Poor New England! So Far From Boston, So Close to the Kraft Family: The Revolution 2019

Senator Donut

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Apr 21, 2010
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Jonathan Kraft has spoken about this repeatedly. A quick google search will give you quotes and details.

I’m weird in that I believe people when they state something unprompted over and over again.
I think he wants a stadium, but only on the friendliest of terms.

Based on media reports, the club was near a deal on the Bayside Expo property, but couldn't close a deal with an abutting property owner and was dealing with dysfunctional state university. I think they were close enough to indicate the team wants a stadium, but doesn't want to spend a penny more than they think is necessary.
 

Vinho Tinto

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I think him saying something is just that- words. But I also despise the Krafts and give them very little credit. I’d love to be wrong about this though.
There is no way it’s just words. They aren’t interested in financing it themselves. They want a package deal from a city/state to “help” them make it happen; but he clearly has done due diligence on a stadium project. He wouldn’t name specific locations if he was just farting out nonsense.

They are very smart owners, know the value add a stadium would mean, and would love to get some
of that sweet tax money to make it happen. They also know that this region is one of the least friendly for publicly financed stadiums on Earth and aren’t going to be dumb about it.
 

Vinho Tinto

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I think he wants a stadium, but only on the friendliest of terms.

Based on media reports, the club was near a deal on the Bayside Expo property, but couldn't close a deal with an abutting property owner and was dealing with dysfunctional state university. I think they were close enough to indicate the team wants a stadium, but doesn't want to spend a penny more than they think is necessary.
We are in agreement. Without explicitly saying that, Jon has made it clear they want a friendly deal for it to happen.
 

saintnick912

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I heard as much about the Somerville/Assembly Square deal falling apart, that it was more or less "buy us a stadium and we will probably play there".
 

Titans Bastard

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This is mostly semantics, I think.

I think everyone would agree that the Krafts would happily accept a stadium for the Revs if the state or a municipality handed it to them on a platter. In the Boston area, that amounts to the same thing as "not trying".

There is a long-running joke about how Jonathan Kraft or Brian Bilello drop some "news" about "progress" and "discussions" regarding the stadium a month or two before the Revs start making season ticket renewal calls.
 

yeahlunchbox

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With how fast Worcester, Massachusetts, and the PawSox were able to move on a stadium I don't understand how Kraft and the Revolution are still in Foxborough if they had the will to get it done
 

Dummy Hoy

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I heard as much about the Somerville/Assembly Square deal falling apart, that it was more or less "buy us a stadium and we will probably play there".
When I was in Revere, word was that the city was actually willing to go pretty far towards a kraft friendly deal, but the Krafts weren't actually interested

This is mostly semantics, I think.

I think everyone would agree that the Krafts would happily accept a stadium for the Revs if the state or a municipality handed it to them on a platter. In the Boston area, that amounts to the same thing as "not trying".
Well, exactly
 

Dummy Hoy

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There is no way it’s just words. They aren’t interested in financing it themselves. They want a package deal from a city/state to “help” them make it happen; but he clearly has done due diligence on a stadium project. He wouldn’t name specific locations if he was just farting out nonsense.

They are very smart owners, know the value add a stadium would mean, and would love to get some
of that sweet tax money to make it happen. They also know that this region is one of the least friendly for publicly financed stadiums on Earth and aren’t going to be dumb about it.
Well it is just words, because they've shown to be unwilling to do what it takes to get a stadium, even with some decent opportunities. But TB is right, it's just semantics, I think we are all understanding what the deal is.
 

OCST

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I think the big change with the Fire is that last year, Andrew Hauptman sold a 49% stake in the club to another guy who seems more ambitious. The USL proposal may have also been a wake-up call about the weakness of Chicago's position in its own market, but getting that USL stadium done was always a big stretch.

MLS has engaged in a lot of successful expansion, but ultimately it's going to be impossible to take a huge step forward when the league is struggling in so many big markets. LA is mostly fine, but Houston, Dallas, Philly, and New York are laggards and Boston & Chicago are even worse.

