Kraft is going for perfect attendance
FOXBOROUGH - In business lingo, it would be referred to as a high-class problem.
One championship soccer game played in Washington. One regular-season football game played in Buffalo.
When you're the owner of both a futbol and a football team playing those games on the same day, what do you do?
Thankfully for Robert Kraft, the scheduling of tomorrow's games made the decision a lot easier. He'll be at both.
When the Revolution face the Houston Dynamo in the MLS Cup at RFK Stadium, Kraft will be in attendance, hoping for the franchise's first title in his 12 years of ownership.
And when the Patriots butt helmets with the Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in western New York, Kraft will be there too, hoping the Patriots remain undefeated.
It makes for a thrilling day - the Revolution at noon, the Patriots at 8:15, both on national television.
"We'll keep our fingers crossed that we can accomplish what we hope for," Kraft said. "It will be one of the special sports days in my life and for fans of the two teams."
Owners of professional sports teams face various challenges, but few can say they've had the unique "problems" Kraft has encountered in recent years when it comes to the Revolution and Patriots.
In four of the last six seasons, the Revolution have played in the MLS championship game.
In 2002, Kraft attended the Revolution's 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy in the final. The Patriots were off that weekend.
Yet the last two years, Kraft was forced to make tough decisions.
In 2005, he was at the soccer championship - a 1-0 loss to the Galaxy in Frisco, Texas. Kraft missed the Patriots' 23-16 win over the Dolphins in Miami that day.
Last year, Kraft hoped to reverse his luck by attending the Patriots' home game against the Jets at Gillette Stadium - a 17-14 defeat. The Revolution also lost that day, falling to the Dynamo, 4-3, in penalty kicks after the teams played to a 1-1 tie.
So two weeks ago, when the NFL switched the Patriots-Bills game from 1 to 8:15, no one was happier than Kraft. He quickly made plans to attend both contests.
"We felt it might be karma," he said.
Kraft and his family will leave Boston by private jet around 9 a.m. tomorrow, and he doesn't expect to be back until around 1:30 a.m. Monday morning.
Kraft also arranged for buses to transport Revolution fans to Washington for free, with more than 1,000 expected to leave from Gillette Stadium this morning.
"This has been an exciting week for us," Kraft said. "Between what has been going on with the Revs and Patriots - and Patriot Place, the opening of the Bass Pro Shops - I think back to where we are now and see the old gravel lots, the old shut-down racetrack and the old stadium . . ."
Kraft added, "It's a wonderful time to be a sports fan in New England," pointing out the successes of the area's other teams.
"Anyone that is a fan of New England and loves the region, it's pretty exciting, the energy it brings," he said. "I hope we can keep it going through the weekend."
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com. 