After nearly five months off, New England Revolution II prepares for a historic day on Sunday filled with firsts. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the season opener.
Opponent: Atlanta United 2
Date: Sunday, March 1st
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Venue: Beirne Stadium, Smithfield, Rhode Island
Tickets: Information on tickets is available on Revolution II’s website.
Broadcast: OneFootball TV & MLS YouTube Channel
Weather: Expect a frigid evening in Smithfield as temperatures at kickoff will sit at 28° and dip to the mid and low 20s throughout the evening.
New England Revolution II:
Revolution II looks to build off a strong 2025 campaign that saw them finish the year in third place with 54 points on a 14-7-7 record and five shootout victories. Despite the regular season success, Revolution II’s second playoff run ended just as it began, as they suffered a devastating 1-0 loss to Chicago Fire II in the opening round of the MLS NEXT Pro Cup Playoffs.
While 2025 was a successful campaign, the offseason saw a tremendous amount of change for the organization. The biggest came along the touchline as Pablo Moreira became the club’s third Head Coach on December 9, 2025. Moreira’s appointment came after Richie Williams’ tenure ended following the 2025 season, as his contract with the club expired and was not renewed.
In addition to a new coach, the offseason saw Revs II welcome 2026 SuperDraft pick Schinieder Mimy, former Academy prospect Matthew Tibbetts, Jake Shannon, and Myles Morgan to the fold. The quartet will look to make their Revs II debuts on Sunday.
Forward Jayden Da will also look to make his club debut following a difficult 2025. After arriving in New England in the offseason, Da suffered an unfortunate knee injury that forced him to undergo season-ending surgery.
2026’s opener could also see the return of Max Weinstein. After appearing in four games in 2025, the Vermont native spent the second half of the year on loan with Estonian side Kalev Tallinn, where he made 16 appearances.
In addition to a new coach and a new crop of players, 2026 will see New England call another venue besides Gillette home as they will play all but one home game at Bryant University’s Beirne Stadium.
Opening Day has gone mostly well for Revolution II. Since its inception in 2020, the club has gone 2-1-3 in its first match while notching a clean sheet in half of its season openers.
Revolution II has historically performed well on opening day, going 2-1-3 in their first six season openers. They’ve also put up shutout performances in half of their opening day contests.
However, New England has not secured a win in regulation since their 3-2 win, ironically enough, against Atlanta United 2 to open the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season.
Pablo Moreira and the club will look for a repeat when they welcome Atlanta to town.
Atlanta United 2:
Like Revolution II, Atlanta United 2 enters the new year following a busy offseason, which also included a change along the sideline.
After serving as Interim Head Coach for the second half of 2025 following Steve Cooke’s departure, Jose Silva had the interim tag removed on December 15, 2025.
Silva amassed an even 6-6-0 record in the closing 12 matches as Atlanta United 2 finished the season in 10th place with 38 points on a 9-10-9 record and two shootout victories.
Atlanta’s offseason also saw numerous players enter the fold, and one of those is a familiar name in Liam Butts. Butts spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons with Revolution II, where he tallied 18 goals, which is second most in club history, and three assists in 36 appearances for the club.
Atlanta also added names like defender Daniel Chica (formerly with Carolina Core), Cameron Dunbar (formerly with Orange County SC), Mohamed Cisset (formerly with North Texas SC), and Matthew Senanou (formerly with Colorado Rapids 2).
2026 also sees leading goal scorer and 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Goal of the Year winner Patrick Weah return for another season in Atlanta. His debut season in Atlanta saw Weah tally nine goals and three assists in 24 appearances.
Historically, Atlanta United 2 have been poor on opening day. Something that dates back to their time in the USL Championship.
It got off to a good start when they secured back-to-back wins on opening day in their first two USL Championship seasons in 2018 and 2019. Since then, Atlanta has lost their last six opening day contests and has been held goalless in four of them.
Previous Meetings:
Sunday will mark the fifth all-time meeting between New England and Atlanta. Revolution II has the clear historical advantage after securing wins in three of the first four outings.
Their inaugural meeting on March 26, 2023, saw New England secure all three points after goals from Jake Rozhansky, Pierre Cayet, and an Atlanta own goal led Revs II to a 3-2 victory.
Despite goals from Liam Butts and Alex Monis, it wasn’t enough as Atlanta secured its first win over New England with a 3-2 victory on August 3, 2024.
Their lone meeting last season saw New England secure the win as goals from Marcos Dias, Malcolm Fry, and Liam Butts led to a 3-0 shutout victory at home.
