My Crest, My City: New England

One jacket, 28 crests, endless stories. Over the course of the MLS season, we will be shipping a custom jacket to creators across North America to highlight the diverse and vibrant soccer cultures of various destinations in MLS with the help of Participation Trophy Studio. 

As the grassroots soccer community in the U.S. continues to grow coast-to-coast, we are seeing the emergence of exciting creative talent searching for opportunities to break into the world of soccer. This project allows us to showcase emerging creatives through shoots with an exclusive “MLS” themed coach’s jacket. The 1/1 jacket, created by Participation Trophy Studio, is a classic black coach’s jacket decorated with patches from every MLS club. The jacket will travel from city to city and be worn by local models in kits from each respective city.

For our sixth installment, we caught up with New England-based photographer Luke Stergiou to talk about the inspiration behind his project in his region.

You’re Manchester, NH, born and raised. What was soccer like in the New England area while you were growing up?

In at least suburban New Hampshire, the only soccer that was really played was rec soccer. Then, in terms of watching, the team everyone followed in Europe was Manchester United. What was cool was that Manchester was a refugee city, so I grew up around a ton of different cultures -- African, Bosnian, Nepalese, Hispanic, you name it. Growing up around that helped introduce me to soccer, so the soccer scene was very diverse. Still, it always felt like an underground thing and not mainstream at all. 

Were there a lot of fans in your area growing up?

You have to go to very small, niche communities to be able to find Revs fans in New Hampshire. Even national team fans can be hard to find. Granted, that's changed somewhat recently. But in New Hampshire, the Revs and even soccer, in general, don’t seem to get talked about much. 

When did you start following the Revs? 

I only started following the Revs in 2012, so after their ‘glory days.’ They played the Seattle Sounders, and I went with my mom, uncle, and two cousins. They were obsessed with Diego Fagundez. But the Sounders were really the first team that caught my eye because of their chants and everything I’d seen from the crowds over in Seattle. So, I was rooting for them initially in MLS, but I finally fell in love with the Revs when I started covering them in 2016.

How did you start photographing the Revs exactly?

My friend from high school just said, ‘Hey, let’s try to cover a Revs game,’ and we just applied. I got in shooting for my college newspaper, which didn’t cover soccer outside of school. I got accepted, and that was it. It was cool as hell. That’s when I started to follow the team because I started meeting more people who were actual fans. I don't know why it took me so long to support my local MLS team, but I really started getting into it by photographing the team. I was just up close and personal, and it just made me fall in love with the team. 

Now that you’ve been covering the Revs for five years, what would you say is your favorite memory with the club?

I have two. The honorable mention happened during the 2019 season. I think we were playing Vancouver or Houston, and I remember Carles Gil scored. And he just came up to me, he did a sign with his fingers and looked straight through my camera. I felt like this dude was looking into my soul. It was unreal. I got the shot and turned over to my friend like, ‘Did you see that?!’

But my absolute favorite would have to be when we played NYCFC a couple of years ago on the last day of the regular season. It was around the beginning of the Bruce Arena era, but no one thought we were gonna beat NYCFC -- they had won the East that year. But we beat them with an immaculate chip by Gustavo Bou over Sean Johnson. There were 35,000 people in the stadium -- unheard of for a Revs game -- and everyone just went nuts. The atmosphere was just unreal.

That must’ve been crazy. I know sometimes Gillette Stadium gets stick for not having the greatest atmosphere.

For sure. If I’m being brutally honest, the atmosphere can be generally described as subpar. And I say that with love. But after years of covering them, that day, I had goosebumps for the first time. It was like the first glimpse of us getting back to our ‘glory days.’ 

I remember, too, I found this older gentleman who was about 90 years old wearing Revs gear. I talked to him, and it turned out he'd been supporting the Revs since their inception. I asked him, ‘what's been your favorite moment with the club,’ and he just said, ‘this moment right here.’

It was the first time we’d made the playoffs since 2014, so it was amazing. But it made me realize that the team actually means a lot for some people in New England.

Speaking to a few of the other creators participating in this My Crest, My City series, they all seem to praise their crowd and their atmosphere. It’s interesting that you don’t. What would you say is your favorite thing about the Revs in general, then? What makes them special?

I think what makes it special is that people underestimate us. Granted, the way the team is marketed to New England sports fans could be better, but overall I think people look over us. 

New England is the winningest sports region in the U.S. I mean, you’ve got the Red Sox, the Bruins, the Celtics, and the Patriots. When people say they're a New England sports fan, they usually just mean those four teams. The Revs are never mentioned. I think the fact that people just underestimate us and just kind of kick us off to the curb is what makes supporting the team even more special. It feels like you’re supporting the ultimate underdog and forgotten team in this region. 

