Caleb Porter: Revs will do “everything we can to fight” in season finale vs. Miami
As the curtain closes on a disappointing 2024 season for the New England Revolution, a busy winter is on the way for a club that fell short of its goal to qualify for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. The Revs’ late push for a postseason spot just never materialized, and now with the offseason on the horizon, the Revs will need to get busy to strengthen the roster during the short MLS offseason.
Ahead of the Revolution’s last game of the season, Head Coach Caleb Porter stopped by Gillette Stadium to visit with Tim McKone, Scott Zolak, and Alex Barth in person on Tuesday’s “Zolak & Bertrand”. Porter offered his perspective on the upcoming offseason and previewed the Revs’ 2024 finale next weekend against Inter Miami CF and Lionel Messi on Saturday.
“You can’t throw out the good stuff,” Porter said of evaluating the substandard season . “Because a lot of times, you throw out the good stuff and now you’re continuing to rebuild things you didn’t need to rebuild. There are definitely things we need to do better next year. The roster, in the offseason, needs to be addressed and looked at. We need more pieces, for sure.”
The good news is the Revolution’s key in-season acquisitions during the transfer windows will give New England a head start. With promising talents like winger Luca Langoni and midfielder Alhassan Yusuf, both acquired from abroad in August, New England has a core base Porter believes he can build around.
“We probably are bringing back about 70 percent of the roster,” Porter said. “We’re closer than it looks, there’s no doubt about it. There are signs of that.
“We do have a good core. I think we’re a couple pieces away in the bookends of our team, honestly.”
But first things first, the Revs have a tall task ahead of them to conclude the 2024 season against an Inter Miami team that was the best in MLS this year, thanks in large part to Messi’s 32 goal contributions for the Herons. Win or lose, the Revolution will be a part of history this weekend.
Miami carries 71 points into Saturday’s match, meaning New England needs either a tie or victory to uphold its MLS single-season points record (73) set in 2021.
“It’s quite a task, but we owe it to the 2021 team that currently holds the record,” Porter said of preventing Miami from eclipsing the Revs’ mark from three seasons ago. “We’re going to do everything we can to fight, to not be on the wrong side of history.”
In the first clash between Miami and New England back in April, Messi stole the show with two goals and one assist en route to a 4-1 victory for the Herons in front of a sold-out crowd of 65,00-plus at Gillette Stadium. What does Porter foresee from the Argentinian legend in the Round 2?
“I would expect he’ll probably start,” the coach said. “It’s going to be a big deal for them, to try to get this points record and show that they’re the best MLS team in history. But they could bring him in the last 30 [minutes]. They’ve done that in some games as well.”
Saturday’s match kicks off at 6:00 p.m. ET from Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Watch New England’s 2024 finale on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app, or listen here on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with Brad Feldman and Charlie Davies on the call.
