"I Wasn’t Sure What Was Going On”: English Revs Fan Gets Surprise Care Package From Club

Michael Sandland was lucky enough to win a care package from the New England Revolution and he talked to TBM about the experience and described what it’s like to root for the Revolution overseas

It all started with a tweet. Michael Sandland had no idea what was about to happen, but soon his phone started to erupt and over 1,000 likes later he ended up with a care package from his favorite MLS club.

Most people know Sandland as @NERevsUK on Twitter. As the name suggests he isn’t exactly close by to Gillette Stadium.

Sandland currently resides in Streetly, England. That’s a smooth 3,000 miles away from The Fort.

The story of Sandland’s love for the club began over five years ago and inhabitants of a certain northern state will be pleased to hear why the Revs are his favorite club. “It was a mix of having an obsession with how different MLS was,” Sandland said. “My love for all New England but mostly Maine, and playing as them on Football Manager.”

Besides the reasons mentioned above, Sandland believes that there are a lot of reasons that MLS stands out overseas.

He said, “I personally love the SuperDraft, also the fact they try to keep the league as fair as they can by having a salary cap and only 3 DP’s per team.”

Still, there are some things from the worldwide landscape of soccer that Sandland believes should make their way stateside.

He said, “I would like to see a promotion and relegation system bought in, even if it’s just one eastern team and one western team as it’s hard for smaller teams to progress without serious investment. I would also like to see the MLS Cup shortened, too many teams can now qualify.”

As you can imagine, being a fan of the Revs overseas can have its challenges. Sandland described the time difference as a massive one.

But there is also the matter of coverage. While MLS still has some work to do in the United States, fans here are lucky that there are necessary avenues to follow your favorite club. Sandland noted that coverage is getting better, but it’s still difficult to find games.

Still, there is one thing that stands out to Sandland, having the ability to watch your favorite club live and in person.

He said, “I think the worst thing about it is knowing the fact I may never get to see the club actually play live.”

But Sandland did receive some special recognition from the club. It all started with a tweet from the Revs Twitter account.

1,000 likes and @NERevsUK gets a care package sent his way!

— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) December 30, 2020

What happened next was truly a great moment. Fans quickly liked the tweet, but that wasn’t all. Players such as Matt Polster shared the tweet and the goal was eventually reached.

Sandland said that the care package giveaway came out of the blue.

“I just came back to Twitter and I had a ton on notifications,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what was going on. I had to scroll back to find out what they had tweeted out. I am so thankful to all of the Revs fans that have made me feel so welcome.”

The world of social media (especially Twitter) can be filled with a lot of negativity, so it was nice to see the club and its supporters do something good for a loyal fan across the pond.

Hopefully, soon enough The Fort will be filled with fans once again (obviously when it is safe to do such a thing). Whenever that does happen Revs supporters will be hoping that Sandland can make the trek across the Atlantic Ocean and join them in cheering on the club.