Planning is "quietly underway for construction of a soccer stadium in Boston," one that would bring the Revolution "closer to their urban fan base," according to sources cited by Ross, Borchers & Arsenault of the BOSTON GLOBE. Among the sites under consideration is a "strip of city-owned land off Interstate 93 on Frontage Road." The South Boston property offers "easy access from major highways and is near the MBTA’s Red Line as well as rail lines at nearby South Station." Sources said that the Kraft family, which owns the team, has been "meeting with state and city officials to discuss the stadium and possible locations over the past several months, with the team focusing on Frontage Road." The Frontage Road location is "adjacent to an industrial area that the group organizing Boston’s efforts to host the 2024 Summer Olympics had identified as a potential location for the main Olympics stadium." Although some sources said that the Kraft proposal could "conflict with the Olympic group’s efforts for the bigger stadium, others said there is enough room in the area to accommodate both facilities." One source said that Kraft is "pushing to have the soccer stadium in place within five years." The Revolution are "among the few MLS teams not playing in a soccer-specific stadium" and currently reside at Gillette Stadium. A city stadium would "bring the Revolution closer to the young urban fans who are driving" MLS' growth. After privately financing Gillette Stadium, the Krafts "so far have not pledged to do the same for a soccer stadium, which probably would cost" more than $100M. The Krafts have "tried several times to build a stadium in Boston, first for the Patriots in the mid-1990s and again more recently for the Revolution" (BOSTON GLOBE, 11/18).
