New England Revolution can absolutely win the MLS Cup

The New England Revolution, Boston’s Major League Soccer franchise is once again closing in on winning the elusive MLS cup

The Revolution are in the Eastern Conference semi-finals having won the MLS’s Supporter’s Shield after amassing the best record in the League in 2021.

The Revolution is two playoff wins away from the MLS title game. They face New York City FC which dispatched Atlanta United, 2-0 at Gillette Stadium on November 30.

The Revolution will also host every game (up to three) that it will play in the playoffs at Gillette Stadium. Home pitch advantage, indeed.

New England Revolution seek their first MLS Cup win

The Revolution should they reach the MLS Cup finals will be no strangers to that venue. They have played in the ultimate match five times and lost all of them.

Most recently they lost the Cup in 2014 but the most poignant losses may have been from 2007-2009 when they lost three straight in the golden era of the club.

But this is a new Revolution squad that has been bolstered by hiring the greatest MLS coach of all time  Bruce Arena who took the reins of the team as both Coach and Sporting Director on May 4, 2019.

Arena’s name will sound familiar even to casual fans since he also headed the US Men’s National Team on two occasions. Yet, his tremendous success has come largely in the MLS,

"This marks the fourth Supporters’ Shield title for Revolution Sporting Director & Head Coach Bruce Arena, breaking his tie with Sigi Schmid (3) for the most regular season championships in league history. Combined with his five MLS Cup titles, Arena now owns nine major MLS trophies, the most all time. Arena’s next win will tie Schmid for the most MLS regular season wins all-time (240). His regular season record with the Revolution stands at 37-14-22 (.658), with a 3-2-0 mark in the postseason, since he took the helm in June 2019."

The Revolution owned by the Kraft family clearly chose well this time in giving the keys to the franchise to Arena. They don’t come any better.

The New England Revolution’s Bruce Arena assembled a powerhouse team

One major shift in the Revolution’s strategy has been full utilization of the Designated Player rule.  This was a major shift for the franchise as mlscoccer.com notes,

"That’s all changed over the past couple of years, mirroring — albeit a bit belatedly — a comparable trend across the league. The Kraft ownership group has ramped up spending and ambition both on and off the field, and since Bruce Arena took the helm a little over a year ago, their results have followed suit. So while the aforementioned DP milestone may remind us old-timers of the dusty Revs tropes of yore, it’s above all another manifestation of the club vaulting into the proverbial MLS 3.0, and with a vengeance."

Indeed, the Kraft’s not only gave Arena the keys to the car, but also provided him with a credit card with plenty of spending money for gas.

Arena brought in three Designated Players, all forwards to augment his attack and they have paid big dividends for the club. The three are Carles Gil, Gustavo Bou, and Adam Buksa. (They have other top players, as well.)

In 2021 the 29-year-old Carles Gill has four goals and 18 assists. And the 31-year-old Gustavo Bou has 15 goals and eight assists in 30 appearances. 25-year old current Poland international, Adam Buksa has 16 goals and four assists in 31 appearances.

That’s a lot of production and clearly money well-spent by Revolution Manager Bruce Arena of the Kraft Family’s resources.

In addition, the Revolution boasts the League’s best goalkeeper in Matt Turner who earned the 2021 Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award.

New England Revolution seek the Cup and more

Let’s sum up this quick look at the Revolution.

First, they have a great and committed ownership in the Kraft family…check.

Then they have the MLS’s best coach and sporting director in Bruce Arena…check. Arena has added three attackers who have transformed their goal-scoring potential…check.

And, to cap things off they have the best goalkeeper in the league to boot. Sounds like a prescription for success and maybe it will lead to their first MLS Cup soon, as well.

Should that happen, then the next objective for the Revolution will be to build a soccer-only stadium and move onward and upward from the cavernous Gillette Stadium where they have played for some time.

It would be a great next step and, as President Jonathan Kraft has said,

"“We want to build the stadium,” Jonathan Kraft said. “We don’t like failing and we clearly failed at doing that.”"

The Kraft Family certainly with its brilliant track record in business and with the New England Patriots doesn’t at all like or tolerate failure.

So perhaps winning the MLS Cup this year will bolster the drive for that new Stadium in or near Boston. That’s the spot for it.

Now wouldn’t that put the cherry on top of the cake? Good luck to the New England Revolution in the MLS playoffs!