New England Revolution center back Joshua Wynder has had a lot of adjusting to do as of late.
The defender moved from Europe to New England and has received the largest dose of minutes he has had in nearly a year, all while adjusting to how his new team plays.
New England acquired Wynder on loan from Benfica, where he has largely featured on the second team. His last match came near the end of 2025, and he has been dealing with a knee injury that has kept him sidelined.
The move to New England provides Wynder with a clean slate with some familiar faces. Marko Mitrovic coached Wynder on the U.S. youth international team level, and Wynder was paired alongside Ethan Kohler at the U-20 World Cup.
"Ethan and I have known each other for a while, I think we had our first [United States Youth] national team camps together," Wynder said after the win over Cincy. "So, we have a lot of experience together. We played in the [2025 Under-20] World Cup together, so it's been helpful having that player beside me to help me adapt to some of the changes here on and off the field. And that was amazing. He's a great player."
Still, minutes would be hard to come by as Mamadou Fofana was having his best season in a Revs uniform. ​Kohler had done well in his own right, usurping Brayan Ceballos for a starting role.
But that all changed when Fofana got hurt. Now it looks like Wynder will start alongside Kohler to close out the season.
Wynder has shown flashes of his aerial ability and overall skill in his first two starts but against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday he showed what he is capable of.
The defender's beautiful long ball kickstarted New England’s opening goal. Peyton Miller found space and soon after found a trailing Dor Turgeman.
Then before halftime, Wynder got a goal of his own. The center back rose above everyone to head home a Carles Gil corner kick.
"The last three games that he started, today was his best performance," Mitrovic said. "Josh is someone who’s amazing in aerial duels, not just in set pieces but also in open play. Josh has the ability to really win, he has great timing and athleticism to win aerial duels."
But it wasn't all smooth sailing. Wynder has been caught out of position and on some occasions has had a role in opponents getting high-quality goal-scoring opportunities. Some of this can be attributed to rest and building back some of his chemistry with Kohler, but he will need to improve headed into the final few games of the regular season.
But Wynder and the backline withstood a late push from Cincinnati to ensure the Revs held on to all three points.
"I think everyone did an amazing job, Wynder said. "Obviously, we were under a lot of pressure. I think the players that came on [in the second half] helped us keep the score [where] it was. And I think the players that stayed on the field for the whole game did an amazing job. Tanner [Beason] came on and made some big plays. I think we all worked hard to keep the score in our favor."
If positive play becomes a more consistent feature of his game, Wynder could be an important depth option in the playoffs and put himself in a good position ahead of the sprint season. It will add some much-needed stability to his career and the Revs backline. Who knows, maybe he will even challenge for a starting role in 2027 similar to how Kohler did in 2026.
But Wednesday was a good foundation for Wynder to build on. He showed what he can do, now he just needs to stay on the field.
