FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – For Jackson Yueill, it all comes down to mindset. Whether enduring more than 10 straight hours in the tattoo chair, summiting mountains, or navigating the demands of being a professional athlete, his foundation has always been mental strength. Mentality is something that he has leaned on throughout his career, and it’s something that he’s forged with purpose.
Yueill is an MLS veteran, currently in his 10th season in the league. He also owns 16 senior caps for the United States Men’s National Team, along with 27 youth caps. It’s not by skill alone that the Minnesota native has accomplished so much.
Yueill loves a challenge and is constantly seeking opportunities to build his mental fortitude. Perhaps the best example of this was his six-day trek up one of the world’s tallest mountains, Mount Kilimanjaro. He completed the feat years ago, climbing the peak back in 2022. And while his legs have long since recovered from the journey, the lessons still remain.
“There have always been things in the offseason that I find to suffer a little bit. Your body gets stronger, your mind gets stronger, and then when it comes to hard parts of a season or long portions of a year, you know you can get through it,” he explained. “You’re always thinking, ‘I just have to take the next step forward.’”
Similarly, that mindset has been a pillar of the New England Revolution this season as they’ve emphasized building a strong mental foundation every day.
“Our mindset is one that’s full of positivity. We always try to look at what we can continue to do better. Marko [Mitrović] has mentioned a lot about having a growth mindset, getting better each day. I think we’ve shown that throughout the course of the season and when that happens, you gain more confidence,” Yueill said. “The small behaviors that Marko has implemented from the start of the year, you can see our momentum build and the mindset is very clear in terms of what he wants from everyone and everyone knows what to do to be part of the winning culture we are building.”
Since arriving in New England, Yueill hasn’t played an overwhelming amount of minutes, but during that time he has leaned on his mental fortitude to keep him not only ready to be called upon, but also to drive him to work hard every day regardless of time on the pitch.
Recently, Yueill has been called upon a lot. The midfielder has started in four of New England’s last five games – earning two assists in the process. So far this season he’s made 19 total appearances with six starts. While previously in his MLS career, as the captain of the San Jose Earthquakes, he was used to more minutes, Yueill stays ready to help the Revs in any way possible.
“It can definitely be difficult being in and out. You don’t know when you might be called on, but luckily for me I have a lot of experience to draw on, knowing that there are a lot of things that can happen throughout a year. So, I’m always ready – whether it’s the first game of the year or last game of the year, everyone has something to give to the team,” he explained. “That’s always been my mentality throughout my career, and I think it really resonates with this coaching staff and these players.
“Everyone wants to give their all. Whether you’re out there for 90 minutes or five minutes, you do what you can to help the team. That’s the environment that we have here; you play for the person next to you. Marko always hammers it as relentless.”
As the Revolution near the end of the regular season and eye postseason glory, that relentless mentality is more important than ever for Yueill and the team. Like Kilimanjaro, the season is a long trek up a mountain; the only way to make it to the top is one step at a time. With Mitrović leading the way and a team full of belief behind him, Yueill is confident in what this group can accomplish.
“More guys are getting goals, people are getting assists, making saves, defending, we’ve added people through the summer who I think helped elevate the team, so each day that goes by, we get a little more confident. Marko always says, when you find success, stay with it,” Yueill expressed. “As the team finds that, our mindset is to keep it and keep trying to improve it. My confidence in the team is really high. I think we can compete with any team and we want to beat any team. That’s the attitude in the last few games this season and as we look toward playoffs.”
