Brandon Bye Continues to Progress After 2023 ACL Injury

“It’s good to have him back and he’s going to be a player that’s going to help us as we love forward this season."

Photo Courtesy of New England Revolution

The New England Revolution have been without Brandon Bye since August of 2023 leaving a massive hole on the right flank. Against the Columbus Crew, Bye made his second appearance of 2024 as he continues to progress after recovering from a torn ACL.

Against the Crew, Bye played 26 game minutes and nearly connected on a header that would have added to Ema Boateng’s lone goal. But the real key fact is that after a cameo against FC Cincinnati, the right back was able to increase his minutes played.

“It was good to get [Bye] 30 minutes,” Porter said after the match. “It's difficult with defenders to kind of bleed them in, and we were able to get him a good, solid 30. We can hopefully build from there and maybe get a 45 in one of the next two games. You saw on the back post, him crash that header, so those are some of the things he can bring – an aerial presence. He’s athletic, very athletic, so in one-on-one duels, he is going to help us a lot, and in the final third, being able to get crosses in and provide width.”

Part of the benefit of having Bye back is that his teammates are so comfortable when he is on the field. The right back has played 155 matches since joining New England in 2018.

“First and foremost, it's nice to have him back,” midfielder Matt Polster said. “I know it's been a long road for him so I'm happy for him. I'm proud of him. He's just somebody that we've always had within the lineup. Ever since I've signed here he was a starter for us so it's common for me to see him on the field. So it was really nice for him to come in today. Even under the circumstances, it was good for him to get minutes.”

Andrew Farrell has also been a fixture in the Revolution starting XI prior to 2024. While his role has diminished he played with Bye since the beginning of the Michigan native’s MLS career.

Farrell described Bye’s return as huge and mentioned that it was a major blow to the team to lose the right back for so long.

“It’s good to have him back and he’s going to be a player that’s going to help us as we love forward this season,” Farrell told The Blazing Musket.

But Bye still has some work to do. He will need to eventually get a start under his belt and then prove to Porter that he deserves his starting job back.

Brandon Bye Will Need to Win Starting Role

With matches on Wednesday and next weekend, New England will need to rotate as they finish off a stretch of three games played in seven days. Whether it be against Atlanta or Seattle, Bye’s first start of 2024 could come soon.

Once healthy, Bye will look to make a major impact and likely will return to the starting XI. His attacking ability — whether it be in the air or through his crossing — make him so valuable and adds another dimension to the Revolution attack.

Considering New England’s struggle to score this season, Bye’s full return can’t come soon enough.