New England’s annual Match for C.H.A.N.G.E. will feature Women of Color Entrepreneurs Pop-Up Market in the Fan Zone
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (7-14-1; 22 pts.) will welcome Western Conference side FC Dallas (8-11-5; 29 pts.) to Gillette Stadium on Saturday, July 20 for the club’s annual Match for C.H.A.N.G.E. The 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, the final league match before MLS pauses its regular season for Leagues Cup 2024, is available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish. Listen to the Revolution’s local radio calls on 98.5 The Sports Hub (WBZ-FM) with Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies, and 1260 AM Nossa Radio USA in Portuguese.
When the Revolution and Dallas rekindle their historic rivalry on Saturday, the two founding MLS clubs will be facing off for the first time since March 2022. New England leads the all-time regular season series , 24-19-4, including a 13-8-1 mark at home. Dallas and the Revolution have met twice in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. New England claimed victory in the first encounter, 3-2, in 2007, before FC Dallas evened the score with a 4-2 triumph in the 2016 final. This season, New England has split its first two matches against Western Conference opposition, defeating Vancouver Whitecaps FC at home, 3-2, in June before a 2-0 loss at Seattle Sounders FC two weeks ago.
In the teams’ last meeting, a pair of current Dallas players featured for New England. Midfielder Sebastian Lletget and defender Omar Gonzalez were both with the Revolution 2022. Since departing for Dallas, Lletget has tallied one goal with eight assists in 40 appearances for the Texan team.
On Wednesday, the shorthanded Revolution traveled to face the Philadelphia Union, falling 5-1 to the Union. With multiple players ruled out for the midweek match due to injury, New England deployed a new-look lineup that saw four Homegrown players earn important minutes. Esmir Bajraktarević earned the start and set up Ian Harkes‘ goal in the 50th minute, giving him helpers in back-to-back contests and seven assists this season in all competitions. The goal was Harkes’ first of the season and his fifth in MLS play.
Another Homegrown product, Unionville, Conn. native Peyton Miller, made his MLS debut for New England on Wednesday, becoming the 11th Revolution Academy product to feature in a regular season match for the club. At 16 years and 252 days old, Miller is the second-youngest player to appear in an MLS match for the Revolution, behind only Diego Fagundez (16 years, 173 days). He is also the first Academy graduate from Connecticut to ascend to the MLS level.
Along with Miller and Bajraktarević, 19-year-old Malcolm Fry saw minutes for the second straight match, while Cambridge’s Jack Panayotou has started the last three games for his hometown clubs. In his last outing, Panayotou recorded three shot attempts, his new single-game high.
With red-hot forward Giacomo Vrioni sidelined on Wednesday, the Revolution turned to decorated American international Bobby Wood for the start up top, his first of the 2024 season. If Vrioni can return to the lineup for Saturday’s tilt, he would provide a boost to the attack, having scored six goals in the last six games. To help bolster the attack, Caleb Porter can also turn to veteran Tommy McNamara, who just logged his 100th appearance for the club in all competitions on Wednesday.
FC Dallas enters Matchday 28 on the back of two straight victories, the latest coming on Wednesday at home over Austin FC, 3-1. Forward Petar Musa tallied the game winner, converting a penalty kick early in the second half to give his team the lead. Musa’s eight goals since June 1 are second-most leaguewide, while his 13 total goals this season are tied for fourth. Paul Arriola and Marco Farfan added goals in Wednesday’s win as well. FC Dallas is anchored at the back by goalkeeper Maarten Paes, who has played every minute of the regular season to date and sits tied for first in MLS with 98 saves.
Match for C.H.A.N.G.E.: As part of the club’s C.H.A.N.G.E. platform dedicated to social justice and equity, the New England Revolution Foundation will host Women of Color Entrepreneurs (WOCE) for a Pop-Up Market in the Fan Zone, featuring a dozen local vendors, from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Founded in 2019, WOCE supports women of color entrepreneurs with the goal to expand and build multicultural female-owned businesses. WOCE onboards up to 15 entrepreneurs annually, and growing, maximizing the long-term success of women of color entrepreneurs. To donate, get involved, or learn more about WOCE, visit woce.us.
A special patch, designed by Portland, Maine artist Eamon White, will also be featured on match-worn jerseys and custom corner flags, which will be auctioned after the match to benefit WOCE. Additional activations will include Fan Zone activations by InnerCity Weightlifting and African Community Education. Prior to kickoff, the team will also recognize Ellie Axe, Director of Story Starters, as the Hero of the Match, while BAMS Fest-affiliated artist, Nancia Music, will perform the National Anthem.
Revolution Unified Team Match: Following Saturday’s match against FC Dallas at Gillette Stadium, the 2024 Revolution Unified Team will take the field to conclude its two-game season with a match against the FC Dallas Unified Team. Fans are encouraged to relocate to The Fort for the match, which will feature two 20-minute halves beginning at approximately 10:00 p.m. The 2024 season marks the 10th year of the New England Revolution’s partnership with Special Olympics Massachusetts’ Unified Sports® program, supported by the Arbella Insurance Group. This year’s team consists of a program-record 19 local athletes and Unified partners and began its season on May 7 at the team’s annual signing day at Gillette Stadium. Four days later, the squad joined the first team. On June 25, the Revolution Foundation hosted the seventh edition of Bowl for a Goal presented by Arbella Insurance, raising $100,000 for Special Olympics Massachusetts.
