With a goal on his home debut, 23-year-old forward Adam Buksa quickly endeared himself to fans of the New England Revolution earlier this month. Here are five fast facts about the Designated Player that you might not have known.
1. A Polish First
Buksa became the first Polish-born player to suit up for the Revs in more than 20 years when he debuted on February 29 in Montreal, and the first-ever to score a goal for the club when he bagged a stunner in the home opener against the Chicago Fire on March 7.
Rob Jachym (six appearances in 1997) and Janusz Michallik (12 appearances in 1998) both featured for the Revs back in the late ‘90s, but neither scored a goal, giving Buksa the distinct honor.
2. Amongst the Trees
Standing at 6-foot-3, Buksa isn’t the tallest forward in Revolution history … but he’s pretty close.
According to the record books, four other forwards officially listed at 6-foot-3 have suited up for the Revs: Mamadou Diallo, Eduardo Hurtado, Kei Kamara, and Saer Sene.
They’re all just one inch shy of the tallest forward in Revolution history, Edgaras Jankauskas, who was listed at 6-foot-4 when he bagged two goals and one assist for the Revs in 2009-10.
3. Brother Buksa
There is another.
Adam Buksa made a name for himself as a young star in the Polish Ekstraklasa and in his home country’s youth national team setup, and he now has a brother who’s doing the same.
Buksa’s younger brother Aleksander, a 6-foot-2 forward who just recently turned 17, currently plays for Wisla Krakow, notching three goals in 16 appearances in the Ekstraklasa. Like his brother, the younger Buksa has also featured in the Polish youth national team setup.
4. Next Up, National Team
A consistent contributor with the Poland Under-17, Under-19, and Under-21 national teams, Buksa has now set his sights on making the leap to the full national team.
He earned his first call-up to the senior team in November 2018 for a friendly against the Czech Republic and a UEFA Nations League qualifying match against Portugal, but didn’t feature.
“It was just one call-up,” Buksa said this preseason. “It was a very good experience, but it didn’t mean too much in my career. I want to work here and score goals in order to get more call-ups.”
5. Embracing the Local Teams
Asked by Frank Dell’Apa of the Boston Globe about living in the city, Buksa said he’s a big basketball fan and is looking forward to attending Boston Celtics games.
Buksa also mentioned the New England Patriots – the Revs’ fellow Gillette Stadium tenants – but added that he’d need to learn the rules of American football before fully diving into fandom.
