FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – At just 16 years old, Matthew Jean Baptiste hasn’t only made his professional debut with New England Revolution II – he’s started a red-hot run of form, scoring four goals in his last five games with the MLS NEXT Pro side.

Jean Baptiste currently plays for the Revolution Academy’s U-16 team, joining the club this year after playing in the Red Bull New York Academy. In a matter of months, the young attacker has worked his way up from the U-16s to competing with the U-18s, and has now made eight appearances with Revolution II at the professional level. In his 512 minutes of MLS NEXT Pro play, he’s logged four goals and one assist.

Jean Baptiste moved to New England to attend St. Paul’s School, a boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire. During the school year, he was able to train with the academy two days a week – traveling two hours from New Hampshire to Foxborough. But the commitment wasn’t just from Jean Baptiste – it was a family effort. To make it work, his parents would drive to New Hampshire from their home in New Jersey, to then take him to practice in Foxborough. Now on summer break, Jean Baptiste has moved into one of the Revolution residency homes, giving him the chance to train six days a week with the second team and be just minutes from practice rather than hours.

“Getting the call up to join the second team as school ended for the summer, it’s been a really great start for my career and it’s helped me grow a lot,” he explained. “I had a lot to learn and over the course of the games and the hard trainings, the extensive days, I've really pushed myself to be on that same flow with the rest of the team and to prosper with the team. I think it’s shown through the games.”

Jean Baptiste’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. In July, he was named MLS NEXT Rising Star of the Month after scoring two goals in four games.

“For me, that really meant that my hard work has paid off. During an off day, I’m working to perfect my touch. I’m working on finishing in the box with coaches after training, doing those extra sprints, pushing myself harder in the gym. It’s shown me that I just have to keep that hard work going. Rising Star of the Month is a good title, but as a team we have even bigger goals to shoot for,” he said.

For Revolution II head coach Pablo Moreira, the recognition is by no means a finish line. Instead, it’s fuel for the player that Jean Baptiste can continue to become.

“To be able to get him in those positions to score and to have assists, it takes a whole team. So, I was first and foremost so happy for the team to get recognized and then obviously so happy for him because it just gives him more incentive to continue working. If I’m honest, he's such a good kid. I've met his mother and father, and he's got a great upbringing. He doesn't need an individual award to keep that fire lit, but it does help,” Moreira explained.

As Moreira emphasized, the success of an individual is in part due to the success of the team, and Revs II have found a lot of success this season. After finishing third in the East last season, with a playoff run cut short, the squad has their sights set on more. With just seven games left in the MLS NEXT Pro regular season, the team is currently third in the Eastern Conference standings as they look to secure a spot in postseason play.

For Moreira, for his team – and for Jean Baptiste – this is just the beginning.

“He’s a raw talent, that’s for sure. Since he has been able to come in and train with us six times a week, there’s been a huge jump from the start of the summer in how he’s been playing and sharpening his skills. For me, the sky’s the limit for him,” Moreira said.