It’s gotta be tough to compete for the region’s attention when you have all those other stellar sports franchises.

Yeah, and even now, the Revs are top of the East and basically the best team in MLS right now. But yet the Boston Globe and most media outlets aren’t really talking about it. The bar is set so high in New England for sports fans. We haven’t won anything yet, so no one really cares. Hopefully, if we bring silverware back to New England, that will change. 

You mentioned being underestimated and overlooked. Did you do anything in particular for your My Crest, My City project to highlight that aspect of the club? Or what was the inspiration behind your project?

With this project, I wanted to do it at Gillette Stadium because I wanted to do it with a Revs fan at a game. I didn’t want to do it in Boston because it wouldn’t help tell the club's story properly. It’s the New England Revolution, but everyone thinks they’re just Boston. But in reality, they’re not just Boston. They’re Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. 

I also think doing the shoot at Gillette was fun because it forced me to tell the story more with a Revs fan, and I wanted to show that we do have dedicated supporters. There are die-hards out here.

Apart from Gillette Stadium, you had a second location as well, right?

Yeah, so the second location was Manchester, New Hampshire -- my hometown. From a general perspective, it made sense to do it there to show that the Revs are also present in all corners of New England. I also wanted to show some things that are true to New England like ‘Bagel Cafe,’ which is very well known in the area, and the owners are Turkish immigrants so that ties back to Manchester being a refugee city. Shooting in Manchester also ties in with my personal story with soccer and the team, so it just made sense. I’m still living in Manchester now, and it’s been great to see the soccer strides that have been made in the last decade.

What are some of those strides?

Mainly projects to bring more accessible soccer to Manchester and the surrounding area. MLS Works built a mini-pitch in downtown Manchester and on the West Side, too, for example. When I first found out about that, it was awesome because I didn't know that was happening, and I felt blessed we’d get that in Manchester. I’m sure Charlie Davies and Siad Haji had something to do with it. They’re both from Manchester, so they must’ve had a hand in it alongside MLS Works, SNHU, and the city. 

Building those mini-pitches was huge. Even if they're not used much, the fact that they're there means the world to me. Even if I drive by and see just one kid kicking the ball around, that makes me so happy. But, we’re making soccer strides in Manchester. Going back to the earlier question, it just felt right to do a shoot there because I wanted to show to others here that we’re not alone in our passion. Even if we’re scattered across multiple states, there are other kids, other players, other creators that love soccer here. 

And what do you hope people outside of New England will take from your project?

I hope that people at least see that New England shouldn't be cast aside as a soccer region. I know, historically, there seemingly hasn't been much to it, but if you do some deep diving, you’ll see there’s a rich history. If you look back at the 1930 World Cup, I think four players came from Fall River, MA. We also have players like Charlie Davies, Siad Haji, Josh Bauer, Morgan Andrews, and others that have come out of this region. 

I just hope that people see that New England has more than just the four ‘big’ sports. Let’s not cast aside soccer because it’s growing under the radar. Yes, we might not have the flashiest supporters in MLS, but bring out any European team, and you’ll fill up Gillette Stadium easily. 

Soccer culture in New England is on the rise, and we shouldn't be underestimated -- even though I feel like that’s what makes us special. But you know what I mean. 

So we’ve talked about New England, we’ve talked about soccer, and we’ve talked about the club. What do you think of the Revs’ crest? 

Long live that damn flag. I will defend that flag ‘till the day I die. I know it's so MLS 1.0, but it’s just so simple and perfect. It's Revolution through and through. Hate on it all you want, I will defend that flag until the day it dies.

We are the only original club in MLS that has not changed its crest or name. I'd rather we not. I'd rather keep that flag. I just think it's so iconic and so simple. If they ever replace it, I’ll be devastated. I’ll be the first one outside Gillette with a pitchfork. 

To wrap it all up, you guys are obviously doing very well at the moment. Is 2021 finally your year?

I don't want to jinx myself and say we're going to win at all because if I do that, it will end very badly. I would like to think this year we prove a lot of people wrong. I think if we can at least win the Supporters’ Shield, I'll be very happy. If we can win MLS Cup for the first time, even better.  

If we can bring an MLS Cup to New England, it would be huge, not only for us fans but also for changing people’s perception of the Revs. As soon as we get a major trophy to New England, I think a lot of people are going to start changing their minds about the Revs.

We just need a cup to come to New England. At this point, I feel like we deserve one after all the shit we've been through in the 25 years that we've been in MLS. 

Photography by Luke Stergiou.