Paul Keegan became the first of several Boston College players to join MLS teams, becoming a starter for the New England Revolution in their inaugural season. Keegan provided the 88th-minute deciding goal as the Revolution took a 2-1 win over the Dallas Burn at the Cotton Bowl on the final day of the 1997 season, clinching the team’s first playoff berth.
Eight days after this transaction, Lee Nguyen made his New England Revolution debut as an opening day substitute for Fernando Cardenas, and has seldom been out of the lineup since. Revolution coach Jay Heaps has built the offense around Nguyen’s playmaking, Nguyen also developing into a finisher. Nguyen totaled 20 goals in the 2014 season, second-best in Revolution history behind Taylor Twellman’s 25 total (all competitions) in 2002. Nguyen has scored 43 goals in 178 games (all competitions), trailing Ralston (44) and Twellman (119) on the team’s all-time list. Last season, Nguyen was named team captain, and his role morphed into more of a pure attacking position, with Juan Agudelo filling the creator position. [Read more…] about March 2, 2012 – Revolution acquire Lee Nguyen on waivers from Vancouver
A Joe-Max Moore free kick gave the Revolution a 1-0 win over Alania Vladikavkaz, which had won the Russian title in 1995, finished second in ’96, 10th in ’97 and eighth in ’98. The preseason match was staged in Massa, Italy. Alania had several national team players, plus five Brazilians, who seemed to be under the most pressure after the defeat. Valeriy Gazzaev was coaching the Snow Leopards, and he did not take losses lightly. This was a preseason game, but the competitive level was intense. Early in the match, Raimondas Zutautas ripped a necklace off of Giovanni Savarese, and I never found out why. [Read more…] about March 1, 1999 – Revolution 1×0 Alania Vladikavkaz
J&P Coats took a 5-3 win over Boston in the Eastern semifinal of the National Cup – the U.S. Open Cup. “Fully 6000 were in the Stadium when the game started,” according to the Boston Globe report. Bill Adam scored four goals and McGrane one for the Threadmen. Bobby Blair had two goals and Tommy Fleming one for Boston, whose team nickname was “The Woodsies.”
The Globe game story listed a Fall River dateline, but in the advance the venue was to be “Sam Mark’s Stadium” in Tiverton, R.I., noting Cup games would start at 3 p.m. Sunday. Mark had constructed the stadium across the state line to avoid Blue Laws, so games involving his team, the Fall River Marksmen, could be played on Sundays.
In the days after this game, a Globe headline noted: “Attractiveness of Soccer is Fast Appealing to Fans.”
Teams also apparently competed in the “State Cup,” a separate competition from the “National Cup.” Boston was set to meet Fore River Shipyard in the State Cup “just as soon as the ice and snow clear away.”
TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY
Boston’s Ryan Johnson became the first player to transfer from MLS to the Chinese Super League in 2014. The deal was set up by Wellesley-based agent Patrick McCabe of Global Premier Management. McCabe and GPS partner Damani Ralph (ex-UConn) took Deshorn Brown to Shenzhen FC in the Chinese Super League last year, placing the Boston area firmly on the map for international player transactions. [Read more…] about Feb. 27, 2014 – Ryan Johnson signs with Henan Jianye in Chinese Super League
Daigo Kobayashi has been with seven teams in five countries on three continents, and the Revolution have come closest to becoming his home team. Kobayashi has played 90 games in all competitions for the Revolution, three more than he played for Omiya Ardija in Japan. Among Kobayashi’s former coaches was Osvaldo Ardiles, with Tokyo Verdy’s 2005 Japan Super Cup-winner team. Ardiles, a star with Argentina’s 1978 World Cup-winners, also happened to be the first coach the Revolution interviewed before the team kicked off the 1996 season. [Read more…] about Feb. 26, 2014 – Revolution acquire Daigo Kobayashi from Vancouver in exchange for draft pick
According to the Boston Globe story: “Pres John A Fernley of Pawtucket presided as the National Council of the United States Football Association met in Providence.”
The Danish Association “offer of $9,000 for a series of international matches in that country next May and June was declined, but the Missouri Association was given permission to send a team to Sweden in May.”
TODAY IN NEW ENGLAND SOCCER HISTORY
The Fall River Marksmen took a 2-0 victory over the New Bedford Whalers in a Sunday game before a 3,500 crowd. The game “was well played despite the heavy condition of the field,” according to the Boston Globe story. In the second half, “ice commenced to form on the field, making play dangerous.” Tec White and Johnny Granger scored.
[Read more…] about Feb. 24, 1929 – Fall River Wins on an Icy Field
This was considered a major upset, since Boston had contracted several top British star players to play in the American Soccer League. According to the Boston Globe story, Carrie and Blyth scored for Shawsheen, Hamill for Boston, and Shawsheen’s Murdoch saved a McIntyre penalty kick at the Walpole-st Grounds. [Read more…] about Feb. 23, 1925 – Boston 1×2 Shawsheen
This was considered the home leg of the CONCACAF Champions League matchup for the New England Revolution, and several hundred supporters made the trip to Hamilton for the game, plus a chance to witness training sessions. The featured players were the Revolution’s Clint Dempsey and Alajuelense’s Bryan Ruiz, who would go on to become teammates at Fulham FC, attracting significant transfer fees along the way. [Read more…] about Feb. 22, 2006 – Revolution, Alajuelense draw in Bermuda