Revolution II Returnees Discuss 2025 Playoff Berth
Hear what the returning members from 2024's Revs II squad had to say after clinching a spot in the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs.
It’s no secret. The 2024 season was tough for Revolution II. While the club excelled at youth development, the team fell short in the results department, ending the year at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table with 22 points on a 4-18-6 record with four shootout victories.
Almost a year out from the end of the 2024 season, and it's been a night-and-day transformation for the club. They find themselves in second place in the Eastern Conference with 48 points on a 12-5-7 record with five shootout victories.
Friday’s 2-1 win over Toronto FC II was a pivotal one as the victory secured the club a spot in the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro playoffs! Following the match, The Blazing Musket spoke with several returnees from the 2024 season to discuss the transformation the club has seen this season.
Richie Williams took time to discuss how offseason preparations and avoiding injuries in 2025 have helped tremendously. Despite how 2024 went, Williams was still happy with getting several young prospects crucial playing time throughout the year, which has helped in 2025.
Liam Butts expressed his pleasure in securing a spot in the playoffs after a tough season last year and expressed how much work the returning core put into preparations to make 2025 the success it has been.
“For me personally, it's really nice,” Butts said. “Last year, we were way off of it. For the returners, it means a lot to us. We put in a lot of work in the offseason and preseason as well. To be able to clinch that now just shows that we’ve worked really hard through the season.”
Gevork Diarbian discussed how last year altered the mentality of the returning players entering 2025 and how it has impacted the team as a whole this year.
“I think for us, the mentality going into this year, we want to be really hungry, and we knew this would be our year,” he said. “Obviously, it didn’t go the way we wanted to last year, but I think we just keep working hard. It’s not done yet, so hopefully we can just keep pushing forward, but we’re hungry for more.”
Marcos Dias discussed how the bond of this 2025 side has been the difference maker for New England.
“The difference between this year and last year is that this year feels like the group is very united and we’re not worried about the outside noise or anything,” he said. “We believe that we’re going to win every game, and now the focus is on finishing first and winning the league.”
While 2024 didn’t go to plan, hopefully, this season ends with Revolution II hoisting the MLS NEXT Pro Cup, but regardless of how this season finishes, the coaching staff and players should be proud of what the team has accomplished this year.