Porter on Zolak & Bertrand: Revs “quietly confident” entering Club América clash
The 2024 season is off to an inconsistent start for the New England Revolution under new Head Coach Caleb Porter. Despite an unbeaten record in the Concacaf Champions Cup with three wins and one draw, the Revs are still seeking their first league victory of the MLS campaign. However, New England finally broke through for its first point of the season with a 1-1 draw in the pouring rain last Saturday at Gillette Stadium against Chicago Fire FC.
For the first time since the ball rolled in late February, New England has a weekend off to regroup ahead of another pivotal week, beginning with a Concacaf Champions Cup Quarterfinals clash against the biggest club in North America and the reigning LIGA MX champions, Club América. During his weekly appearance on Zolak & Bertrand Thursday, Porter said the bye week gives the Revolution coaches and players a unique opportunity to step back and recharge, a luxury that he does not take for granted.
“We have a little room to breathe for the first time, so to speak, because we don’t have a game on the weekend,” said Porter. “We gave the guys a few days off at the last game so they could recharge, because we had a difficult window where we were playing a game every three days, so that was nice to reset.”
Aside from taking advantage of the extra rest, Porter and his staff are using this week as a way to adjust the approach in an effort to climb up the league table. With full training sessions at his disposal, Porter’s staff has tinkered with some possible adjustments during the respite.
“Mostly this week, we’re working on our improvement,” Porter said of the focus in training. “How as coaches can we bring more out of the group? So, we’ve tinkered a little bit, which is good since you don’t get the chance to do that when you have [only] one day of training.”
“For a team that’s 0-4-1, they’re very confident and they’re very bought in, so that’s good,” Porter said of the group’s mindset after the up-and-down start. “A lot of times, when you’re not getting results, you start to see cracks and guys start to play the blame game and point fingers. We have a good culture here, with a good group of guys. They know that we’re close. They know we’re on the right track.”
Ousting Club América in the Quarterfinals will be no easy feat for the Revolution as the two clubs meet for the first time. The seven-time continental champions, founded in 1916, are the most-watched soccer team in the United States and rank near the top of Concacaf in both club value and roster budget. Nevertheless, New England is ready to test itself against best-supported club on the continent in front of a national audience on Tuesday night at Gillette Stadium (9:00 p.m.).
“This is a huge game,” Porter added. “They’re a very talented team. It’ll be like an away game. There are going to be way more Club América fans at this game then there will be Revs fans. And then when we go back to [Estadio] Azteca, you talk about one of the most difficult environments to play in North America, that’s it.
“I don’t think anybody expects us to win, but I think our guys are quietly confident.”
Watch the Champions Cup Quarterfinal matchup on FS1 or in Spanish on TUDN. Then, listen to Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies on the call when New England hosts Charlotte FC at Gillette Stadium in MLS action on Saturday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET on 98.5 The Sports Hub.