A professional Revolution soccer game consists of two 45-minute halves, with a 15-minute halftime break in between. This means that the total match time is 90 minutes of active play, plus 15 minutes of halftime, for an approximate total duration of 105 minutes from kickoff to final whistle.
Regulation Match Time
According to the official Laws of the Game set by FIFA, the global governing body of soccer, a regulation professional match is mandated to be played over two halves of 45 minutes each. This 45 minute per half duration applies to all levels of professional soccer around the world, including Major League Soccer (MLS) which the New England Revolution competes in.
Therefore, by rule, one half of a Revolution MLS match lasts for 45 minutes of play. With two halves in a full match, the total regulation length is 90 minutes of active on-field action.
Stoppage Time
Within each 45-minute half, the referee is expected to add on any time that was lost due to stoppages in play. This added time at the end of each half is referred to as “stoppage time” or “injury time.”
Common occurrences that lead the referee to add stoppage time include:
- Injuries requiring the player to receive medical treatment on the field
- Substitutions
- Disciplinary actions like yellow/red cards
- Time wasted, such as excessive goal celebrations or delay tactics
The amount of stoppage time added is at the discretion of the referee, based on their assessment of how much time was lost. Typically, a few minutes of added time per half is common in a professional match.
Halftime Break
Between the two 45-minute halves is a halftime break. According to MLS rules, the halftime interval must be at least 15 minutes but not exceed 18 minutes.
Therefore, the halftime break during a Revolution match at Gillette Stadium is typically 15 minutes long. This provides the teams time to rest, hydrate, receive instructions from the coaching staff, and make tactical adjustments before the second half.
Average Total Match Duration
Taking into account the two 45-minute halves along with the standard 15-minute halftime break, a Revolution match under regular circumstances will run:
- First Half: 45 minutes
- Halftime Break: 15 minutes
- Second Half: 45 minutes
Adding up the segments above, the expected duration is 90 minutes of play plus 15 minutes between the halves, for an approximate total match time of 105 minutes.
However, with the variable of stoppage time added on at the end of each half, actual total match duration may extend beyond 105 minutes. For example, if there are injuries, bookings, or excessive goal celebrations, the referee may add 3-4 minutes of stoppage time to each half. In this case, the total duration could be closer to 110-115 minutes including stoppages.
Maximum Match Time
While most matches end within 115 minutes including stoppages, there are rare instances of matches extending to the maximum length allowed.
According to MLS rules, a match may not exceed 120 minutes total, even if extensive stoppage time is added. This maximum duration accounts for the possibility of lengthy delays during the two halves.
If a match is unexpectedly suspended for severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances and postponed to resume at a later date, those minutes already played are counted as part of the 120 minute maximum.
Factors That Can Impact Match Duration
There are a variety of factors throughout the match that can either shorten or extend the total duration of a Revolution soccer game beyond the typical 105 minutes.
Injuries
Injury delays where the referee stops play to allow medical assessment and treatment of an injured player almost always results in added stoppage time.
- Serious injuries like head/ankle injuries often take 3-5+ minutes to assess and treat on-field, which can significantly add to stoppage time.
- Late-match injuries can be especially impactful if they occur near the end of regulation time, forcing the referee to add considerable additional minutes.
Cautions and Ejections
Disciplinary actions also usually contribute additional stoppage time. If the referee administers a yellow card caution or a red card ejection to a player, this takes time for the card to be issued and documented, including:
- Yellow card: ~15-30 seconds to record
- Red card: 1-2 minutes to record and escort ejected player off the field
Multiple cards issued over the course of a match can add several minutes of added time.
Goal Celebrations
After a goal is scored, it is customary for the scoring team to celebrate together. Excessive celebrations can prompt the referee to add stoppage time, especially if choreographed celebrations last 30+ seconds.
Deliberate Time Wasting
Late in matches, the team with the lead may deliberately waste time in hopes of running out the clock. Tactics include:
- Delayed throw-ins, free kicks, etc.
- Excessive goal kick or goalie punt preparation
- Feigning injury to stop play
Referees will add time to account for blatant time wasting tactics.
Weather Delays
Severe weather can also impact match flow. If dangerous conditions like lightning or heavy snow force the referee to suspend play, the delay until resuming often increases total time beyond 105 minutes.
Extra Time and Penalty Kicks
In elimination competitions like the MLS Cup Playoffs, matches level after 90 minutes go to extra time. This involves:
- Two 15-minute extra time periods
- Potential penalty kick shootout if still tied after extra time
So in playoff situations, matches will routinely exceed the standard duration and can even last 2+ hours with extra time and penalties.
Comparing Revolution Match Length to Other Sports
Compared to other major American sports, the ~2 hour average duration of a Revolution soccer match is:
- Longer than the average NFL football game (~3 hours)
- Shorter than the average MLB baseball game (~3 hours)
- Shorter than the average NBA basketball game (~2.5 hours)
The table below further compares the standard match/game length across the 4 sports:
Sport | Regulation Length |
---|---|
MLS Soccer | 90 minutes (~2 hours with stoppage time) |
NFL Football | 60 minutes |
MLB Baseball | 9 innings (~3 hours average) |
NBA Basketball | 4 quarters of 12 minutes each (48 minutes) |
The condensed play clock and fewer interruptions/commercial breaks are what allow Revolution matches to be shorter in duration than the ~3 hour average games in the NFL, MLB, and NBA.
Conclusion
To summarize, an MLS match featuring the New England Revolution will have a typical duration of:
- 90 minutes of regulation play
- 15 minutes for halftime break
- 5+ minutes for stoppage time
This brings the average total length to approximately 105-110 minutes, or just under 2 hours. The continuous action with limited clock stoppages allows soccer games to fit in this condensed time frame compared to other major American sports. While the effective length can vary based on injuries, bookings, weather delays, or extra time in playoffs, Revolution fans can expect most matches to last around 2 hours from start to finish.