Revs 1st Leg vs Club America Might Be Good Thing

Yes the mid-April situation at Gillette Stadium stinks for soccer fans, but perhaps this is actually a blessing in disguise for the Revs.

Photo By ©J. Alexander Dolan

I want everyone to know that I completely agree a 9 PM weekday kickoff for a Revs game is absolutely brutal and is not an ideal situation playing against one of if not the most storied team in CONCACAF.

Yes, as Sam mentioned yesterday the Revs got bumped for a motocross event and have to play the first leg at home rather than the second leg as they were the higher seed with the teams and regional powers that be announcing that switch yesterday.

Well, Sam was half right as he clearly didn’t read my deep dive on Twitter into this yesterday that also includes Monster Jam the week after the motocross, meaning the entire mid-April slate is a no-go for soccer at Gillette.

Here’s gist of the full timeline of all relevant schedule I dug up:

Sept 12, 2023: Monster Jam promo for schedule release - Gillette hosting on April 20th

Sept 22, 2023: Super/Moto Cross schedules announced for 2024 - Gillette hosting on April 13th

Oct 24, 2023: CONCACAF Champions Cup Schedule announced

Dec 9, 2023 - Revs qualify for 2024 CCC after Crew wins MLS Cup 2023

Quick side tangent on stadium operations for any dirt related/gas engine involved events: these are not simple undertakings. They get planned months in advance on logistics alone and I can only assume the significant testing and safety checks that go into prepping any event site.

My beloved Ballpark at Harbor Yard hosted a Nitro Circus show many years back that wanted to orientate the jumping vert ramp along the third base side - meaning the first base side would have the obstructed wall of dirt view and the riders would be visible only after they were airborne. The organizers/event planners/ops staff/etc. were a well oiled machine and had set up and clean up down to a science but we ran into a major problem.

We had to flip the stadium orientation on the fly cause the ramp had to go along the first base line for reasons above my pay grade…but this happened after the tickets were sold. So I had to spend several hours with my fellow game day crew and ushers getting people in their correct sections going against the logic of the ballpark signage so the people who purchased the full ramp view still got to see it. Was it chaotic, absolutely, but it was a great show, highly recommend going to something like this at least once.

(Bring earplugs to Monster Jam if it’s indoor and a heavy coat in winter too cause they pump in fresh air to cycle out the exhaust.)

When you combine that level of preparation with the inherent excellent strategy of having the moto and Monster Jam events back to back means repurposing the dirt you already have and maybe keeping a lot of equipment on site for both events. Business, logistics, financials, whatever - this is a well thought out and executed plan by stadium/event ops. Not even a big draw like Club America - who I saw take over Nashville last year in the Leagues Cup - would bump this.

The Revs clearly planned ahead for these dates with MLS as they’re on the road against NYCFC and Toronto FC on April 13th and 20th respectively. However, let’s be a little realistic here - you are never in a million years not booking that two week stretch three months prior to the Revs even being in the CCC on the minuscule chance they’re going to be in the tournament, let alone the quarterfinals as the higher seed against Club America.

Okay, we talked about the worst part of the schedule change which is that 9 PM Tuesday kickoff which is absolutely pants. But did anyone realize the Revs have the previous weekend (March 30th) off from MLS play and they get to play CA at home on full rest? Cause they do, and better yet, the next road game New England plays WILL BE IN AZTECA.

Oh, Club America plays Atletico San Luis on that Saturday March 30th date, assuming that game doesn’t get moved (cause it should, one day off probably spent travelling to the U.S. is nonsense).

That’s right, four straight home games starting this week - Cincy on 3/17, Chicago on 3/23, America on 4/2, and Charlotte on 4/6 - without leaving the friendly confines of Foxboro. The worst scenario could have been the Revs away fixture between those two road games in the middle of the month.

I would not want to play NYC/CA/TOR in quick succession because that would have been three road games in basically a week with the middle fixture in Mexico. No thank you, we can get the trip to Mexico out of the way first then deal with the two East road games.

Against Club America in particular, I think I want the first leg at home. Yes I understand extra time and penalties being at home is a great advantage, but the odds of the Revs winning that way would be slim.

I think the best shot they have at advancing is posting at least a two-goal win at home and then getting a draw or one goal loss at altitude in the second leg. Winning the first leg puts the pressure on CA to attack in the return leg and that’s when we unleash the counter attack and grab an away goal or two.

I don’t know, call me crazy but I think a late Tuesday kickoff in Leg 1 is better than playing at Rentschler in Game 2. And we all know the Revs aren’t coming to The Rent or hard hittin’ New Britain to win a cup anymore. So the hashtag can be mad but shouldn’t be anywhere near as mad as I still am that the Pats don’t play in East Hartford.