Revolution HC: Team needs to “play better and the results will come”
With five losses in the first seven games to begin the 2024 MLS season, first-year Head Coach Caleb Porter and the New England Revolution know they are performing below their expectations. But inside 1776 Revolution Way, the sky is not falling, according to Porter. As he tries to steer the ship back on course, the Revs’ manager has a simple message for his players:
“Take action,” Porter said on Zolak & Bertrand on Thursday afternoon. “That’s what I want on Saturdays. I want to see a lot of guys that are stepping up and doing something about it. Part of that is individual, part of that is collective.”
Although the Revolution, 1-5-1 this season, find themselves looking up at the rest of the teams in the Eastern Conference standings, Porter has aimed to instill some confidence back into the team. During the difficult moments of a long season, it’s times like these where leaders rise to the occasion.
“I told the team that in these moments, you see different faces,” Porter said. “The best players, the best leaders, winners, they show the right face in this moment. If you’re not cut from that cloth and the right fabric, then you might show the wrong face. I’m learning, in this moment, that we’ve got a lot of guys that I really think are going to be part of the plans moving forward.”
It starts with captain Carles Gil, who leads the Revolution with three goals scored this season. Porter has nothing but praise for Gil’s abilities to lead the squad on the field, and deliver the leadership behind the scenes to keep the rest of the team moving forward toward the coach’s vision.
“Carles is a leader,” Porter said. “He’s a top player in our league. He leads by example. He’s a great player and actually, quietly, in the locker room he’s a very good leader. He says the right things and he knows what the team needs.”
Porter and the Revolution close a two-game road swing this weekend with a visit north of the border to Toronto FC. New England fell to the Reds earlier this season in a 1-0 loss on March 3, a hard-luck defeat for a Revolution team that generated no shortage of scoring chances, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
“Early in the year, we were executing really well,” Porter said. “The data was saying that we should win that game and that’s more of what I want to see. I want to see us perform well.
“We have to get back to playing better, first. Play better and the results will come.”
Saturday’s match in Toronto kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET at BMO Field, where the Revolution have collected two victories and one draw over their last three visits. Listen to the match live on 98.5 The Sports Hub HD2 with play-by-play man Brad Feldman and analyst Charlie Davies calling the contest. Watch Saturday’s match on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app.
LISTEN: Caleb Porter joins Zolak & Bertrand
