A Tactical Preview For The 2025 New England Revolution
Clips, quotes, and analysis to help you prepare for the 2025 season.
The New England Revolution will begin their 30th season in Major League Soccer on February 22nd when they travel to face Nashville SC.
The Revs overhauled their roster during the off-season, bringing in 14 new players. The aim was to add individuals that fit head coach Caleb Porter's vision.
“I think we’re very well balanced with a lot of depth, and we have the right profiles now in every position in the way that I see the game, in the blueprint that I have, and in the game model that I have,” Porter said.
Porter said it would take time to build chemistry and relationships, which makes sense considering that the starting lineup for the Hartford Athletic preseason game featured five players brought in during the winter.
What will the Revolution look like this year? Let’s take a look.
Starting Lineup
Porter used the same starting lineup for the games against Atlanta and Hartford, which probably indicates how the team will look on opening day.
On Saturday, Porter highlighted the importance of consistency during preseason after making many roster changes.
“Especially with a new group, you can’t tinker a ton,” Porter said. “You have to think about how many new players you need to fit together and get chemistry together.”
This isn’t to say there won’t be changes throughout the year. In fact, injuries created some current clarity at certain positions. Peyton Miller, Matt Polster, Alex Bono, and Luis Diaz were unavailable on Saturday due to injuries.
“We had Peyton, who has been out. Could he have overtaken Will [Sands]? Perhaps, but he was injured most of preseason and he’s out now,” Porter said.
He then added, “The other one is Matt. When Matt was healthy, we were playing [Alhassan] Yusuf, Matt, and Jackson [Yueill], all together. But Matt is out, so I think things become a little bit easier and clearer in some positions.
“When we get guys back, then maybe there will be more questions. But back to my point, I want to be mindful of the rhythm of the team and the chemistry, so I tried to not tinker too much this preseason. I just set it and let them go and pretty much played, for the most part, the same guys every preseason game.”
On Saturday, Noel Buck entered for Ignatius Ganago in the 77th minute, Ilay Feingold replaced Sands in the 81st minute, and Jack Panayotou, Allan Oyirworth, and Maxi Urruti came in for Carles Gil, Luca Langoni, and Leo Campana in the 83rd minute. These subs give us an idea of the current depth chart.
It’s worth noting that Feingold played left back because Sands was forced to come out. Porter later said that he thought the 24-year-old would be okay.
Another observation is that when Oyirworth came on, he played centrally while Yusuf moved to the left.
Center Backs
Mamadou Fofana and Brayan Ceballos are expected to be the starting center backs.
As I mentioned in my last tactical post, Fofana, 27, and Ceballos, 23, are both young, athletic defenders. On Saturday—our second opportunity to see them—I noticed their calmness on the ball.
Here’s an early moment where Ceballos shakes off a defender before playing a simple pass.
Here, you can see a good entry ball from Ceballos.
The Revolution's possession style benefits from having center backs who are good on the ball. Fofana and Ceballos should be able to draw out opponents with their dribbling and passing.
Last year, Xavier Arreaga showed how valuable these skills can be, as he was key in the build-up. However, his pace was often exposed defensively. The athleticism of the two new center backs should help in this area.
That said, watch for wayward passes along the back line. Sands made one against Atlanta, and Fofana had some questionable moments on Saturday.
Outside Backs
Sands and Brandon Bye have been the regular starters at outside back. This year, the Revs have added a tactical wrinkle: Bye stays home more while Sands gets high and wide.
“We’re kind of shifting, a little bit, the roles of the outside backs,” Porter said. “We’re playing the right side a little lower and the left side higher, so we’re building with a three-line with the right back low.
“That’s working out really well for Brandon and Will. Obviously, if Peyton Miller was healthy, he also brings a lot into the attack in that role, pushed on like a winger. So obviously when he gets back healthy, he’ll bring some really good attacking penetration in that spot. Then, Ilay will play that right side really well. So, we have a good one and two in almost every position on the pitch this year.”
This clip is a good example of the width that Sands is asked to provide. Bye makes a good tackle and then plays a centrally located Yusuf. As the Revs move to the other side, Sands pushes forward then offers a cross that leads to Ganago putting a shot on frame.
There are still times when Bye has the freedom to get forward. In the clip below, Bye combines with Gil (like old times) before offering a low cross.
Here’s another example of Bye getting up the field to offer service. As you watch, note that Fofana uses his footwork to create space.
The Revs will obviously need to be cognizant of when the outside backs are getting forward. If they’re both caught high, it could lead to counter-attacking opportunities.
Out Wide
Most teams need wide options to open up space. Often, it’s the outside midfielders who do this.