If the Fire show significant improvement over the next 1-2 years from an off-the-field perspective, I think NE moves up to being Priority #1. The league's TV ratings have been pretty stagnant and I think other owners will start to approach problem of struggling teams with more urgency.
I really love the RBNY stadium. It’s not hard to get there from lower Manhattan by train but I don’t know if people know that. The surrounding area is kind of Dresden-like- not dangerous but just empty. I’ve always wondered if the branding sucks- Red Bull has football teams all over the world but I think Americans are bothered by a team named after a product. I continue to believe that if they could buy the Cosmos IP from that wacko who keeps trying to revive the NASL they’d be s huge hit.
 

saintnick912

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Are the Cosmos pronounced like the plural of Cosmo Kramer or like the Carl Sagan universe sense of the word?

I've always said the former but just thought the latter is probably superior.
 

Titans Bastard

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Are the Cosmos pronounced like the plural of Cosmo Kramer or like the Carl Sagan universe sense of the word?

I've always said the former but just thought the latter is probably superior.
I've always said the former too. The etymology of New York Cosmos isn't derived from outer space; it's short for Cosmopolitans.
 

dirtynine

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The current state of the Revs is an argument in favor of closed two-tier pro/rel in MLS. They should be in an MLS2 (unable to fall farther, of course) until they get their shit together. It’s not like attendance or fan interest would change from whatever it is now.
 

Titans Bastard

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3-1 win over the Quakes in the first post-Friedel game. They're still in last place in the East, but are unsurprisingly better than the 0.18 PPG of the Colorado Rapids so far.
 

biollante

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I didn't know Friedel was fired. They probably need about 8 new players too. The Krafts are wealthy and impossible to deal with so don't expect a new stadium any time soon.
The MLS needs relegation to keep teams honest.
 

Ale Xander

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Anyone know what time the Chelsea expected starting XI will be posted for Wednesday's charity game?
 

Jimy Hendrix

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On one hand, old washed up Bruce Arena, ewww.

On the other hand, old washed up Bruce Arena would be the most qualified coach or GM the Revs have had maybe ever?
 

Titans Bastard

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Is Arena washed up?

I honestly don't know. He's 67, which is pretty old, and the risk is that guys that age fall behind the changes of the modern game. It doesn't always happen — 61 year old Bob Bradley is at the peak of his powers right now — but it's common.

On the other hand, he's been pretty successful. His record with the LA Galaxy was very strong. With the US, there is the obvious disastrous tactical choices in T&T. But overall, he was 10-6-2 (W-D-L) for the US, which included winning the Gold Cup and an impressive draw at Mexico. Losses at Costa Rica and T&T. Certainly, he didn't go up against the toughest competition, but the team was better than it was under Klinsmann. Arena deservedly gets a ton of blame for T&T. Was it an aberration or a sign of things to come?

I'm genuinely not sure. At least he'd come into the job with a larger-than-normal chip on his shoulder.
 

Quintanariffic

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Costa Rica loss was at home. And winning a B Gold Cup by bringing in the ringers mid-tournament is nothing to crow about. The draw at Azteca was his top accomplishment IMO.
 

Titans Bastard

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Ooh, I forgot that the CR loss was at home. That definitely worsens the record.
 

joe dokes

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On one hand, old washed up Bruce Arena, ewww.

On the other hand, old washed up Bruce Arena would be the most qualified coach or GM the Revs have had maybe ever?
It might not be the worst thing ever. If "really successful in MLS" is his ceiling, so be it.
 

The Gray Eagle

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He's won 5 MLS Cups, which is 5 more than the New England franchise has, so there's that.

