Porter on Zolak & Bertrand: “Big opportunity” for Revs to advance tonight in Costa Rica
The New England Revolution have been living out of a suitcase for most of the past month and are once again on the road, this time in Costa Rica, with the team set to conclude the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 series tonight against Alajuelense. Caleb Porter took time out of his matchday routine to check in with Bertrand before the second leg kicks off tonight at 8:00 p.m. (FS2).
“We’ve played every three days, so yeah, it’s been a grind, but it’s a big opportunity for us to advance to the quarterfinals of a major tournament with a five-million-dollar purse on the line, and an opportunity to be in the Club World Cup,” Porter said during his call from the Costa Rican capital.
It’s one thing to win at home in Champions Cup, but when MLS teams travel south to face teams from Mexico or the Central American clubs, the hostile atmosphere reaches an entirely new level. With this being his fourth time in the continental tournament, Porter is no stranger to the amped-up intensity.
“Yeah, I mean truly, it’s like religion in these countries. It’s the number one sport and it’s followed by everybody in the country. When they have World Cup games for instance, the whole country closes down, and nobody works, and everybody watches the match,” Porter said. “It’s a huge deal, a really huge deal in these countries, so it’s a great experience for our guys. It’s something different for them. In a lot of ways, it should help our team grow and become a little bit more savvy in just managing hostile environments.”
Up 4-0 on aggregate over Alajuelense entering the second leg tonight, the Revolution are on the cusp of reaching the final eight in the hunt for the continental crown. If they can reach the Quarterfinals, waiting to greet them is the top-ranked team in Concacaf and the reigning LIGA MX champions, Club América. Porter was asked about the Revs potentially getting the opportunity to test themselves against an historic team like América.
“Unbelievable. It’s one of the best clubs in the continent and arguably in the world. They can compete,” he answered. “The level is very high, the talent is very high, and in recent years, MLS has proven that we can compete with these teams. But Azteca, to play in that stadium is a bucket list for me. That’s one of the biggest stadiums in the world, 100,000 fans, and you talk about a hostile environment, that would be one of the most hostile environments I’ve ever experienced.”
All three of New England’s wins this year have come in Champion Cup play as the squad still seeks their first win in MLS action this weekend when they host the 2023 Supporters’ Shield winners, FC Cincinnati, in Foxborough.
“This is a big week. I told the guys, we’ve played six games, we’ve won three. In the league we’ve been right there in every game, but we’ve fallen short in the league, so it’s important for us to find a way to win in this game and like you said, we dig ourselves out of a little bit of an early season hole,” Porter said of Sunday’s important early-season match. “I do think we’re growing every game and we’re improving, and I think these experiences will help us. But yeah, for me, Sunday’s game is massive for us to get a result. We’re playing a very good team, so it’s not going to be easy.”
Watch tonight’s Revs game against Alajuelense on FOX Sports 2. Watch Sunday’s 2:00 p.m. match vs. Cincinnati for free on Apple TV, or listen ton Brad Feldman and Clyde Simms with the call on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