The Revs are operating a bit differently right now. Langoni, a right midfielder, and Sands, a left back, typically stay wide.
Watch as Yusuf plays a one-time ball to an on-rushing Langoni, who uses his pace to disrupt.
In the following clip, Langoni plays a one-two with Campana, which allows him to enter the box.
Sands generally provides width on the left, which gives Ganago some freedom. At times, the former Ligue 1 player operates as a second striker.
In the clip below, Ganago is actually the high option because Campana has dropped to combine. Sands is wide on the left, but he’s careful not to come in too early, as this would close the gap that Gil ultimately finds.
Porter explained, “I love what [Ganago] brings, because you saw a lot of times today when the ball is going down the right side, which we have a stretch guy on the right that’s either going to be [Luca] Langoni or Luis Diaz. So, we will get a lot of width there, and crosses, then Ganago becomes the second forward.
“He’s in the box a lot, had several chances today to score. He’s not just a guy that can get in the box, he is also a guy that can pull wide and run at you one-on-one. You can see he has the ability to unbalance teams one-on-one, get crosses in, and even play in the pocket. So, he’s a pretty multi-faceted player and I think you are just going to see more and more of his quality.”
The clip below shows Gango offering something different. Here, he runs behind to retrieve a ball played in by Gil.
Center Midfield
Another thing to note is that Yusuf and Yueill often drop in to help facilitate the build-up play. This tactical move helps put Gil in advantageous positions.
In the clip below, the Revs force the goalkeeper to go long because of a press. The Revs win the 50-50 with the ball landing at Yusuf’s foot. With his second touch, the Nigerian finds Campana, who combines with Gil to create an opportunity.
“Last year, Carles had to come low, because we couldn’t control the game in that spot,” Porter said. “So, bringing in a guy like Jackson, now he can control the game in that deep-lying playmaker position, along with Yusuf. That frees up Carles to be higher where he can hurt the opponent between the lines and in the final third. That’s where he is at his best.
“You can see he’s in a little bit more of a rhythm where he’ll come, at times, and help us dictate the game along with Jackson, but he has also been a little more patient to find the ball in the more dangerous spots for him to hurt the other team.”
If you’ve read my articles, you know I’m a big fan of Yusuf. I like his defensive engine and ability to find seams. Yueill also provides a lot in the middle.
As Porter said, Gil will drift into different spots throughout the game, meaning he won’t always be high. That said, I expect he will put himself in areas where he can combine with Campana.
Although they’ve only been working together for a few weeks, we’ve already seen some chemistry.
“[Campana is] just a quality player,” Porter said. “You can see he’s very smooth. Balls into him, he’s not losing it. He’s combining with Carles [Gil], holding the ball, makes really good runs.”
Set Pieces
Finally, I want to say that set pieces have looked different so far. Porter noted, “We weren’t really good last year on that, and we thought it was important to bring in a guy that could run those.”
Marc Ortí Esteban, formerly of Brentford FC in the English Premier League, has come in to work on dead-ball situations. On Saturday, the Revs scored two set-piece goals. According to FotMob, the Revs only scored one set-piece goal in 2024.
The first against Hartford occurred when Campana headed in a corner kick. Notably, Yueill typically took the ones on the left while Gil managed the right.
The second set piece goal was a beauty from Urruti.
Final Thoughts
As I said in my last tactical piece, these are just my observations based on two preseason games. There could certainly be things that I haven’t seen or that I’m misinterpreting.
That said, the 2025 season is upon us, and there’s some excitement about the Revolution after a disappointing 2024.
While you can’t put too much stock into preseason, it’s positive that the Revs went 4-1-1 after going winless last year.
In 2024, they scored only three goals in five games. This year, they scored at least one goal in every game except the 2-0 loss to Atlanta United. Wyatt Olmsberg, Yusuf (2), Campana (2), Marcos Dias, Panayotou, and Urruti all found the back of the net during preseason 2025.
This year’s improvement is partly due to the bold changes made in the last 12 months. The club has sought profiles that fit Porter’s game model. The roster also got younger as the average age is 25.
While we only saw two preseason games, there does seem to be clarity regarding how the team will play this year.
It’s now about seeing how it develops on the field during the regular season. Some personnel and tactics will likely shift throughout the season. The club also has some flexibility since it has two DPs and two U-22s, though Porter did say that Ganago could become the third DP.
The Revs’ first test will come on Saturday when they travel to face Nashville SC.
this is an amazing tactical preview. yusuf is going to be one of the teams most important players this season, hes a workhorse and hes got great vision from the DM spot, i absolutely agree with what you said on him.
This is a great write-up! I’m so glad they showed us some of the preseason games this year - I got to know most of the new players before the real season starts!