Rebellion Retrospective. Leg 1 of the 2014 ECF
When we heard that the Revs would be live streaming the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals vs New York Red Bulls, we reached out to former Rebellion president Brendan Schimmel to reminisce about that epic playoff series. The 2014 ECF was a defining moment in New England Revolution and The Rebellion history. Below is Brendan’s account from that memorable leg 1 of the ECF. Enjoy!
When the Revs announced they would rebroadcast the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals, I was massively excited. Everything about that series was phenomenal. The quality of play, the traveling support, the back and forth. What a time to be a Revs fan it was. Also what an amazing example of what coordinated Revs supporter groups and the Front Office can do together.
The 2014 season for me really starts in August with the arrival of Jermaine Jones.
The hype.
The excitement.
The hope.
What followed next was one of the best five months of Revs fandom I can remember. Post Jermaine, the Revs pounded out a 9-1-2 record in a style of play so confident and lethal launching themselves into the playoffs as legit contenders. The Fort swelled in size. The rains were blessed and playing on the Toto narrative, we did the first large scale tifo display to end the season, “Hurry Boys It’s Waiting There For You”.
The Boys in Blue beat Columbus in the first round of the playoffs and awaiting us was New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference Final. Much respect to the RBNY supporter groups and the relationship we have with them...but too bad. This time it was our turn for MLS Cup.
As a head of a supporter group I felt a bit of dread learning that New York had beat D.C. in the first round and we’d be facing them. 1) I hate DC and would like some retribution for past crimes. 2) If it’s New York, it’s close enough for a bus and how the hell could we organize a bus trip on such short notice and get as many Rebels down there as possible?
The group that ran the Rebellion is a part time, volunteer force. How could we manage to get this done in such a short window? We assumed based on the bus load from our normal regular season away trip to Red Bull Arena we’d be able to fill a couple of buses joining forces with the Midnight Riders. Given the short timeline, around the Thanksgiving holiday we weren’t sure people could accommodate, afford, etc.
Immediately The Rebellion and Midnight Rider leadership coordinated with the Front Office to determine how we could collaborate and make ticket prices for the game palatable enough to guarantee a large traveling contingent of Revs fans. It kicked into high gear with a brazen and gracious announcement on 11/10/14 that the Revs Front Office would pay for bus fares for all fans traveling to Red Bull Arena. This was awesome. We had 12 days to fill as many buses as possible. That was less awesome.
After consulting with the club, we agreed that The Rebellion and Midnight Riders would assume the lead in coordinating buses, receiving ticket orders, determining pick up location logistics and more. We had experience doing these trips, had contacts with bus companies and could help guide casual fans into the trip to enjoy the experience.
Behind the scenes we were aware that we had 850 seats allocated in Red Bull Arena, as the club had reciprocated with Red Bull allowing 850 NYRB seats in Gillette Stadium for leg two of the series. Reviewing these email threads now...it appears we were focused on a goal of 500 tickets for both groups combined.
For the next two weeks...how I got any work done at my real job during this period is beyond me.
Daily on social media you could follow the number of tickets being sold. As the number of sold tickets steadily climbed north of 500 I grew anxious. Can we actually pull this off with zero prep time? Eventually we blew through the original seat allocation and the teams resettled on 1150 seats. This was beginning to make news and we started getting solicited for interviews from soccer outlets.
There was no way we were going to hit 1000 right?
Crap.
I imagine this is how the team behind the D-Day landings felt.
We hit 1000, then 1150 and now we don’t have a soccer bus trip anymore...this is now a complex logistical operation managed by a team of passionate fans with only a matter of days to pull off. I’m pretty sure FEMA is jealous of our abilities.
Ultimately The Rebellion and Midnight Riders with help from the Front Office would end up delivering a 20 bus, 1200 person assault on Red Bull Arena that was developed, organized and executed all in only 12 days. This remains the largest ever traveling contingent of Revs fans in history.
Twenty buses would be split to four pick up locations. The Midnight Rider team would manage ten buses for the Boston and Connecticut pick up locations. The Rebellion would manage ten buses for the Foxboro and Providence pick up locations. Each bus had a captain and a call sign. A Harrison, NJ police escort would meet us as we arrived in the area to guide us to Red Bull Arena to our tailgate area and into our section. We had packed our flags. I brought our section’s only drum which I hit so hard I bled upon it. Ya know, for the Revs and stuff. The night before, my wife Jess used her pen knife to perfectly cut out the letters in foam core to spell out “Bless the Rains.”
Nothing to say about the match that you can’t get from watching the game tonight besides...man there is something about that roof overhang at Red Bull Arena that makes us sound so much louder. The noise breeds more noise. It was unreal. Bravo Port-A-Fort!
Here’s my post on Facebook after the match was over.
11/24/2014 - Facebook
“So someone snapped this photo without my knowledge and I love it. This road trip took a huge effort to plan, coordinate and manage. As the numbers grew, so did the stress on those planning it. In the middle of all of this trying to balance the normal chaos of life, jobs, closing on a new house. (Wahhh I know) It's crazy to me to think that the Kraft family and Revs organization trust a few of us enough to handle the movement of nearly 1000 fans, 20 buses in 4 locations. I think we knocked it out of the park and couldn't be more proud and thankful for those who stepped up. It was a watershed moment for what we are trying to build and grow in New England. It's been building since Jermaine was signed, emboldened by the play on the field, amplified by the tifo displays and echoed loudly by this last trip. We took a bunch of casual fans on a trip and turned them into supporters while showing them that we are not merely drunken hooligans, but mature, creative, capable individuals who have built sustainable organizations [families] capable of doing amazing things...and we do it all for free because we love the game and this team. The only missing piece was a Revs win that would make it all worthwhile, and validate the effort. In this photo I am literally staring at the pitch thirty minutes after this game is over because I am in awe that everything went our way Sunday. The trip, the coordination, the social media, the goals, the win, the organic moments. It literally couldn't have gone better. Throughout the week as we worked to manage the chaos of planning this I kept saying to everyone, "Uhh I can't wait until it's over." "Talk to me on Monday." Well here I am like an idiot, photographed for proof in clear defiance of that. I didn't want it to end. It's a special time to be a Revs fan, enjoy this while you can.”
Why am I spending time now to write about this event? To be honest friends...almost six years later this is still one of the biggest accomplishments of my adult life that include a pretty successful career, a tour in Iraq, two kids, a beautiful wife and a stud of a dog.
I owe a virtual high five and a hug to Fran Harrington and Cathal Conlon for helping lead this effort as well as the normal cast of Riders, Rebels and Rev Army leadership who stepped up on short notice to handle preparation or deal with the known and unknown on game day.
That trip is a testament to what American soccer has become and it’s a reminder of what the Revs supporter community are capable of when excuses don’t exist, collaboration flourishes and solutions develop from our shared passion and love for Revs.
This trip was also an important moment in Rebellion history; a validation that The Rebellion was for real. It was worth the effort. Our numbers swelled to record levels after this trip. We had a core of capable and creative leaders who helped build a diverse community of humans that I’m proud to call my friends.
Enjoy reliving leg one. I vividly still hear how loud our “Glory Glory Revolution” song was after the first goal by Teal. The Revs section eventually owns Red Bull Arena as victory becomes certain to a point where the broadcast will remind you, “Again that is Revs supporters who are making the most noise right now.”
New England Til I Die.
Brendan
