FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution Academy will field a roster of 88 players during the 2022-23 MLS NEXT season. The fall slate began on Sunday, September 11 and continues next weekend on Saturday, Sept. 18. With 49 returning players and 39 newcomers, representing all six New England states and beyond, the Revolution will once again field four teams in the Under-14, Under-15, Under-17, and Under-19 age groups. Last season, the Revolution Academy capped the year with the MLS NEXT Cup championship in the Under-19 age division.
The 2022-23 season will see the continuation of the Revolution Academy’s Residency Program, now in its fourth year. The program recently expanded to include a third residency home located near the Academy’s headquarters at the Socios.com 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 2021-22 campaign, which saw multiple teams qualify for the MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and a title run for the U-19s, marking the Revolution Academy’s first national championship. In addition, the year saw dozens of players earn training opportunities and professional experience with Revolution II. Since New England’s second team launched in 2020, 25 current or former Academy players have made their professional debuts with Revolution II. Academy graduates continue to see success within the organization as Homegrown midfielders Esmir Bajraktarevic and Noel Buck each made their MLS debuts in August, with Buck notching his first MLS goal on September 4 vs. New York City FC.
“We are incredibly proud of the improvement the Revolution Academy program has made over the past few years, and we’re thrilled to build upon this success as we enter another MLS NEXT season,” Revolution Technical Director Curt Onalfo said. “Winning a national championship and seeing the continued growth of our players through our pro player pathway brings our entire staff an immense sense of pride and motivation as we welcome and look to progress another group of talented players through our system.”
Additionally, the Revolution Academy continues to place players at elite NCAA Division I universities, including these nine recent graduates who will continue their careers at top men’s soccer programs: Greg Cook (Las Vegas, N.V.) at Northwestern University, Isaie Louis (Everett, Mass.) at San Diego State University, Morris Matthews (Cambridge, Mass.) at Northeastern University, Andrew Millar (Cambridge, Mass.) at University of Vermont, Marcos Ojea Quintana (Riverside, Conn.) at Harvard University, Jack Panayotou (Cambridge, Mass.) at Georgetown University, Zachary Sardi-Santos (Newton, Mass.) at Harvard University, Matthew Tibbetts (Westborough, Mass.) at American University, and Dylan Walsh (Arlington, Mass.) at James Madison University.
Under the direction of Technical Director Curt Onalfo and Director of Youth Development Rob Becerra, the coaching staff welcomes back Rolando Uribe, T.J. Love, Jasir Charris, B.J. Noble, and Liam Connors. During the offseason, the Revolution Academy added Michael Milazzo to its staff. Milazzo, who holds a Senior A License and Academy Director License from U.S. Soccer, joins the Revolution Academy with more than 23 years of coaching experience at the Academy level. Milazzo also served as an assistant coach with North Carolina FC and the USL’s Richmond Kickers. He also has experience as the Academy Director with the Columbus Crew and served as head coach of their U-17 and U-18 youth teams.
“Our entire staff is so excited to be kicking off another MLS NEXT season in New England as we look to build upon last year’s success,” Director of Youth Development Rob Becerra stated. “We’re thrilled to welcome back our returning players and welcome in our newcomers to the Revolution family. I’m incredibly proud of the progress the Academy has made over the last few years and we’re all ready to continue moving forward together.”
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 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.
The Revolution Academy continues the 2022 MLS NEXT fall season on Sept. 18 when all four teams hit the road, with the U-14s and U-19s facing Bayside FC and the U-15s and U-17s taking on CF Montreal. The complete Revolution Academy roster and coaching staff is below. For more information about the New England Revolution’s youth teams and Revolution Academy programming, visit revolutionsoccer.net/academy.
