Andrew Farrell has been a New England Revolution fan favorite since beginning his professional career in 2013, starting at least 29 games in each of his seven seasons in Foxborough. Here are five fast facts about the 27-year-old center back.
1. A Childhood Abroad
You may have known that Farrell is fluent in Spanish – our cameras have caught him serving as a translator for teammates like Cristian Penilla and Gustavo Bou in the locker room – but did you know that he learned the language while spending most of his childhood in Peru (ages 5 to 15)?
READ:Shaped by Experience | A childhood in Peru taught Farrell to love soccer - and life
Farrell was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and he returned to the U.S. to attend high school as a teenager, but in between he lived in the coastal South American country, where his parents worked as missionaries.
2. Alone at the Top
Farrell is the only player in Revolution history to be selected with the top pick in the MLS SuperDraft, as he was the first overall selection in the 2013 draft. Even Taylor Twellman, the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, was the second overall pick when he was drafted in 2002.
New England actually didn’t hold the top overall pick ahead of the 2013 SuperDraft – they acquired it from Toronto FC the day before the draft, sending the fourth overall pick and allocation money to their Canadian adversaries for the opportunity to select Farrell before he was off the board.
3. The Beard and The Bet
In the offseason between his first and second years in the league, Farrell grew out his beard and made a bet with his brother – he wouldn’t shave the beard until he scored his first professional goal. He could trim it occasionally, but the beard had to stay until he got himself on the score sheet.
Farrell ultimately lost that bet – and it’s a good thing he did – as he caved and shaved the beard long before he finally scored his first MLS goal in April of 2018. To win the bet Farrell would’ve had to grow out the beard for more than four years … and that would’ve been a sight to see.
4. A Piano Prodigy
Okay, prodigy might be pushing it a little bit, but Farrell does dabble on the keys and has been known to post his musical exploits on social media. In fact, you can currently catch plenty of clips on his new Instagram handle “quarantinefarrell2020,” as he’s ramping up the piano playing while social distancing.
Farrell isn’t shy about his piano playing, either. Several of the team hotels around MLS have pianos, whether in a lobby or elsewhere, and he never passes one by without playing a few notes.
5. The Real Iron Man
Farrell has given new meaning to the phrase “no days off,” appearing in 221 of the 240 regular season games the Revs have played since he arrived in 2013. In fact, he leads all MLS outfield players in minutes played (19,511) and games started (219) since his rookie season.
At just 27 years old, Farrell already ranks fourth on the Revolution’s all-time minutes played chart, behind only Jay Heaps, Matt Reis, and Shalrie Joseph.
