New England Revolution

Head Coach: Steve Nicol

Team site: http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/

About:
The concept of bringing a professional soccer team to Massachusetts was a natural idea when the framework of Major League Soccer was being developed in the mid-1990s. The area had a stadium that was not only equipped for the sport of soccer but also had a history of hosting sensational soccer events. There was a committed owner who had already made his mark on the region’s sports landscape. And a passionate and loyal fan base was eager to welcome a team it could call its own.
Sure enough, on October 17, 1995, the New England Revolution was born. Behind the leadership of Owner/Investor Robert Kraft and the Kraft family, along with General Manager Brian O’Donovan, the Revolution secured Foxboro Stadium as its home venue and settled in as one of the 10 original organizations of Major League Soccer.

The team began its inaugural 1996 campaign under Head Coach Frank Stapleton, fielding such top players as Alexi Lalas, Welton, Mike Burns and, later in the 1996 season, leading scorer Joe-Max Moore. The first match in team history, on April 13, 1996, was a 3-2 loss to the Mutiny in Tampa Bay but the Revolution came back exactly one week later to post the franchise’s first victory, a 1-0 win at Giants Stadium against the NY/NJ MetroStars. The next week, New England prevailed in its first game at Foxboro Stadium, defeating eventual champion D.C. United, 2-1, in a shootout. The Revolution did not find a spot in the MLS playoffs that year with a 15-17 record but a foundation for professional soccer in Foxboro had been established.