Revolution Notebook: Taylor Swift, Chris Wittyngham, and the World Cup
Revolution Notebook: Taylor Swift, Chris Wittyngham, and the World Cup
Noel Buck on Taylor Swift playing at Gillette Stadium: "It’s pretty cool."
The New England Revolution will head to Philadelphia to face the Union on Saturday. Below are some notes from the week that was.
Revs Leave as Taylor Swift Arrives
The Revs will leave Massachusetts on Friday so they won’t get the full extent of the madness surrounding Taylor Swift’s concerts at Gillette Stadium.
While head coach Bruce Arena didn’t say he was a Swiftie, he did reveal during his interview with 98.5 that he saw the pop star at a young age.
“I’ve seen Taylor Swift before,” Arena said. “I saw her as a 16-year-old in LA when I was with the LA Galaxy. After we had won a championship, I did an appearance at Ryan Seacrest and she was in the back of the stage as I came on with [David] Beckham. I saw her at the time and everyone said, ‘That girl’s going to be a star one day.’ And I said, ‘Okay, yeah, sure, whatever.’”
Noel Buck, who used “Shake It Off” as his goal song last year, is cool with having Swift in the stadium, though he’s more locked in on earning three points this weekend.
“It’s pretty cool,” Buck said about the concerts at Gillette Stadium. “I’m more focused on the game [at Philadelphia], but it’s a pretty cool thing to have happen at the same time.”
Revs Looking To Rebound After Miami Loss
On Saturday, the Revs picked up their second loss of the season—their first against an Eastern Conference foe—when they were bested 2-1 by Inter Miami CF.
The Revs had a sluggish start on the road, conceding in the sixth minute. They fought back to level the score but allowed the game-winner just before halftime.
Are the Revs in trouble or is this just a bump on the road? This is one of the topics that Chris Wittyngham of MLS Season Pass addressed during our 23-minute conversation.
Wittyngham said, “I will say, I look at the current squad and I think that it’s a team that’s over-performing it’s sort of talent on paper when you look at the players that are currently available. I think with [Gustavo] Bou fit, I think with Henry Kessler fit, I think with Dylan Borrero fit, that’s a really good team. That’s a Supporters’ Shield contender and they were on their way.
“I think this current team, they’re going to have to see some pretty big steps forward I think from a player like Giacomo Vrioni. You pay a lot of money for your DP center forward. You’ve got to produce every week.
“I think you look at the wing positions. This past week it was Noel Buck and it was Emmanuel Boateng. Noel Buck has been a great story and I think he’s on his way to being a very good player, but I don’t think you go into season thinking he’s going to be the backbone of a Supporters’ Shield contender.
“I think the talent right now, to me, doesn’t suggest that this is a team that’s going to be fighting towards the top of the Eastern Conference but Bruce Arena has always gotten teams to over-perform the sum of their parts. I felt like 2022 for the Revs was very much an aberration and so I think they will be fine in the long run.”
You can listen to the full podcast of our conversation here. The YouTube version is found here. Don’t forget to subscribe to our new YouTube page!
Arena Glad That Boston Is A World Cup Host
The official branding of the 2026 World Cup was revealed on Thursday, giving us evidence that we’re inching closer to the event being held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
At the unveiling held in Boston, Robert Kraft told media, including the very talented Hayden Bird, that Gillette Stadium will get a “minimum of six” games, though the final number could be more.
Arena is one of many people who are excited for the global showcase.
“It’s fabulous that [the World Cup is] coming here to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, and I think it's great,” Arena said. “For World Cups, you don't have to worry about whether people are going to come out and see the games. There’s no question that the stadium will be at full capacity.”
Arena, of course, served two stints as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team, including leading the team at the 2002 and 2006 World Cups. As such, he knows first hand the power of the event.
“I think it's just superb that we're getting the World Cup here,” Arena remarked. “Hopefully we have a number of games and I know Gillette's going to be in good form by the time the World Cup comes around. It should be a real positive to the Boston community.”