FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution opens its 2014 home slate against Vancouver Whitecaps FC this Saturday, March 22, at Gillette Stadium. #BeThere322 as kick off is set for 2 p.m. ET.
Comcast SportsNet will televise the game live, while 98.5 The Sports Hub will have the call of the game on the radio.
The Revolution (0-2-0, 0 pts.) suffered a 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union last Saturday at PPL Park. Following this Saturday’s match against Vancouver (1-0-1, 4 pts.), the Revs head back out on the road with back-to-back trips to San Jose (March 29) and D.C. (April 5), before the team’s next home match on April 12 against Houston.
TEAM NOTES
Welcome home
The Revs open the 2014 home slate against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday afternoon at Gillette Stadium … since reporting for preseason camp on Jan. 25, the Revolution will have spent 30 of the previous 44 nights on the road by the time they play in front of their own fans on Saturday … the team has also traveled 9,326 miles in that span.
Smooth sailing at home against the Whitecaps
Saturday’s match marks the third time the Revs and Whitecaps have met at Gillette Stadium … the Revs have won both previous meetings, and have outscored Vancouver, 5-1 … the Revs shut out Vancouver, 1-0, in the first meeting at Gillette Stadium between the two clubs on May 14, 2011 ... former Whitecap Lee Nguyen then paced the Revs to a 4-1 victory on May 12, 2012, with a two-goal, one-assist effort in Foxborough.
Home opener unbeaten streak on the line
The Revs enter Saturday’s match against Vancouver riding a seven-game unbeaten streak in home openers, posting a 6-0-1 record in the season’s first home game since 2007 … the last team to defeat the Revs at Gillette Stadium in a home opener was the Chicago Fire on April 3, 2006 – a 2-1 defeat … during the current unbeaten streak, the Revs have outscored their opponents, 16-3, and have posted four shutout victories.
Home opener’s at Gillette Stadium
Since Gillette Stadium opened in 2002, the Revs have enjoyed a lot of success in home openers ... including the current seven-game unbeaten streak, the Revs have posted an 8-3-1 record at Gillette Stadium in home openers.
Date Opponent Score
May 11, 2002 Dallas Burn W, 2-0
April 19, 2003 Columbus Crew L, 1-2
April 17, 2004 San Jose Earthquakes L, 1-3
April 9, 2005 Columbus Crew W, 3-0
April 30, 2006 Chicago Fire L, 1-2
April 14, 2007 Toronto FC W, 4-0
March 29, 2008 Houston Dynamo W, 3-0
April 4, 2009 FC Dallas W, 2-1
April 1, 2010 Toronto FC W, 4-1
March 26, 2011 D.C. United W, 2-1
March 24, 2012 Portland Timbers W, 1-0
March 23, 2013 Sporting KC T, 0-0
Earliest opener ever
Saturday’s home opener will be the earliest the Revolution ever has opened its home schedule … Saturday’s March 22 opener is the earliest in club history by a day – in 2013, the team opened on March 23.
Tierney captains Revs
Chris Tierney wore the captain’s armband in last Saturday’s match against the Philadelphia Union … last Saturday’s match marked the third time that Tierney was named team captain for a regular-season match … Tierney – now in his seventh season with the Revs – captained the squad in New York on April 20, 2013, and then again against Philadelphia on April 27, 2013 … Tierney, the team’s current longest-tenured player, is ranked in the top 10 in several Revolution club records: appearances (eighth, 133), starts (eighth, 122), minutes played (eighth, 10,705), assists (eighth, 21), game-winning assists (third, 10), assists per 90 minutes (fifth, 0.18,), assists per game (tied for fifth, 0.16) and corner kicks (third, 220).
Farrell mans the middle
Andrew Farrell – who started at right back in all 32 matches in which he appeared as a rookie in 2013 – made his 2014 season debut against Philadelphia last Saturday in a slightly different fashion … the second-year player out of Louisville lined up as a center back alongside A.J. Soares, instead of his familiar right back position … Farrell played 90 minutes in his season debut last Saturday, and completed 84.84 percent of his passes out of the back.
Nguyen makes season debut
Lee Nguyen made his season debut against the Philadelphia Union last Saturday … Nguyen was unavailable for the season opener in Houston (March 8) as he continued to rehab from a groin injury suffered in preseason … Nguyen played 90 minutes in the central midfield alongside Andy Dorman and Scott Caldwell … Nguyen – now in his third season with the Revs – has scored nine goals and recorded nine assists in 64 appearances (60 starts) and was voted team MVP in 2012.
Knighton, Kobayashi set to face old squad
Brad Knighton and Daigo Kobayashi could both make their first appearances against their former club on Saturday … Knighton spent the last two seasons with the Whitecaps, posting a 9-6-5 record with five shutouts in 21 appearances in 2012 and 2013 … Kobayashi had his first stint in MLS with Vancouver in 2013 when the Japanese midfielder made 30 appearances (21 starts), scoring two goals and recording four assists.
Century mark for Barnes
Darrius Barnes earned his first start of the 2014 season against Philadelphia last Saturday ... more importantly, the match was the sixth-year defender’s 100th career MLS appearance ... Barnes – who was the 40th overall pick in the 2009 SuperDraft – has played his entire career for the Revs ... the defender has seen time at every position across the back line – center back, right back and left back – scoring one career goal and adding one assist.
Bunbury hits 50 starts
Teal Bunbury made his 50th career MLS start last Saturday against the Philadelphia Union ... Bunbury has made 91 career appearances (including 89 with Sporting Kansas City) since entering the league in 2010 ... the forward was selected by Kansas City with the fourth overall pick in the 2010 SuperDraft ... now in his fifth season, Bunbury has scored 19 goals and has recorded seven assists.
Second career start for Smith
Donnie Smith made his second career start (and appearance) for the Revs last Saturday against the Philadelphia Union ... Smith played 45 minutes on the left wing before being subbed off at the start of the second half ... in his only other career appearance (also a start), Smith started the 2013 season opener at Chicago (March 9) as a rookie, playing 53 minutes at left midfield.
#BeThere322: Prep for the Revs’ home opener on March 22
Headed to the Revolution’s March 22 home opener against Vancouver Whitecaps FC? … then tag your social content with #BeThere322 to engage with the club and other fans … the Revolution will highlight stand-out postings as the home opener approaches.
Portugal and Mexico set to meet at Gillette
Before the Mexican and Portuguese national teams make their way to Brazil for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, they’ll face off in an international friendly at Gillette Stadium … on June 6, Cristiano Ronaldo will lead Portugal against Javier Hernandez and Mexico in a final tune up before the World Cup … kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m., and tickets are on sale and start at $40.
National Anthem auditions to be held tomorrow
The Revs are giving local musicians the opportunity to perform in the same venue where superstars like One Direction, George Strait and Tim McGraw will play this summer when the team holds the finals for its annual National Anthem auditions at The Lansdowne Pub (9 Lansdowne St., Boston, Mass.) tomorrow – Wednesday, March 19, at 6 p.m. … a select group of soloists, groups, instrumentalists and other unique musicians who previously submitted work sampled have been selected to compete for the chance to perform the anthem for the team’s 2014 home games at Gillette Stadium … Mix 104.1 morning show personality Salt will emcee the event, while the judges will include:
- NBC’s The Voice season three finalist Caitlin Ford
- Berklee School of Music Assistant Professor of Business and Management Stephanie Kellar
- New England Revolution Director of Event Presentation Abigail Thelin
