New England Revolution Academy announces 94-player roster for 2021-22

OXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution Academy will field a roster of 94 players during the 2021-22 MLS NEXT season beginning this weekend, September 4. With 50 returning players and 44 newcomers representing all six New England states and beyond, the Revolution will field four teams in the Under-14, Under-15, Under-17, and Under-19 age groups.

The 2021-22 season will see the continuation of the Revolution Academy’s Residency Program, now in its third year. The program recently expanded to include a second residency home located near the Academy’s facilities at the Revolution Training Center in Foxborough, Mass. The players who reside full-time in the residency all continue their high school educations through online schooling while training daily at the club’s state-of-the-art training center. By eliminating key barriers such as transportation, the Residency Program allows players from throughout New England and beyond to benefit from the club’s free-to-play, elite player development program and established professional pathway.

The Revolution Academy is coming off a successful 2020-21 campaign in the inaugural season of the MLS NEXT platform, which saw all three of the club’s eligible age groups qualify for the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs. The Under-15 team, coached by MLS and Revolution great Shalrie Joseph, advanced to the semifinal round of the national tournament. In addition, the year saw dozens of players earn training opportunities and professional experience with Revolution II. In all, 14 different current and former Revolution Academy players, as young as 15 years old, have made their pro soccer debuts with Revolution II in USL League One action.

“We are pleased with the progress the Revolution Academy program over made over the past year and are energized for the work ahead as we kick off the MLS NEXT season,” Revolution Technical Director Curt Onalfo said. “It has been an encouraging year with the expansion of the residency program, qualifying all three of our eligible teams for the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs, and more than a dozen professional debuts by our Academy players with Revolution II. We look forward to taking more steps forward in the upcoming season as we progress more talented players through our pro pathway.”

In November 2020, Colby Quiñones (Bedford, N.H.) became the third Revs Academy product to ascend the club’s pathway to the professional ranks by signing his Revolution II contract. Fellow Academy graduates Hikaru Fujiwara (Lexington, Mass.) and Noel Buck (Arlington, Mass.) also made the leap to USL League One. In all, 14 different Academy players have made their professional debut with Revolution II.

Additionally, the Revolution Academy continued to place players at elite NCAA Division I universities as six recent graduates will continue their careers at top men’s soccer programs – Cole Dewhurst (Lancaster, Mass.) at Providence College, Taha Kina (Maynard, Mass.) at Brown University, Samuel White (Sterling, Mass.) and Aidan Farwell (Randolph, Mass.) at Boston College, Joe Buck (Arlington, Mass.) at Georgetown University, Greg MacLean (Walpole, Mass.) at University of Connecticut, and Michael Tsicoulias (Needham, Mass.) at University of Virginia.

On the coaching staff, the club welcomes back seven-time MLS All-Star and four-time MLS Best XI selection Shalrie Joseph, who will coach the Under-17s after he led the same group to the national semifinals at the U-15 level in last year’s MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs. Director of Youth Development Rob Becerra will assume the role of Under-15 Head Coach, while established coaches Jasir Charris and T.J. Love return to the staff. New England also welcomes Academy Administrator and Assistant Coach B.J. Noble, who spent the last 11 years as the Director of Soccer at Notre Dame de Namur University in California, and Liam Connors, who was most recently an assistant coach for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas men’s soccer program. Connors will coach the Under-19 and Under-14 teams.

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 the 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.

• CLICK HERE for a full list of platform teams.
• Fall 2021 MLS NEXT schedules for the Under-14, Under-15, Under-17, and Under-19 divisions.

The Revolution Academy kicks off the 2021 MLS NEXT fall season with back-to-back games on Sept. 4-5. All four teams travel to face Oakwood SC in Connecticut on Saturday before hosting FC Westchester in Foxborough on Sunday. The complete Revolution Academy roster and coaching staff is below.