FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Revolution are in sunny and warm Florida for preseason training before the Major League Soccer season returns February 26th.
Gillette Stadium will host several World Cup Games this summer with big soccer nations like England and France. The French team will make an appearance in Massachusetts before the World Cup begins.
The road to the FIFA World Cup begins in March with a friendly meeting between Brazil and France at Gillette Stadium on March 26th. It will be the first international match at Gillette Stadium in a decade. The last matchup was between Brazil and the U.S., which the Brazilians won 4-1.
Many fans were disappointed that Brazil was not selected to have any World Cup games at Gillette, but they were relieved to see the team is playing France this spring.
That includes New England Revolution midfielder Cristiano Oliveira.
“It’s the biggest soccer country in the world. It’s an honor to be Brazilian to have five World Cups.”
Oliveira’s parents are immigrants from Brazil. Their son says they came to America for better opportunities, and Oliveira is making the most of his chances. The 17-year-old signed a first-team contract with the Revs through the 2029 season. He’s a home-grown talent growing up in Somerville, Massachusetts.
“I wanted to see Brazil play at Gillette, but still they’re playing in New York and Philly, so good thing I have family down there. I’m going to go watch them play. Hopefully, I can get tickets. I’m going to find a way to watch Brazil play,” Oliveira said.
Brazil has a passionate fan base, and they are a national team with lots of trophies. Oliveira says the fans will go crazy for this matchup with France, even if it’s just a friendly.
“Just having Brazil play at Gillette and having the World Cup here, to Brazilians, it means the world. I’m telling you, you can expect the Brazilian fans to go 100 percent every single game. Soccer means so much to Brazil. When I was in Brazil, you’d see kids playing soccer on the streets. I went to two soccer games. Those are probably the best fans I’ve ever seen in my life. Just seeing how much they support those club teams, imagine what they’re going to do for Brazil.”
Oliveira said he recently went to Brazil to visit his family. Watching them this spring or summer would be his first time watching the national team live.
He said having the World Cup in the U.S. is huge, and he hopes it brings soccer to the forefront of American sports fans moving forward.
“It’s the biggest state, and hopefully it inspires Americans and the younger generations to get involved in soccer.”
People from all over the world will travel to North America to attend the World Cup. Oliveira says his family is also working on plans to catch a match in the United States.
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