Arlington's Noel Buck makes Revolution debut in win over DC United
FOXBORO -- Saturday night was a dream come true for 17-year-old Noel Buck. The Arlington native made his New England Revolution debut, turning in an impressive 27-minute showing in front of family and friends at Gillette Stadium.
Buck is no stranger to the Revs. He's been with the club since 2017, joining the Revolution Academy at the age of 12. He's been turning heads ever since, and on Saturday, he found his way into an MLS match.
Buck checked into Saturday's showdown against DC United in the 63rd minute, with the Revs holding on to a 1-0 advantage. He didn't look like a teenager making his MLS debut at all, and did everything he could to add to that New England lead.
Buck completed seven of his eight passes over his 27 minutes on the pitch and nearly tallied his first MLS assist with a nice feed to Carles Gil in the 71st minute. But Gil's bid went off the post, so the play would go down as a key pass for Buck on the stat sheet.
It was a night that Buck will never forget, and he added another special moment to his list when he caught up with his parents after the match.
Buck's efforts in the 1-0 Revolution victory earned some high praise from head coach Bruce Arena after the match.
"Noel Buck was very good," said Arena. "I was very impressed. A very competitive kid for 17 years old. His passing was excellent. ... That's an excellent first performance."
Buck was on cloud nine after the victory and struggled to put his emotions into words. But even then, he still sounded like a savvy veteran and not a kid following his first-ever MLS game.
"I have no idea how I feel. A lot of emotions," said Buck. "It's just a lot. It feels great, obviously. It's a dream come true and tonight, I can enjoy it. Enjoy that I made my debut and I played well.
"But overall it's on to the next [one]," he quickly added. "It doesn't mean anything if I can't keep doing it."
He may not have to wait too long to keep it going, either. New England has a pair of key road matches this week -- at Toronto on Wednesday and at Montreal on Saturday -- and with a slew of injuries on the roster, Buck could see some extended run for the Revs.
Following an active and impressive debut on his home pitch over the weekend, Buck has certainly earned that opportunity.
