MLS Rumors: Revolution Close To Securing Soccer-Stadium Site (In Boston?)

New England Revolution fans might want to brace themselves for some more big news.

The local MLS team is close to securing a site on which it will build a home stadium, The Athletic’s Sam Stejskal reported on Friday, citing two sources. The Revs for years have sought to build a soccer stadium in or near Boston, but roadblocks of all kinds have prevented them from doing so. They currently play home games in Foxboro, Mass., at Gillette Stadium, the 66,829-seat stadium in which the New England Patriots are the primary tenant.

Whether Stejskal’s report represents another false dawn remains to be seen, but one of his sources told him “architectural plans are near completion, and that the Revs would be ready to break ground on a stadium shortly after receiving approval, should it come.”

Jorge Mas, part-owner of Major League Soccer expansion team Inter Miami CF said last year the Krafts were eyeing a site near TD Garden to build the new Revolution stadium. The Revolution haven’t publicly dismissed that site as an option to date, so it might remain under consideration.

The Revolution haven’t qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs since 2015, and many attribute the ongoing on-field struggles to their lack of investment in players. Two of Stejskal’s sources claim the Kraft family, which operates the Revolution, will “start to spend significantly on their roster if they build a stadium.”

The Revolution last week fired Brad Friedel as head coach and installed Mike Lapper as interim boss. We’ll learn in the coming weeks or months whether that decision will be minor compared to a much larger and more lasting change 2019 will bring to the club.