Photo: New England Revolution
Peyton Miller isn’t your typical 17-year-old.
The Unionville, Conn. native is in his second full season of professional soccer after bursting onto the scene in 2024 to earn a spot on the coveted MLS ’22 Under 22’ list. A United States youth international, Miller has aspirations of earning a roster spot for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Chile later this year.
Miller, who returned to the starting lineup for New England after missing the first four matches of the new campaign with a groin injury, joined D.J. Bean on ‘The Soccer Show’ Saturday morning to discuss his return to the pitch, his maturation over the offseason, and potential first goal celebrations.
“I’m still learning from last year,” said Miller. “I’m learning from my mistakes and learning how to take care of my body, so I think I’ve just picked up where I left off from last year and just kept building off of that.”
For the months of Apil and May, New England is on the road for eight of its 10 contests. Although the season has not started the way the club hoped, Miller and the team is confident they can grind out some results and get back on track.
“I think it’ll be a good stretch,” said Miller. “There are definitely winnable games, but we are playing some pretty tough opponent opponents though. We just have to take it day-by-day and focus on our main goal – to win games.”
The Revolution Academy product has long dreamed of suiting up for his hometown club, reminiscing of the days when he would watch idol Diego Fagundez become a major contributor as a teenager over a decade ago. Like Fagundez, Miller’s youth days were nothing short of a success. The youngster helped lead the Revolution Under-19 team to an MLS NEXT Cup title in 2023 at 15, during a year in which he mainly suited up to earn pro minutes for Revolution II.
Last week, Miller reached another major milestone – completing his high school coursework to graduate. With a diploma in hand, Miller has continued to dedicate himself to his craft both on and off the field. The defender has learned how to manage his workload, and also prioritize his sleep and diet – atypical, again, of many other kids his age.
“I would say like learning how to sleep correctly, eat the right foods, being able to manage your workload on the field, as well as being able to take care of your body off the field and what you should be doing after your trainings,” said Miller. “At the end of the day, I just look at it as this is my job now and I need to perform. And in order to perform, you need good rest, because sleep is the best way to recover.”
The next box to check for Miller: score his first MLS goal, in what would undoubtedly be a special moment for the Connecticut product.
“Yeah, I definitely do think about it every game,” said Miller. “If I score a goal, I’m going to help my team win the game. But also, that’s like a dream come true for me to score my first goal with this club that I’ve been dreaming to play for since I was a little kid.”
Miller and the Revs continue a road-heavy stretch this weekend at Atlanta United FC. The nationally televised match airs on FOX and FOX Deportes, and is also available to watch on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app in English and Spanish. Listen to Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies call the action on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
