The Soccer Show: Nico Calabria & Revolution Amputee Soccer Team “Excited for the opportunity” to play at Gillette Stadium
The match between the New England Revolution and New York City FC isn’t the only soccer being played in Foxborough tonight.
Following tonight’s Eastern Conference showdown, the New England Amputee Soccer Association will host an exhibition match between the Revolution Amputee Soccer Team and the Metro New York Amputee Soccer Team.
Fans at Gillette Stadium will have the unique opportunity to catch both ends of the twin bill and are encouraged to remain in the stadium for the historic contest. The exhibition will feature two 20-minute halves and marks the first post-match amputee exhibition contest in MLS history.
Revolution and United States Amputee Team captain, Concord, Mass. native Nico Calabria, joined host DJ Bean on ‘The Soccer Show’ on Saturday morning to discuss the excitement of playing at Gillette Stadium and the growth of Amputee Soccer across the country.
“It’s a dream come true for me,” Calabria said. “I’ve grown up watching the Revs and watching soccer played in stadiums, and I’m so pumped to see amputee soccer rising to that level. We see it in other countries, Europe is packing out stadiums for this sport, and we want to do the same thing.
“It means a lot and all the guys are incredibly excited for the opportunity.”
Calabria has been instrumental in getting the Revolution Amputee Soccer team off the ground. The 29-year-old works for nonprofit organization ‘The Bionic Project’ which helps provide disability education in schools. His goal, on and off the pitch, is to inspire the next generation of amputee soccer players to get involved.
“It’s my life’s work,” he said. “I think that I was put on this earth to help grow the game of amputee soccer and to be a player. Really, the big winner here is the sport. It’s definitely a proud moment for me and for the entire American Amputee Soccer Association.”
Revolution defender DeJuan Jones returns for his second season as the club’s Amputee Soccer Team Ambassador, while the club will outfit the New England Amputee Team by donating full uniforms, including goalkeeper kits and adidas backpacks. This is a continuation of the Revolution’s longstanding support of amputee soccer in New England, which has included past donations of team uniforms, training field time, and durable high-performance crutches designed for use in competition.
Amputee soccer follows the same rules as traditional soccer, with few modifications. In 2023, New England defeated the Metro New York Amputee Soccer Team and etched its name into soccer history by winning the first-ever U.S. Amputee Soccer Cup and adding another chapter to the Boston-New York sports rivalry. “These are the two best teams in the country,” Calabria said. “I think that if you want to get a good idea of what the sport is about, watch it live. It’ll be a slugfest for sure, and there’s a little bit of bad blood, so I think we’re going to have a really competitive showcase.”