serving as the interim manager during Arena's suspension, was removed from his role three days later, after Revolution players reportedly refused to train. Additionally, assistant coaches Shalrie Joseph and Dave van den Bergh, who had both voiced their support for Arena on social media, parted ways with the club that same day. New England Revolution II manager Clint Peay was announced as the new interim manager. [37] The team qualified for the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Philadelphia Union. [38]
The club announced two-time MLS Cup winner Caleb Porter as the next manager on December 19. [39] His record with the team after his first season was 9–21–4, and the team finished in 14th in the Eastern Conference. [40]
Information correct as of October 19 2024
Name | Nationality | From | To | Matches [41] [40] | Won [41] [40] | Lost [41] [40] | Drawn [41] [40] [lower-alpha 1] | Win% [41] [40] | Honors |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Frank Stapleton | Ireland [4] | January 4, 1996 [4] | September 26, 1996 [5] | 32 | 15 | 17 | 0 | 46.88 | |
Thomas Rongen | Netherlands [6] | November 5, 1996 [6] | August 24, 1998 [8] | 60 | 23 | 37 | 0 | 38.33 | |
Walter Zenga ‡ | Italy [43] | August 24, 1998 [8] [lower-alpha 2] | September 20, 1999 [44] | 36 | 13 | 23 | 0 | 36.11 | |
Steve Nicol * | Scotland [44] | September 20, 1999 [44] | November 29, 1999 [45] | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | |
Fernando Clavijo | United States [14] | November 29, 1999 [45] | May 24, 2002 [14] | 69 | 23 | 33 | 13 | 33.33 | U.S. Open Cup runners-up: 2001 [46] |
Steve Nicol | Scotland [44] | May 24, 2002 [14] [lower-alpha 3] | October 24, 2011 [25] | 328 | 122 | 117 | 89 | 37.20 | MLS Cup runners-up: 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 [47] U.S. Open Cup winners: 2007 [19] SuperLiga winners: 2008 runners-up: 2010 [48] |
Jay Heaps | United States [28] | November 16, 2011 [26] | September 19, 2017 [28] | 207 | 79 | 84 | 44 | 38.16 | MLS Cup runners-up: 2014 [28] |
Tom Soehn * | United States [49] | September 19, 2017 [28] | November 9, 2017 [29] | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 60.00 | |
Brad Friedel | United States [29] | November 9, 2017 [29] | May 9, 2019 [30] | 46 | 12 | 21 | 13 | 26.09 | |
Mike Lapper * | United States [50] | May 9, 2019 [30] | May 14, 2019 [31] | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33.33 | |
Bruce Arena | United States [51] | May 14, 2019 [31] | September 9, 2023 [36] [lower-alpha 4] | 139 | 63 | 33 | 43 | 45.32 | Supporters' Shield winners: 2021 [52] |
Richie Williams * | United States [53] | August 1, 2023 [35] [lower-alpha 4] | September 12, 2023 [37] | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25.00 | |
Clint Peay * | United States [54] | September 12, 2023 [37] | December 19, 2023 [39] | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 22.22 | |
Caleb Porter | United States [55] | December 19, 2023 [39] | Present | 34 | 9 | 21 | 4 | 26.47 |
The New England Revolution, informally known as Foxborough Revolution in other countries, 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.
Shalrie Jamal Joseph is a Grenadian former professional footballer and coach.
Taylor Timothy Twellman is an American former soccer player who played professionally from 1999 to 2010. He now works in the media as a soccer television commentator for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Thomas Eddy Rongen is a Dutch-American football coach who has spent the majority of his playing and coaching career in the United States. In December 2016, he was named Chief Scout of the United States men's national soccer team. Rongen won the MLS Coach of the Year award in MLS's inaugural season in 1996, leading the Tampa Bay Mutiny to the best regular-season record. His stint managing the American Samoa national team was covered in the 2014 documentary Next Goal Wins, and the 2023 biographical comedy-drama also called Next Goal Wins.
