FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution II will make its first trip to Belson Stadium on Sunday evening to face New York City FC II in the opening match of the inaugural 2022 MLS NEXT Pro regular season. The contest kicks off at 5:00 p.m. ET and all 24 regular season games will stream on MLSNEXTPro.com. Through the team’s first two seasons, 30 different players have made their professional soccer debuts, including 18 current and former members of the Revolution Academy.
Revolution II enters its third season under Head Coach Clint Peay and will once again feature a lineup that is a combination of New England’s first-team players, MLS NEXT Pro signees, and current Revolution Academy youth players. Midfielder Noel Buck and defender Ryan Spaulding, the two players to appear in all 28 matches for Revolution II in 2021, both signed MLS contracts this offseason after excelling with the second team. Spaulding made his MLS debut on March 12 at Gillette Stadium. Buck, a Homegrown Player from Arlington, Mass., is one of several MLS signees likely to contribute with Revolution II this year alongside Revolution Academy alum Damian Rivera and forward Edward Kizza.
New England made several offseason moves to bolster the roster ahead of the 2022 season, signing seven players to pro contracts including Academy graduate Esmir Bajraktarevic. New England also built its roster through international signings as Revolution Technical Director Curt Onalfo brought in three Brazil natives in forward Marcos Dias (Vasco de Gama), defender José Ítalo (Clube de Regatas do Flamengo), and midfielder Ryan Lima (Botafogo F.R.). Revolution II also signed defender Michael DeShields and midfielder Trevor Zwetsloot, as well as 2022 MLS SuperDraft pick Ben Reveno, to MLS NEXT Pro professional contracts.
New York City FC II is entering its first season and will be playing all home matches at St. John’s University’s Belson Stadium. The club hired Matt Pilkington in February to serve as the club’s head coach. Pilkington previously served as a head coach with NYCFC Academy since 2016. NYC’s roster features Jonathan Jimenez, Nicholas Benalcazar, and Samuel Owusu who were all signed to NYCFC’s MLS roster ahead of this season.
New England’s next game will be the home opener at Gillette Stadium, Revolution II’s first home match open for fans to attend. They will take on Rochester New York FC on Sunday, April 3 at 6:00 p.m. ET. Revolution II Season Memberships and single-game tickets are on sale now. For more information, email tix@revolutionsoccer.net or call 1-877-GET-REVS.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR AGAINST NEW YORK CITY FC II:
- Revolution II playing its inaugural game in the brand-new developmental league established by Major League Soccer: MLS NEXT Pro.
- Revolution II earning points from its season-opening match for the third consecutive year.
- New England newcomers Marcos Dias, Michael DeShields, José Ítalo, Ryan Lima, Ben Reveno, and Trevor Zwetsloot all potentially making their debuts with the club.
- First team players Noel Buck, Edward Kizza, and Damian Rivera all potentially seeing action with Revolution II.
- Any Revolution Academy players making their professional debuts, adding to the 18 Academy products who debuted over the team’s first two seasons.
Match #1: Revolution II at New York City FC II
Date: Sunday, March 27, 2022
Kickoff: 5:00 p.m. ET
Location: Belson Stadium (Queens, New York)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Streaming: MLSNEXTPro.com
