Max Weinstein Reflects On First Revs II Clean Sheet of 2023

Weinstein: “These past couple of months at first were really hard for me.”

Photo Courtesy of the New England Revolution

Max Weinstein has put a lot of trust in the New England Revolution. Moments like Friday, when he recorded a shutout victory for Revs II, help prove that he’s made the right decision.

In 2020, Weinstein moved away from his hometown of Montpelier, VT to live in one of the Gillette Stadium residency houses so he could join the Revolution Academy.

Weinstein experienced plenty of highs while being a member of the Academy, including winning two U-19 MLS NEXT Cups. He was also named the U-19 Goalkeeper of the Tournament both times.

The netminder made a big step towards achieving his dream of playing for the Revs’ first team in the time between winning national youth championships. On March 20, 2023, he signed a MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.

Weinstein hasn’t gotten a lot of playing time this year as Nico Campuzano and Jacob Jackson have received the bulk of the minutes.

On Friday, Weinstein got his fourth start of the season, recording four saves in a 3-0 win over Huntsville City FC.

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“These past couple of months at first were really hard for me,” Weinstein said after Friday’s game. “It still is a little hard for me, but I understand the position I am in, and I’m actually in a great spot. It’s a lot of learning right now. I’m trying to learn everything I can and put in all the work I can right now. [I want to] learn as much as I can and be a sponge right now.”

Weinstein regularly trains with the first team, working alongside seasoned professionals and goalkeeping coach Kevin Hitchcock. He’s trying to pick up every piece of information that he can.

“I still think from Dallas [at MLS NEXT Cup] to now there’s so much of an improvement in my game,” Weinstein said. “Maybe you don’t notice it, but for me, I feel so much more confident in my positioning, my feet and everything are a lot better.”

Revolution II assistant coach Marcelo Santos is happy to see the 19-year-old collect his first clean sheet of the campaign. He personally believes that Weinstein became more confident as the game went on.

“In the first half there was times you could see that he wasn’t as comfortable playing how we do,” Santos said. “We just kept telling him to keep trying and at times he decided to do something else, so we just let it go. He’s not comfortable, so let him feel the game and I think as the game went on, he felt more confident and came up with a big save in the end.”

Weinstein will continue to trust the process, working hard to get better every day.

While the training sessions are important, Weinstein hopes that he will get more game time as Revs II conclude their fourth season. After all, players want to be on the field helping their team to victory.

“I love to play, and games are why I play so it’s been hard,” Weinstein explained. “It’s been a big challenge for me, but I think I’ve learned that in the moment it’s hard, but at the end of it, in a couple of years from now, I’m really going to appreciate and understand it.”

“The mentality that I’m still building is going to take me far into my career. I know that there’s a plan and I think everything’s been great. It’s really helped my mentality a lot. It’s still growing and there’s still a lot to learn.”