Caleb Porter swings by the ramp to preview Leagues Cup 2024
The New England Revolution will enter a pause in the Major League Soccer season to kick off Leagues Cup 2024 this weekend, the second edition of the 47-team tournament featuring every club from MLS and LIGA MX. New England opens group stage play on Saturday night, hosting Mexican club Mazatlán F.C. for an 8:00 p.m. kickoff at Gillette Stadium.
Revolution Head Coach Caleb Porter reconnected with old pals Marc Bertrand and Tim McKone, and finally met face to face with Zo, on Thursday afternoon when he stopped by the Gillette Stadium ramp for an in-person preview of the summer tournament. Porter made it clear that New England will approach each tournament with the same mentality he carries into every match, regardless of the setting.
“I always want to win everything. There’s a trophy attached to it,” Porter said of his first entrance into Leagues Cup. “We’re going to do everything we can to win the games.”
In addition to an opportunity to add to the club’s trophy case, Leagues Cup presents the shortest path for a club to qualify for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup. The top-three finishers in the month-long World Cup-style tournament will automatically qualify for next year’s continental competition. New England has qualified for Champions Cup in two of the last three years, reaching the Quarterfinal Round in 2024.
The challenge for New England remains staying afloat through a barrage of injuries to its top players. Revolution playmaker Carles Gil, the 2021 MLS MVP and three-time MLS All-Star, remains sidelined and doubtful to play in Leagues Cup. Forward Giacomo Vrioni, the team’s leading scorer with eight goals in MLS play, is also on the mend after missing two games due to injury.
“I think it’s very tricky for us, because normally you could maybe rotate some guys in,” Porter said of his team’s depth entering the group stage. “We’re so thin, we don’t have many options to rotate. So, we’re going to put out the best lineup we can.
“It helps that we’re at home, [but] we’re playing a LIGA MX team, Mazatlán FC, and they have talent.”
After Leagues Cup concludes, the Revolution will have 11 games to push for what would be their fifth playoff bid in six seasons. It starts with getting the team back to full strength, which remains a top priority for New England over the next month.
“It’s important to stay fit before the break and then we should have everybody healthy in the last 11 [MLS] games and make a push,” Porter said. “If we get in, we’ll have a puncher’s chance, because we’ll peak at the right time.”
