Caleb Porter: “It all came together” in Revs’ 5-0 rout of Montreal
Looking to climb back above the playoff line in the MLS Eastern Conference, the New England Revolution knew they needed to begin the final stretch of the 2024 regular season on the right foot. Caleb Porter’s team rose to the occasion with a 5-0 blowout win at CF Montreal last Saturday in Canada.
Porter joined Zolak, McKone, and Joe Murray on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday afternoon to reflect on his team’s crucial victory, which equaled their largest-ever margin of victory, and preview this weekend’s match out west at Real Salt Lake.
“It was a good performance. I felt like it was the game where it all came together,” Porter said of New England’s win in Montreal. “We’ve been defending really well, which I’ve been pleased with, but we’ve had some attacking pieces out with injuries: Carles Gil, obviously, Dylan Borrero, Giacomo Vrioni. I knew once we got those guys back healthy, if we could build off that strong defensive foundation, that we’d find more goals. Sure enough, we really put it together in that game.”
Forward Bobby Wood netted a pair of goals in the first half to put New England ahead at halftime. In the second stanza, the Revolution put the game out of reach with goals from defender Nick Lima, forward Giacomo Vrioni, and debutant Luca Langoni.
Langoni, a 22-year-old forward acquired earlier this month on a club-record transfer fee, wasted no time making an impact in his MLS debut. The Argentinian winger, who also collected the assist on Vrioni’s tally, became the eighth player in Revolution history to score in his debut.
“Great way to start,” Porter said of Langoni’s debut. “It’s important for these international guys that they get off to a good start, they get confident. Getting your first goal is huge because that usually opens the floodgates a little bit. [Langoni] only played 15 minutes with stoppage time, so I think it’s a good sign of what’s to come with him. He’s very dynamic. He’s the fastest guy on our team.”
New England’s three-goal second half was a sign of what the Revolution are capable of doing in the late stages of a close match, as the club’s top attacking weapons continue to work their ways back to full strength. The trio of Vrioni, Borrero, and Langoni sealed last weekend’s win.
“It’s great [that] with 30 minutes to go, whether you’re even, up, or down, you’ve got some horses to bring into the game because Dylan and Giacomo are also in the same situation,” Porter said. “We feel like you can’t really lose with those type of guys coming off the bench, the talent that they have coming into the game.”
Up next for the Revolution is a visit to Western Conference opponent Real Salt Lake, New England’s first trip to Utah since 2018, for a 9:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday night. The Revolution enter this weekend’s match against RSL just two points behind the playoff line in the Eastern Conference.
“We’re going to play aggressively,” Porter said. “They’re a good team. They’ve been very good this year. They were close to the top of the league all season long. We decided on this trip to go two days early just to get there, get settled, and then we’ll train tomorrow.”
Watch Saturday’s match on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app. Listen to the Revolution’s local radio call on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies in the booth.
