The 1998 New England Revolution season was the third season for the New England Revolution both as a club and in Major League Soccer (MLS). As the club did not participate in the 1998 U.S. Open Cup, and did not qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, they participated only in the MLS regular season.
After qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in club history in 1997, the Revolution entered the season with a "vastly improved" roster preparing for 1998; adding Richard Goulooze from SC Cambuur, U.S. international Janusz Michallik, and then completing the first three-team trade in league history to land 1997 MLS All-star and El Salvadorian international striker Raul Diaz Arce from D.C. United (infuriating D.C. United fans in the process). The move would also see original league-allocation see Alexi Lalas depart the club.
Regardless of these moves, the Revolution struggled through much of the season; losing their first three matches out of the gate, and recording a 9-match winless streak throughout the months of May and June. Additionally contributing to on-field issues was the absence of head coach Thomas Rongen, and players Joe-Max Moore and Mike Burns, who all missed substantial time at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Following heavy defeats to the Columbus Crew (6-1) and LA Galaxy (5-1) Thomas Rongen was fired on August 24. When asked about his struggles in New England, Rongen referenced "cancers" in the locker room that undermined team performance in 1998, and stated "a lot of things happened behind the scenes that I didn't know about until it was too late," adding that "there were different factions where players didn't know who to trust anymore. Walter Zenga would take over as Revolution manager for the remainder of the season, concluding with a 3-3 to record down the stretch.
On January 31, 1998, the Revolution drafted Johnny Torres, Jesse Van Saun, Kevin Coye, and Tom McLaughlin in the 1998 MLS College Draft.
On February 1, 1998, the Revolution drafted Dahir Mohammed, Doug Neely, and Dave Salzwedel in the MLS Supplemental Draft.
Additionally, the Dallas Burn drafted Revolution player Darren Sawatzky in the 3rd round as the 34th overall pick.
Adapted from 2024 New England Revolution Media Guide (pg. 309)
Adopted from 2024 Revolution Media Guide (pg. 324 - 328)
Facing financial difficulties ($100 million in debt) S.L. Benfica embarked on a U.S. tour in 1998. As part of this tour, Benfica played a friendly against the Revolution on June 11, 1998. It was Benfica's first match at Foxboro Stadium since 1972. The match marked Oscar Pareja's Revolution debut, and outdrew several 1998 World Cup matches.