Since I haven't been able to get over to watch City for obvious reasons, went with the wife and brother-in-law last night to watch New England Revolution/New York Red Bulls match at Gillette Stadium. First time we had been to a match there since before Covid. Overall it was a very pleasant evening - nice summer night and an entertaining match that the Revolution won 3-2.
Positives: only about a 30 minute drive even with rush hour traffic; able to get a decent slice of pizza before the match since the stadium is in a large mall complex with plenty of food options; phone app for tickets worked quite well; enjoyable match even if lacking in quality, but it is MLS.
Negatives: hard to believe that we pay more for MLS matches than I do for City matches - tickets range from $34 to $95, and we bought low/mid range seats for $54.50; it is an American Football stadium so very flat tiering; beer -$12 for regular size and $14 for large; lots in the crowd were up and down constantly for food, etc.; noise before match and at halftime was brutal - music blaring way too loud and a "revolution" chant that blasted for about 5 minutes to try to rev up the crowd reminded me of the noise at basketball games; winners of giveaways being announced during the match.
I'm an old geezer, so take all of this with a grain of salt. Yeah, some things not to like, but at least we had a nice summer night out watching football. Can't wait until you'll let us back in so we can get back and watch CITY!
I was a regular at the Revs games during the time I lived in Natick (35 mins away)
Always a great day but to be honest the game was secondary to the beer and a laugh.
I got in with a crowd from one of the two supporters groups (Midnight Raiders and The Rebellion) and we would arrive 3 hours before the game and simply drink in "the parking lot" in these tailgate parties and have a BBQ. Fans mingled making all sorts of food and "jello shots" and sharing them around.
Yes it was like $13 inside the stadium for a decent IPA (slightly less for Bud and that ilk) but that is why you drank outside so you didn't have to inside!
Then after the game we would continue drinking and eating for 90 mins or so till the place was empty and then straight down Route 27 back to Natick. Fortunately we had a driver who didn't drink!
I always went in The Fort behind the goal and the fan groups seemed to get cheaper tickets. Don't recall paying over $35 a game but its been a few years now.
The best game I went to over here was the play off semi final away at the New York Rag Bulls (they had Wright-Phillips and Thierry Henry) and the Revs won 2-1 with a late goal. Revs took 5,000 and in a purpose built "soccer stadium" it was a great atmosphere and that is what The Revs need. They need their own purpose built stadium much nearer to Boston and with public transport.
Gillette Stadium is nearer to Providence, Rhode Island, than it is to Boston, Massachusetts (yes it is a New England team and not a Boston team) but they need to be nearer to Boston to get the crowds in. 15,000 rattling around a 66,000 roofless capacity stadium just doesn't work.
When the Patriots play, special trains from Boston and Providence go right up to the stadium on a freight line. They won't do it for the Revs games making the place unaccessable by public transport.
I met some really great people watching The Revs (helped by a fair few of them being Boston Blues) and keep in touch all the time with a good handful via Facebook etc since moving to Florida.
The quality of football on the pitch? I always found the more I drank, the better the quality ;)
