For the third straight year, the New England Revolution U-19 team has clinched a spot in the Development Academy playoffs, with this year’s event held June 17-29 in Oceanside, Calif. Going a step further, the group can win its second Northeast Division title in three years with wins over Oakwood SC and FC Westchester to close out the regular season.
Altogether, that’s no small feat for the region’s sole MLS academy, and head coach Marcelo Santos sees a group that’s come a long way from lopsided early-season losses to the likes of Montreal Impact and D.C. United. They’re now 11-4-3 in DA action.
“I thought we had a good group to start, but we added seven new players to the group,” Santos said. “You always hope and feel they’re good additions, but you don’t know until they mesh with the players who are already there. We see them really contributing now and wanting to be here.”