Stephen Nicol is a Scottish retired professional footballer who mainly played as a right back and occasionally played in other positions across defence and midfield. He played for the successful Liverpool teams of the 1980s. He was also a regular member of the Scotland national team and represented his country at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
Walter Zenga is an Italian football manager. He was a long-time goalkeeper for Inter Milan and the Italy national team.
Michael Thomas Burns is an American former soccer player. During his playing career, he played for Danish club Viborg FF, three MLS teams, as well as the United States national team.
Paul Keegan is an Irish professional footballer. Keegan was the first Irishman to play in Major League Soccer in the United States.
Giuseppe Galderisi is an Italian football manager and a former footballer who played as a forward.
MLS Cup 2005 was the 10th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS). The soccer match took place on November 13, 2005, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, near Dallas, and was contested between the New England Revolution and the Los Angeles Galaxy. It was a rematch of MLS Cup 2002 and ended in a repeat victory for Los Angeles, who won 1–0 on a goal scored by Guillermo Ramírez in extra time.
MLS Cup 1999 was the fourth edition of the MLS Cup, the championship soccer match of Major League Soccer (MLS), the top-level soccer league of the United States. It took place on November 21, 1999, at Foxboro Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and was contested by D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy in a rematch of the inaugural 1996 final that had been played at the same venue. Both teams finished atop their respective conferences during the regular season under new head coaches and advanced through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
MLS Cup 2002 was the seventh edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), which took place on October 20, 2002. It was hosted at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and contested by the New England Revolution and the Los Angeles Galaxy to decide the champion of the 2002 season. The Revolution, who were named hosts before the season, were playing in their first MLS Cup; Los Angeles had lost in all three of their previous cup appearances.
MLS Cup 2006 was the 11th edition of the MLS Cup, the championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS), and took place on November 12, 2006. It was contested between the New England Revolution and the Houston Dynamo to decide the champion of the 2006 season. The match was played at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas, which had hosted the previous cup.
MLS Cup 2007 was the 12th edition of the MLS Cup, the post-season championship match of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. It was played on November 18, 2007, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., between the New England Revolution and Houston Dynamo in a rematch of the previous edition. The match determined the championship of the 2007 season and was attended by 39,859 spectators.
Francisco Queriol Conde Júnior, known as Chiquinho Conde, is a Mozambican former footballer who played as a striker, currently manager of Mozambique.
The 1997 New England Revolution season was the second season for the New England Revolution both as a club and in Major League Soccer (MLS). Alongside the MLS Regular Season, the team made their debut in both the U.S. Open Cup and the MLS Cup Playoffs, although they failed to advance in either. The season began on March 29 with a 1–0 away win over the Dallas Burn, and concluded with a home shootout loss to D.C. United in the MLS Cup Playoffs on October 8. The 1997 season marked the first season with goalkeeper Walter Zenga, who would later be elevated to player-manager in the 1998 season after the departure of head coach Thomas Rongen.
The New England Revolution is an American soccer club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The club has regularly taken part five times in international competitions organized by CONCACAF, the governing body of the sport in North America and the Caribbean. Their best result is the quarterfinals, which they have reached on three separate occasions. In 2022, they lost to Pumas UNAM in penalty shootout after winning the first leg 3–0, which was only the second time in the tournament's history that a team failed to advance after securing that scoreline in the first match.
The 1999 New England Revolution season was the fourth season for the New England Revolution both as a club and in Major League Soccer (MLS). As the club did not participate in the 1999 U.S. Open Cup, and did not qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, they participated only in the MLS regular season.
The 2000 New England Revolution season was the fifth season for the New England Revolution both as a club and in Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was eliminated in the second round of the 2000 U.S. Open Cup after losing 1–0 to the Mid-Michigan Bucks. They qualified for the quarterfinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs, where they were eliminated by the Chicago Fire in a three-game series.