Sunday, May 12, 2002
Patriots new home opens with soccer game
By HOWARD ULMAN
AP Sports Writer
FOXBORO, Mass. — Yellow caution tape blocked part of the road and mounds of dirt remained in parking areas as CMGI Field opened Saturday night for its first game.
It featured not the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, who play for the first time there Aug. 17 in an exhibition game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Rather, the New England Revolution of the MLS beat the Dallas Burn 2-0.
Despite the unfinished exterior — construction trailers and earth movers were idle next to paved parking lots — the interior was ready.
“This is great,” said Rick Kras of South Hadley, “Great sight lines here. You feel like you're right on top of the action.”
That was hardly the case in Foxboro Stadium, which once stood beside the current site, had metal benches and was built at a cost of $6.7 million. Now one small section of stands and the administration building remain, both to be torn down soon.
The cost of privately-funded CMGI, which has cup holders at every , was put at about $325 million and was built on schedule. The field, the Patriots and the Revolution all are owned by Robert Kraft.
“We're very excited for our family watching people walk into the building,” said Kraft, who personally greeted some fans as they walked through the gate. “We're in a new era. We have good karma going.”
There were no special ceremonies before the event, labeled as the stadium's “soft opening” to give workers time to solve problems before the Patriots begin play and before the Rolling Stones open their world tour there on Sept. 5.
Revolution defender Jay Heaps grew up in nearby Longmeadow and played soccer and basketball at Duke. He was happy to be home after the Revolution played its other four games on the road.
“I grew up going to Foxboro Stadium to watch the Patriots and it had a certain charisma to it,” he said, “but stepping into this state-of-the-art facility, it was such an intense feeling.”
CMGI Field's first game came 30 years, eight months and 26 days after the opener at Foxboro Stadium, the Patriots 20-14 exhibition win over the New York Giants on Aug. 15, 1971.
Gino Cappelletti scored the first points there on a field goal. The first points at CMGI came from Taylor Twellman, a former star at the University of Maryland who scored both goals.
“It's definitely a special meaning” to be the first player to score in the stadium, Twellman said, “but to be perfectly honest with you it's the win that counts the most.”
The capacity at CMGI is 68,000, but the Revolution closed off several sections and 22,006 fans attended.
“There's a lot of room.” Teagan Lafayette, 11, of Blackstone, said as he kicked a small soccer ball on a broad concourse before the game. “The old stadium wasn't as good as this one.”
The concession areas also are much better.
Mike Ryan of Hull stood in line at a McDonald's stand with his sons Luke, 11, and Johnny, 9. Mike coaches youth soccer.
“This is nice,” he said. “There's a lot of space.”
But Luke had trouble comparing the two stadiums.
“I don't really remember the other building,” he said.
Kras does. He was at the last game at Foxboro Stadium, the Patriots' 16-13 overtime win over the Oakland Raiders in a snowstorm. Adam Vinatieri kicked the winning field goal.
Kras, wearing a Vinatieri jersey Saturday night, attended that game with his brother and said, “we were in the very last row. We were just happy to be here.”
And they were excited to be at the first game at CMGI.
“We're not really soccer fans,” Kras said. “We came to check out the facility.”
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