New England Revolution
Oliveira, who was born in Cambridge and is a Somerville resident, is the 16th Homegrown Player in Revolution club history.
The Revolution announced the signing of 17-year-old midfielder Cristiano Oliveira as a Homegrown Player on Wednesday morning in the latest development from the club’s increasingly prolific academy.
Oliveira, who was born in Cambridge and is a Somerville resident, signed a four-year MLS contract that also includes a one-year club option. He is the 16th Homegrown Player in New England’s club history.
A midfielder with an eye for goal, Oliveira featured for Revolution II in the MLS Next Pro league for the last two seasons. He made 34 regular season appearances for Revolution II in that time, scoring five times and adding two assists.
He was New England’s representative at the 2025 MLS Next All-Star Game, scoring a goal (for which he won a free steak from Revolution team captain Carles Gil).
In the 88th minute, Oliveira scored the winning goal for the Revolution:
“Cristiano Oliveira is a hard-working young man from an incredible family, and his story is a shining example of what our Pro Player Pathway is all about,” Revolution Sporting Director Curt Onalfo said via the team’s announcement. “Born in Cambridge and raised in Somerville, he has impressed at every level of our pyramid, from the academy to the second team, to his U.S. Open Cup experience last season. If he continues to commit himself to his craft, he is poised to have a bright future with the Revolution.”
After Diego Fagundez became the Revolution’s first Homegrown Player signing in 2010 (an MLS-specific designation for both locally-developed and academy players), New England made six more homegrown signings over the ensuing decade. The development has grown more rapidly in the last few years, however, as Oliveira is the eighth such signing since 2022.
The list of recent academy graduates includes Esmir Bajraktarević (now with European powerhouse PSV), Peyton Miller (a current Revolution starter), and Noel Buck (now with the San Jose Earthquakes).
Exactly what Oliveira can add to the Revolution first team in the short term remains to be seen, though the presence of new head coach Marko Mitrović could be a promising one. Mitrović, in charge of an MLS team for the first time in his career, was most recently the head coach of the U.S. U-20 men’s national team. His capacity to integrate young players into the first team could provide a path for Oliveira.
“It is exciting to have so many talented young players like Cristiano in in our squad, and it is always extra special when a player has this opportunity to represent his hometown club,” Mitrović said, per the Revolution announcement. “We believe that he has a high ceiling and we are ready to invest all our resources to help him reach his full potential and become an impactful player for our team. We look forward to working with Cristiano.”
The Revolution are now immersed in 2026 preseason training in Florida, which began on Tuesday. The club begins the 2026 MLS regular season in Nashville on Feb. 21.
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