It feels like Robert Kraft has been searching for a new home for the New England Revolution forever. Since their formation, the Revs have shared a stadium with the New England Patriots, a team that Kraft also owns. However, it appeared as though Kraft had finally found the Revolution a home of their own, in the site of the Bayside Expo Center. The potential deal was announced in October of 2016.

The deal now appears to have fallen through, as the struggles for the Revs continue through their never ending search for a place to call their own.

The Revolution have had their fair share of success since their creation in 1996. They have made it to five MLS Cup Finals, including three consecutive MLS Cups between 2005 and 2007, and most recently in 2014. However, without their own stadium, the team has struggled to gain their own identity and fan support while playing in the shadow of the New England Patriots. This is why over the past 10 years, team owner Kraft has been searching for a site in the Boston area where he can have a stadium built for his team.

Late last year, Kraft seemed to have found a perfect destination for it. The Bayside Expo Center was a vacant space, ready to be torn down but still open for use. As the University of Massachusetts Boston continued its rebuilding efforts, they considered their options. The Expo Center would be open not only to the Revs, but to the UMass Boston Beacons. It seemed like an awesome deal for UMass Boston, who was already well in debt with pre-existing construction costs.

This deal, however, was ultimately too good to be true. Initial reports stated that the deal had hit a roadblock, due to the fact that UMass Boston’s property didn’t have enough space for the 20,000-25,000 seat stadium proposal. Kraft then attempted to purchase a piece of land owned by the Boston Teachers Union, but the discussion over the purchase did not go well. After months of talk, UMass officials announced that the proposal for a soccer stadium at Bayside “would not be feasible at this point.”

This is the sixth site that Kraft has been unable to obtain amid his search for a stadium for the Revs.

This decision may come as a relief for Dorchester and South Boston officials and residents. Many continued to site traffic and parking concerns, particularly concerning parking for UMass Boston students, faculty, and staff, as they already struggle to find parking on a daily basis.

Ultimately, the decision makes a lot of sense for UMass Boston—at least for the time being. Although the stadium would have been privately funded, and the Kraft Sports Group would have paid market rate to rent the land, it would have been too much in an area that is already tight on space with construction. As exciting as it would have been for our community to have a professional sports team just down the road, it just wasn’t the right time to make this move.
The Charlie Baker administration, however, has expressed commitment to helping Kraft find a location for the stadium. Although this move did not come to fruition, there is still hope for a future home for the Revolution.