Curt Onalfo on The Soccer Show: Porter “has the chance to be the best ever”
The New England Revolution started their 2024 campaign with two straight wins in the Concacaf Champions Cup, securing a spot in the Round of 16 following a 4-0 aggregate victory over Panamanian club CA Independiente in Round One. New Head Coach Caleb Porter has found success with contributors up and down the roster impacting those early victories.
Curt Onalfo, New England’s Sporting Director, joined DJ Bean on The Soccer Show on Saturday morning and discussed how massive Porter’s impact has been in only a few short weeks.
“This whole project started when we hired a head coach and Caleb Porter and the staff that we were able to create for him. He’s got a really unique way of playing. It’s an exciting way of playing and it’s a great model of play, and they continually get better every day,” Onalfo said of the team under Porter’s direction. “And obviously, we played three games so far. We have two wins out of three, so we think that’s a good start.”
The hiring process for the head coaching position began promptly upon Onalfo’s appointment as Sporting Director in November. Porter was an immediate standout, fitting the culture that Onalfo is working to build within the Revolution locker room.
“Caleb and I hit it off and we saw things very much eye-to-eye soccer-wise, and he loved our roster,” Onalfo said of Porter’s interview for the role. “That was a big part of the process, because we believe we have a very strong roster, and we just have to continually make it better. That’s obviously what you’re always trying to do when you’re in this business.
“He’s an outstanding coach and he has a chance to be the best ever,” Onalfo added. “He’s won two championships with two separate clubs. He has the opportunity to win a third and winning championships is not easy. So, you have to have a certain level, a certain quality as a coach, and he has that.”
An often-overlooked part of the Revolution’s success since Onalfo joined the club in 2019 has been the growth of the club’s pro player pathway. With Homegrown midfielders like Noel Buck and Esmir Bajraktarević making regular appearances to start the 2024 season, earning consistent international call-ups, and two consecutive Under-19 MLS NEXT Cup Championships for the Revolution Academy, Onalfo was looking for a coach comfortable working with and developing young players.
“It’s still a small part of what we do when you really look at it, but it’s an important part and if you look at the case of Esmir right now, part of how we built the roster,” Onalfo said of the duo’s philosophy. “I have a lot of experience working with young players, so does Caleb, and you could just tell with the amount of games, [Esmir’s] most recent performance with the national team, that he’s just ready to perform well and be a real solid contributor for us. So that was important.”
Further up the roster, Onalfo has been equally hard at work adding reinforcements around a solid core that has made the playoffs in four of the last five years. Defenders Henry Kessler and DeJuan Jones both re-signed long-term deals with the club, while Onalfo added newcomers Nick Lima and Jonthan Mensah, both of whom have provided valuable depth early in the season. Onalfo also inked Tomás Chancalay on a Designated Player contract. Chancalay has tallied a goal in each of the team’s two Concacaf Champions Cup matches to begin the season.
“We created some space, selling some international spots and making sure that we have enough cash, and we have the ability to make another big move, and we’re going to just be very intelligent about that and work with Caleb and the staff to make sure that it’s the right person that can help us,” Onalfo concluded. “Now, in this business, there’s player moves and everything else, so if we happen to move a player, we could bring in one as well. So, we’ll look at all those things, but the underlying belief is we have a strong roster, and we want to enhance that every day with the training environment and the culture that Caleb and I have implemented, and just continually push forward to get points and get better.”
Onalfo and Porter will have another opportunity to push forward on Sunday as New England hosts Toronto FC at Gillette Stadium for its MLS home opener. The 2:00 p.m. ET kickoff is available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV in English and Spanish while Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies have the call on 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2 (WBZ-FM).