Can we get a a thread title change now to something, something "Arena Football"?
 

ddeveau

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I, for one, am happy about this. TBH, I am a bit of an Arena-apologist, with the line-up at TnT the only sin I consider COMPLETELY unforgivable. But what gives me the most hope is that I wouldn't think Arena would take this position, at this point in his career, unless he was given reason to believe the organization is willing to do what is necessary to build a winning team.
 

Arroyo Con Frijoles

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I'm an idiot of course but this is the first bit of Revs news in ages that made me feel any kind of hope. They desperately are in need of a new direction, and this should be that at the very least. Welcome to the Bruce Arena boys!
 

Jeff Van GULLY

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Changing GM or coach doesn't really matter if the resources aren't there though. I guess, if you're a Revs fan, you hope for Arena because there will be a certain level of investment in other areas of the franchise that he will demand to get the job. It's more about that than Arena himself.
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

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I wasn't happy with Arena as the National coach, but I'll take him as a second to shake things up with the Revs.

In the same way that I wouldn't want Grady Little to coach the Sox, he'd be a great asset for the local high school team.
 

Harry Hooper

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"Near TD Garden", anyone have info on where they may be talking about?
City Hall Plaza will be gone at last!


From the perspective of sprawling cities such as Houston, "near TD Garden" covers a lot of territory {Assembly Square, Suffolk Downs, Chelsea, etc.}, but certainly one close location could be some sort of shared facility with Bunker Hill CC and/or the conversion of Boston Sand & Gravel's yard..
 

Harry Hooper

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Could near TD Garden be the rumored site that’s been rumored forever. Near the end of the green line. Lechmere I think.
Yes, I'd forgotten about the Brickbottom rumors. It certainly fits the vague description, and its dependence on completion of the Green Line Extension might explain the slow pace the Krafts seem to be on.
 

Vinho Tinto

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Somerville or Southie seems to make more sense though.
I recently had an interview in Southie and was surprised by the level of development near the Seaport; but I still remember the severe pushback Kraft received when he tried to move there. Would a soccer stadium be warmly received?
 

Ale Xander

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I recently had an interview in Southie and was surprised by the level of development near the Seaport; but I still remember the severe pushback Kraft received when he tried to move there. Would a soccer stadium be warmly received?
Heard from a current employee that they're still trying. It's more of a convenience/nexus of transportation between the southbound CL lines and the redline from Cambridge/Somerville to get more fans in. Also to have more flexibility with concert dates in the summer (at Gillette).

Kind of like the waste management in North Jersey. Location.
 

Ale Xander

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"It's not a question of if, it's a question of when"

From rev rep about moving to Boston/t-accessibility
 

Seven Costanza

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I don't think so.

That was a pretty surreal and cool experience. Chelsea clearly wanted no part of the game itself, and was pretty dissatisfied with the rows of sod laid down. Only cost was Loftus-Cheek's blown achilles. :eyeroll:

Still glad they came for such an important cause, even if the timing wasn't ideal. 4+ million raised, and hopefully a blossoming relationship between the Revs and Chelsea.
 

Ale Xander

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Yup great cause, thanks to Roman and Bob for making it happen. Pro-Chelsea crowd, as expected. Pedro had some bunnies I could have scored on, but missed, so it was par for the course (since he did everything else). Willian on the left was a bit awkward. Ross was better than I expected. Gonna be sad if the Hazard rumors (rumours?) are true. Was fun seeing the crowd oooh and ahhhh every time he touched the ball. Hope they return to the northeast US soon.
 

Titans Bastard

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Not thrilled. Onalfo and Williams both have poor coaching records, but they are longtime Arena guys. Bruce gonna Bruce...

If I were forced to put a positive spin on this, it's that Onalfo's sucked (three times) as an MLS head coach so at least it's a different role. Williams was an awful U17 coach, but seems to be doing relatively well coaching professionals at Loudoun United this year. Those are slender branches on which to place hope.
 

Senator Donut

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The Revs get Red Bull away in the fourth round Open Cup draw to be played on June 11th or 12th. NY is on a hot streak, 5-1-1 since losing in Foxboro.