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With an average attendance of 16,682, the club’s best mark since 2008, 2014 was a landmark season for the New England Revolution. The most rambunctious crowds packed Gillette Stadium during the frigid months of October and November when the hunt for MLS Cup became real. The Revs had over 32,000 attendees on hand on two separate occasions last year, but how many will be in the stands for the team’s home opener against the Montreal Impact on March 21.
Over/Under: The Revolution will have 16,682 fans attend their home opener against the Impact.
Seth: Over
Call me an optimist, but I think the buzz surrounding the Revs that existed throughout the playoffs will carry over into the 2015 season. With the majority of last year's squad returning, there's no reason why this team can't make another run at the MLS Cup. With this in mind, I think fans will be on the bandwagon much earlier. The Impact aren't exactly a storied rival and March weather in New England isn't ideal for soccer, but this game could draw a decent crowd with the proper marketing.
Hemming: Over
For the first time in recent memory, the Revs boast a marketable identity. Lee Nguyen, Jermaine Jones, Diego Fagundez -- these guys have generated more buzz than we've seen surrounding Revolution soccer in quite some time. I fully expect this excitement to carry into 2015, when the team will yet again compete for an MLS Cup crown. After all, nothing fires up a fan base like winning--and the Revs figure to win often next season.
Steve: Under
The Revs had made splashes in 2013 that should have carried through to 2014. They were exciting, and some pundits had them as East favorites and even MLS Cup winners. And yet, in the cold air of late March, their home opener drew just 13,103, which would be over 3,000 below the 2014 season average and was over 1,000 below the 2013 season average. Jermaine Jones is exciting, Lee Nguyen is exciting, winning is exciting - but New England in March is cold, and the NHL and NBA seasons are in their final stretch. Granted, the Celtics are terrible and the Bruins aren't looking like world-beaters, which could be a benefit, but I see no more than a modest 14,000-15,000 at best.
Jake: Over
...But not by much. Steve brings up the best point of them all, winter is a thing in New England and there's a good reason the Revs usually start the season with two games on the road. I think the home opener bump with ticket specials or something like that gets the game to right around the target number and the announced attendance is always more than the actual attendance. But I believe there will be enough of a carry over from the previous year to give the home opener a solid Gillette crowd of around 17K. Anyone know the weather forecast in Foxboro for late March?