FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Revolution dropped their first two games of the Major League Soccer season.
The team’s home opener was delayed to this Sunday, March 15th because of the blizzard a couple of weeks ago. The winter storm prevented new sod from being installed inside Gillette Stadium ahead of the World Cup this June.
But the team remains focused on improving and finding the future stars of soccer. Boston 25 News Reporter Michael Raimondi was given an exclusive behind the scenes look at how the Revolution are recruiting teenagers from around the United States to their club.
“I remember my first day my parents dropped me off after orientation. It was exciting for a 15-year-old boy. We were kind of the guinea pigs for how this goes now,” Colby Quinones said.
Quinones is a former Revolution Academy player. He was one of the first to enter the program in 2019. He’s from Bedford, New Hampshire, and he moved into a residency home that’s a short walk away from the stadium. From the back deck of the house, you can see the light tower and top rows of seats.
On Monday, Quinones was moving back into the house he called home as a former player. Now, he’s taking up the role of guardian as he lives and watches over the teenage players who moved from across the country to train here.
“I have very strong emotions when it comes to the residency house and when it comes to developing young players,” he said. “Looking at these kids when they go out to train every night, I see myself in them.”
Quinones says not every club in MLS has a program like this. It’s grown since he was a young player, as the club now has about 20 teenagers in the academy. The kids ages 14 to 17 years-old live among three different residency houses just a few minutes away from Gillette. The roommates become teammates. Before they take the field for training, they spend a few hours each morning virtual learning inside Gillette Stadium.
“At first, I was very nervous. This is a big opportunity. I needed to perform well to keep in this academy,” academy player Josh Macedo said. “The Revs specifically are known for building players up and focusing on each player’s ability in helping them.”
Macedo is in his third season with the Revolution. The teen from southern California impressed the scouts with the club during a tournament when he was 14. They had him tryout for the academy which eventually led them to offer him a spot where he can learn, train and live in Foxboro, for free.
“Life changing not only on the field but off the field. Learning to live by myself and having to learn to cook and take care of my laundry and all that stuff on my own has helped me,” Macedo said. “Living with different kids in different positions who have learned different things. They’ve taught me so much.”
Macedo said it was tough at first leaving his family behind but credits the academy for also helping him develop much faster than he would if he didn’t join the club.
This program has churned out first-team starters for the Revolution. The goal is to continue finding young talent to develop so the club can be competitive.
“With the MLS being more and more competitive, it’s more important we invest in our kids, invest in our infrastructure here to make this club one of the best in the country, Quinones said.”
The players could one day play for a national team, like current Revolution Goalkeeper Matt Turner, who has 27 clean sheets as a goalie for the United States Men’s National Team.
“I want to go pro the dream is to go to Europe but for right now I have to keep building to see if I can get a contract,” Macedo said.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW