FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution forward Justin Rennicks has been named to the roster for the 2019 MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer®. Rennicks is one of 22 players comprising the side, which features Major League Soccer’s most outstanding Academy products including a number of U.S. and Canada Youth National Team standouts. The MLS Homegrown Team will take on Mexico’s reigning Under-20 champions in Chivas de Guadalajara’s Under-20 side on Tuesday, July 30 at 5:00 p.m. ET (TUDN/Twitter.com) at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.
The MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer® will be part of an exciting week of MLS All-Star action from Florida. Following the MLS Homegrown Game on July 30, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex will also host the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by Target at 8:00 p.m. ET. The week is punctuated by the 2019 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target, when the MLS stars will face elite Spanish side Atlético Madrid, on Wednesday, July 31 at 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1.
Rennicks, 20, is currently in his first MLS season after signing a Homegrown Player contract with the Revolution on Jan. 18, 2019. He became the sixth Revolution Academy product to join New England’s first team, and made his professional debut in the team’s home opener on March 9 as a halftime substitute against Columbus Crew SC. He registered his first career start in New England's 2-1 win vs. Houston on June 29, shortly after coming on as a substitute and scoring his professional goal in the club's U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 match against Orlando City SC on June 19.
Prior to joining the first team, Rennicks developed for more than four years in the Revolution Academy, scoring 38 goals and tallying 25 assists in 100-plus appearances across all levels. The South Hamilton, Mass. native is also the only two-time recipient of the UnitedHealthcare Revolution Academy Player of the Year Award in 2014 and 2015, and was also named the Revs’ U-14 Player of the Year in 2013. Following his time in the Revolution Academy, Rennicks played two years at the University of Indiana before signing his Homegrown Player contract.
On the youth international stage, Rennicks has represented the United States at the U-20, U-18, and U-16 levels, totaling more than 15 caps across all levels and seven goals with the U-20s. Most recently, he represented the U.S. at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, where he appeared in four of the team's five matches and scored the game-winning goal vs. France in the Round of 16. Rennicks is one of five players on the roster to have represented the U.S. in this summer’s U-20 World Cup
This year marks the sixth annual MLS Homegrown Game, as the league’s young stars have earned draws in four of the previous five matches since 2014. The 2019 MLS Homegrown Team will be coached by Orlando City SC Academy Director Marcelo Neveleff, who previously coached Rennicks as an assistant with the Revolution from 2018-19 prior to departing for Orlando in May.
