KISSIMMEE, Fla. – When his signing was announced back on November 1, 2019, left back Alexander Büttner surely didn’t anticipate waiting quite so long to make his New England Revolution debut, and he certainly didn’t envision it happening under these circumstances.
But a nagging quad injury forced Büttner to miss the first two games on the 2020 schedule and then the COVID-19 pandemic halted the MLS season for four months, meaning his long-awaited debut came more than eight months after signing, with no fans in attendance at a neutral venue at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World, as part of a unique, knockout-style tournament.