For a handful of New England Patriots players, Saturday night was the first time they watched a game at Gillette Stadium that wasn't theirs.
But with Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in town to face the New England Revolution, what better opportunity?
Patriots wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, perhaps the team's most vocal soccer fan, served as honorary captain for the match and facilitated the coin toss that determined who started with possession. He had been looking forward to the opportunity, as expressed to the Patriots content team last week.
Smith-Schuster wasn't the only one intrigued to watch soccer royalty play against the home team.
Ja'Whaun Bentley, Joshua Uche, Brendan Schooler, Chad Ryland, Jahlani Tavai, Marcus Jones, Anfernee Jennings, Tyrone Wheatley Jr., William Bradley-King, Antonio Gibson, Sione Takitaki, Chukwuma Okorafor and Kawaan Baker all took advantage of the special occasion.
