“Bad Boy of MLS” Caleb Porter: Revs “will rally” after frustrating draw
In the midst of an intense postseason push, the New England Revolution suffered a tough result in last Saturday’s 2-2 draw with St. Louis CITY SC at Gillette Stadium. Feeling hard done by two controversial referee decisions in the waning moments of the match, which arguably cost the Revs two crucial points, Head Coach Caleb Porter took the podium to express his frustrations in an explosive and memorable postgame rant.
Porter got his money’s worth for the expletive-filled press conference, as he was fined $20,000 and suspended for one match by Major League Soccer. Porter joined Zolak and Bertrand on Thursday to reflect on the suspension and his fiery monologue.
“I’m never going to stop fighting for my guys, the club, and the fans,” Porter said. “At the end of the day, I have to do that. That’s my responsibility.”
Forced to sit out Saturday’s match on the road at Orlando City, Porter will turn to Pablo Moreira, his longtime assistant who won MLS Cup titles with him in Portland and Columbus, to assume the role of acting head coach. Porter has no concerns that Moreira, the youngest assistant coach to win multiple MLS Cup championships, will make for a seamless transition.
“I can prepare the team all week, just like I have been,” Porter said. “I’ll travel with the team. On gameday, I can do all the prep I want to do. We do our pre-match meeting in the hotel. None of that changes. We’ll go through, with the assistant coaches, all the scenarios in the game, the substitutions and all that. My assistants do a lot as well.”
“Pablo will be the guy that leads the team during the game,” Porter added. “He’s been with me all 10 years in the league. He’s very respected with the players. In soccer, it’s not like football where you’re calling plays. Most of the prep happens in the training leading up to it.”
With or without their manager, the Revolution desperately need the points as they head to central Florida. The Revs begin the weekend five points below the playoff line, with eight games left to play.
“I think our guys will rally, honestly,” Porter said. “They’re going to rally behind what happened. It’s a little bit of us versus everybody right now. Nobody’s going to help us. We know we dropped two points last game, and we have to make up for it on the road.
“I believe, and the team believes we can do it. It starts with Orlando. We have to go out and get a win.”
Saturday’s match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Inter&Co Stadium. Listen to the Revolution on the radio right here on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Watch every Revolution match with MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, in English and Spanish.
