FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Colby Quiñones’ journey with the New England Revolution began when he was just 13 years old. He was playing in New Hampshire with Seacoast United when his team faced the Revolution Academy. Quiñones admits that the Revs thrashed them the first time around, but on the second go, he was ready. He put on a show, scored a goal, and got himself noticed by Academy coach Jassir Charris. A couple weeks later, Quiñones got a letter asking him to join the Revolution. The rest is history.

As I write this, Quiñones is sitting just a few desks away, settling into his new multi-hyphenate role as Revolution Academy administrator, Pro Pathway Residency coordinator, and Under-16 assistant coach. From managing academy logistics to mentoring players and planning training sessions, his responsibilities span nearly every aspect of player development.

Once a young player himself finding his way through the Revolution’s development system, Quiñones now experiences the world of pro sports from the other side of the pitch – helping guide young athletes along the same pathway that kickstarted his own professional soccer career.

“I do quite a few different things, but it's all for the purpose of making sure the kids here have the same experience that I had,” Quiñones explained. “It was a huge transition that I don't even think I'm fully through yet. It’s only been about eight months. It does feel weird looking over my shoulder and seeing the boys come out of the locker room. I know exactly how it feels to be there, looking across at all the staff members in the office. It's like a complete change in perspective.”

Before returning to Foxborough in his current role, Quiñones spent five seasons with Revolution II before playing a season in USL League One with Portland Hearts of Pine. His journey back to the Revolution brought him full circle, but reaching this point required years of sacrifice – not only from him, but from his family, too.

When Quiñones first joined the Revolution Academy, his parents would drive him from New Hampshire to Foxborough every day after school, a four-hour roundtrip trek.

“My parents sacrificed so much for me to do that, and I'm so grateful for them. I can understand now how much work that was for them and how much time they put in just so I could practice soccer. So, when we realized there might be an opportunity based on how my development was going to make something happen, I was really eager to keep going up,” he said.

It was then that Quiñones and his family went all in on his professional dreams. He left school and started attending classes remotely, allowing more time for him to train.

“I created my own schedule to become a pro. In the mornings, the first thing I would do was train. I'd go run a couple miles because I was a fullback and needed to run a lot. I ran in the mornings, took a nap, and then did schoolwork, ate lunch, and then my parents would drive me down to Foxborough,” he explained. “Then, my head coach came up with the idea of me living with him a couple nights a week. So, it was kind of a makeshift Residency Program.”

The New England Revolution Residency Program has helped produce talents like Quiñones, Peyton Miller, Esmir Bajraktarević, and more, bridging the commute for promising young players and providing them a place to live within minutes from the Revolution Training Center. While it’s never an easy decision for players to leave their friends and family at such a young age, Quiñones knew it was what him and his parents had been dedicating so much for, and he was determined to repay their efforts.

“It’s what I wanted, what my family wanted, what we all worked for together. One of the big things I wanted to work on was, ‘What's my why in the morning?’ And it always goes back to my parents,” Quiñones explained. “My mom is so kind, so sweet, she would give everything for us. So, what I tried to do was, when I woke up, work as hard as I could to just make her proud.”

Quiñones was part of the first group to ever live in the Revolution Residency back in 2019. It made his pro dreams possible, and even helped him achieve the honor of representing his heritage on the Puerto Rican National Team.

“My dad, he was involved with soccer as a coach, but he didn't make it being a pro for a long time, and so I think by me doing that, representing Puerto Rico and that side of the family, there was a big amount of pride that came with that,” Quiñones said.

Now, the 23-year-old is helping guide the next generation of players to achieve those dreams. Living in a Residency house as a guardian, Quiñones uses his experience in the program to mold young players into the best versions of themselves – on and off the pitch.

One of his biggest goals is creating a home where the athletes can just be kids.

“That's the culture that we're trying to create. Yes, they still see me as a player, they see me as a coach, but we've made it very clear that we can talk about everything else. It’s really just a place to wind down and decompress after the day because it can be pretty stressful as a player, as a Residency player, trying work your way up. You have so many expectations on you, and as a teenage boy that can be a heavy weight to carry sometimes,” he explained. “When you come into the Residency house, we have a dog now. We’ve got speakers playing music, it's just a good way to relax and unwind after the day. But on top of that, we also deal a lot with discipline and respect.”

Quiñones explained that everyone in the house has a share of chores and responsibilities, reflecting his belief that players must master the little things and learn to be good teammates both on and off the pitch. His approach offers the players a level of understanding that only firsthand experience can provide.

“My favorite part of my job is when the kids come home smiling,” he said. “My mom always told me to smile because sometimes, I took it too seriously. Now I see why. There's so much to be happy about. There's so much to enjoy here. So, when the kids come home after a long, tiring day with a smile on their face, that just makes me so happy. It means we're on the right track.”

And as Quiñones reflects on a career with the New England Revolution that in some ways has come to a close, it’s also really just the beginning.

“This club means a lot to me because it gave me the opportunity to be a pro.  Being part of this club as a professional was all I ever wanted. Maybe I didn't make it all the way up, but to me, I still made it.  This was something my mom could go and say to her friends: ‘My son made it as a pro.’  I felt in my heart that was a way to give back to her,” Quiñones admitted. “I hope I did that.”

It’s safe to say that he has done that and more. Now, he’s helping other young players do the same. And if there was ever a perfect person for the job, it seems Quiñones is it.