FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (September 5, 2025) – The New England Revolution Academy will kick off the 2025-26 MLS NEXT season on Saturday, September 6. This year’s roster features 102 athletes total, including 80 returning players and 22 newcomers, representing all six New England states and beyond.
The Revolution will field five teams this season across the Under-18, Under-16, Under-15, Under-14, and Under-13 age groups. To continue accelerating player development, the U-18s, U-16s, and U-15s will once again compete in older age groups, in the U-19, U-17, and U-16 divisions respectively. On Saturday, The U-18s, U-16s, and U-15s will open the new campaign against Seacoast United at the Revolution Training Center, while the U-14s and U-13s will host FC Westchester.
The New England Revolution Academy is the region’s only completely free-to-play, elite youth development program with a direct pathway to the professional ranks. Competing in MLS NEXT, the nation’s premiere youth soccer platform, the Revolution Academy accepts qualified and talented players into the program regardless of their financial situation. All players’ needs and expenses related to soccer activities – training, facilities, equipment, uniforms, travel associated with competitions – are provided by the Revolution at no cost to the players or their families.
Now in its seventh year, the Revolution Academy’s Residency Program continues to grow its capacity, housing players from across the country in its three residencies, each staffed by full-time guardians and located within walking distance of the Revolution Training Center. The fully-funded Residency Program supports elite player development and established academic requirements for athletes from New England and beyond. In April 2024, the Revolution expanded their training facility with a brand-new, full-sized artificial field dedicated for academy use located at the Revolution Training Center in Foxborough.
The Revolution Academy, winners of back-to-back MLS NEXT Cup titles in 2022 and 2023 at the U-19 level, continues to produce exceptional talent among its Pro Player Pathway. Last season, the Academy’s U-14 squad competed in the Championship Bracket of the 2025 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs after securing a triumphant 23-0-2 record across league and MLS NEXT Flex play, producing 132 goals and 99 assists in 25 matches. Currently, Academy players Grant Emerhi (Lithuania U-19), Makai Wells (United States U-17), and Brandon Velez (United States U-16) are on international duty with their respective national teams in the September FIFA international window.
Since the launch of Revolution II in 2020, 52 current or former Revolution Academy players have made their professional debuts with the club’s MLS NEXT Pro team. In the last year alone, three Academy players rose to the professional ranks with defender Damario McIntosh and midfielder Eric Klein signing Homegrown Player contracts, while midfielder Cristiano Oliveira inked his first professional contract with Revolution II last October. Oliveira, a Somerville, Mass. native, was one of two Academy players to represent New England at the 2025 MLS NEXT All-Star Game alongside U-18s defender Josh Macedo (2009).
For the third year in a row, the Revolution Academy has placed every eligible graduating player at elite universities on a scholarship, including these seven athletes who will continue their development at NCAA Division I collegiate soccer programs: Owen Beninga (2007 – Jackson Wyo.) at the University of California Santa Barbara, Giuseppe Ciampa (2006 – Westwood, Mass.) at Providence College, Sage Kinner (2007 – Franklin, Mass.) at Columbia University, Eric Martinez (2007 – Perris, Calif.) at the University of California, Riverside, Gershom Matimano (2007 – Manchester, N.H.) at the University of New Hampshire, and Josh Partal (2007 – Bangor, Maine) and Aidan Reilly (2007 – Pembroke, Mass.) at Stanford University.
Under the leadership of Sporting Director Curt Onalfo, Technical Director Remi Roy, and Director of Youth Development Rob Becerra, also Head Coach of the U-16s, the Revolution Academy boasts a seasoned technical staff of returning head coaches including Jay Mims, Liam Connors, Abel Wasswa, and Noah Bushey. The academy also returns former Revolution goalkeeper Jeff Causey and longtime Academy goalkeeping coach Jasir Charris.
Ahead of a transformative 2025-26 season, MLS NEXT announced the new names for both competition tiers. The top tier of MLS NEXT will now be called the MLS NEXT Homegrown Division, with the new competition tier introduced as the MLS NEXT Academy Division. Through the addition of the Academy Division, the program will more than double its number of participating players and clubs, strengthening its position as the most elite platform for youth soccer in North America.
This expansion builds on MLS NEXT’s track record of producing players who are making an impact in MLS, MLS NEXT Pro, and NCAA programs, as well as with professional clubs and national teams around the world. For the first time in the history of the league, more than 100 MLS NEXT alumni have appeared in MLS regular-season matches this season, while also setting new highs for minutes played and goals scored. The 2025-26 MLS NEXT season will feature a record 273 clubs, 2,189 teams, and more than 43,000 players competing in over 28,000 matches across the continent.
The MLS NEXT Homegrown Division name reflects its direct connection to the MLS Player Pathway, serving as the top level of competition in the program. Every MLS academy will compete in the Homegrown Division alongside 122 MLS NEXT Elite Academies (non-MLS academies), creating a platform for the most talented young players in North America to test themselves and prepare for the next level in their careers, with many each year going on to sign their first professional contracts as MLS Homegrown players.
For more information about the New England Revolution’s youth teams and Revolution Academy programming, visit revolutionsoccer.net/academy. To access the complete Revolution Academy roster for the 2025-26 season, CLICK HERE.
