FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – It’s been a long two months since the Revolution last took the pitch, but there surely hasn’t been a lack soccer in New England as the area was host to seven electric FIFA World Cup games in the meantime. Approximately 450,000 fans from across the globe filled the seats at Gillette Stadium throughout the tournament, and they ate enough hot dogs to span 3.8 miles.
In that time, the Revs had the unique chance to take an extended rest 14 games into the season, taking time to see family, and preparing their bodies for the second half of the year. The team took about three weeks off before they were back on the training ground, sharing their facilities with some of the best national teams in the world. New England looked at this time as a second preseason, utilizing the opportunity to improve upon what they saw from the first half of the year.
While it was both a challenge and a blessing to take a step back after a strong start to 2026, head coach Marko Mitrović says the team is harnessing the momentum of the World Cup.
“You see more soccer around yourself. You can see more goals in the backyards of your neighborhood. You see more commercials with soccer balls. You go to bars and see soccer games, people walking around in jerseys. I think it will have a very high impact on the players; they know they belong to this game that everyone is talking about,” Mitrović explained.
And that motivation has been clear on the pitch, as he’s seen the players working even harder than before and reaching new levels of play.
“Something that we say we don’t negotiate is giving our best day after day. I can say that the level of intensity in our training sessions is higher than it was before. Players have gotten used to the way we want to work. It’s become part of their routine in a good way, and I feel that in these four or five weeks, we have increased and pushed ourselves to the next level,” Mitrović said. “I was very positive about how everything worked in the first part of the season, and if we came back with that same level of enthusiasm, then we were in a great spot, but as I said, I actually think we are even more intense.”
The Revs left for the break on the tail of a strong start to the season. Before the pause in regular season play they sat fourth in the Eastern Conference, earning 25 points in 14 games. While their 22 goals scored are already six more than this time last season, the Revs have stood out in defense. With 18 goals against, they sported the third-best defensive record in the East and seventh-best leaguewide before the break.
New England have been especially strong at home, going a perfect 6-0-0 through their first six games in Foxborough, establishing the club’s best-ever home start. Now 7-1-0 at Gillette Stadium, they own one of the strongest home records in the league.
“There were a lot of positives in the first part of the season, but Marko always says we can take it a step further and improve on things. That’s been the focal point of these few months, just tightening up the things we can improve,” explained midfielder Brooklyn Raines. “We want to continue that winning mentality, whether we’re home or on the road. I think as long as we continue to have that winning mentality and continue to be there for each other, we’ll have a really good second part of the season.”
That second part of the season kicks off against Toronto FC on Wednesday night. The Revolution will be at home in Foxborough for a two-game week, hosting Atlanta United FC on Saturday night.
While New England hasn’t made the playoffs in the past two seasons, they’re hoping these next few months of play will secure their spot this year. If they keep playing like they have, and harness some of that World Cup magic left lingering around Gillette Stadium, they’ll give themselves every chance. But of course, the team doesn’t look too far ahead; game by game, training by training, this Revolution squad is ready for what’s next.
