Sunday was supposedly an off-day for local sports, with the Celtics season mercifully over, the Bruins happily having the day off following their Game 5 triumph, and the Patriots draft reaching its conclusion. Only the Red Sox played, notching a Texas victory to move over .500 for the first time all season. Despite this conventional wisdom, there was in fact another local team in action. And they demolished the supposedly best team in the league.
The New England Revolution, constantly fighting for equal footing in the Boston sports scene, are hitting their stride in the 2014 season, following a 5-0 destruction of the Seattle Sounders, widely regarded as one of the most talented teams in MLS.
Watching the above highlights illuminates only part of the story. Beating the Sounders is a big deal because of the following stat: One player on the Seattle roster makes more money in his base salary than the entire Revolution roster’s total compensation. Think about that. Something like doesn’t happen in any other league, aside from possibly baseball. And what other New England team is that true of?
(Interestingly, the highly paid Seattle Sounder is none other than Clint Dempsey, USA international and former Rev, where he started his pro career in 2004 before moving to England.)
A major reason why the Revs salaries are so low is their youth, which is actually kind of the awesome part.
After making a splash in the draft, New England is reaping the benefits of two top picks. Patrick Mullins, a 22-year-old forward, looks like a quality talent, starting upfront by himself and scoring the game’s opening goal. And Steve Neumann, a promising midfielder, ripped a shot that forced a quality save from Sounders keeper Stefan Frei, demonstrating his potential.
Those two only add to the already impressive list of stockpiled young talent. Players like Andrew Farrell, Kelyn Rowe, and Teal Bunbury add excitement on both offense and defense. The growth of the Revolution’s youth academy is bearing fruit, with locals like Scott Caldwell (from Weymouth) and 19-year-old sensation Diego Fagundez (from Leominster) emerging as first team regulars.
And, in the spirit of the oncoming World Cup (less than a month away), the Revs also have a player who will be going: Jerry Bengston, a forward, who will anchor the Honduras frontline against the world’s best.
We get it: You don’t rate MLS among the same quality as other leagues. Get over yourself; it’s grown as a league in leaps and bounds over the last decade, and will continue to do so, given their new television contract. And at the heart of this, the Revolution are putting together an exceptionally talented and exciting young roster. So, get in now before you look like too much of a bandwagon fan (which technically you probably already are, but no one’s counting in May).
To watch them, tune in for next Saturday’s game (kickoff at 7 p.m. EST) as they head to Philadelphia. The following week (May 24th), they return home to face D.C.United. Here’s a full schedule, and how you can watch/listen, as well as get tickets.
