Charlie Baker Says Bob Kraft’s Dorchester Revs Stadium Could Be ‘Terrific’

Photo via AP

You don’t often see Gov. Charlie Baker lend his stamp of approval without months of careful consideration, calculation, or your garden variety waiting-for-someone-else-to-step-in-it. (Remember, Baker took his strongest stance on the Boston 2024 Olympic bid long after rigor mortis set in.)

But in the case of Bob Kraft’s proposed soccer stadium neighboring UMass Boston in Dorchester, Baker certainly sounds optimistic.

“The opportunity with respect to that could be really terrific,” Baker told the Globe‘s Shirley Leung. “It could be great for all the kids who play soccer.”

Kraft is reportedly politicking to build a soccer-specific stadium for his New England Revolution, one of the few MLS franchises without one, on land currently owned by UMass near the now-closed Bayside Expo Center. The Revs currently play at Gillette Stadium, home of Kraft’s New England Patriots and less than ideal for soccer.

While the Krafts, UMass, and city officials have engaged in a number of conversations, a sale does not seem imminent, Leung writes.

Mayor Marty Walsh, a Dorchester native, sees the stadium as a long-awaited opportunity to fix Kosciusko Circle, the forever-congested roundabout at the top of Morrissey Boulevard, between the Bayside site and the I-93 ramp. “I think initially the community would have a lot of questions,” he told the Globe, but “the potential benefits would outweigh any potential burdens.”