Brian Bilello Explains Why Curt Onalfo Was Hired As Sporting Director

Bilello on Onalfo: “I think he’s done an excellent job with the pro pathway that we’ve built here with Curt and then you look at player transactions and bringing players to the club."

Photo Courtesy of the New England Revolution

When New England Revolution president Brian Bilello was looking for the club’s next sporting director, Curt Onalfo’s accomplishments and track record with the club had a massive influence on the final decision.

Onalfo was named as the Revs’ technical director in June 2019 and became the interim sporting director when Bruce Arena was placed on administrative leave on Jul. 30, 2023, a position he continued to hold after Arena resigned on Sept. 9.

The club conducted a search for their next sporting director, which included interviewing Orlando City SC technical director Ricardo Moreira, according to The Athletic. But Onalfo’s tenure with the Revs led to Bilello staying in-house.

“I think he’s done an excellent job with the pro pathway that we’ve built here with Curt and then you look at player transactions and bringing players to the club,” Bilello said of Onalfo. “I know where Curt has played a role and what players he’s helped bring to this club or what transactions he was involved with.”

“I think we’ve done a really good job, particularly in some of those spaces, with international scouting of players. That’s a really big component. Can you get those players right? So when I look back at some of those players, such as Gustavo Bou, Adam Buksa, Djordje Petrovic, Tomas Chancalay, I think we’ve had a really good track record on sort of the high end.”

When asked to identify an accomplishment he’s had with the Revs, Onalfo started by talking about the establishment of a pro pathway, which included strengthening the Academy and creating a second team.

He noted that when he arrived at the Revs four and half years ago, the pathway was “one of the weaker ones in MLS.” He now believes “it’s one of the best, if not the best, in Major League Soccer.”

Noel Buck is one success story as he graduated from the Academy and second team before becoming a regular contributor to the first team. Additionally, the club recently celebrated their U-19 Academy team winning back-to-back national championships.

Onalfo also noted that he’s proud of what he’s done with the scouting department during his time in New England.

“Our scouting department has been my responsibility since I got here,” Onalfo said. “We’ve signed some incredible players. We’ll continue to do that.”

Onalfo stated that the Revs “have the same staff in place in our pro pathway.” He also explained that they “have the entire scouting staff still in place.”

At one point during his answer, Onalfo referenced Chris Tierney, who was in attendance. Tierney, a former player for the club, now serves as the Director of Soccer Operations.

Onalfo said Tierney has been “instrumental” in regards to scouting before saying that “he’ll continue to have a bigger role within our organization.”

Now serving as the full-time sporting director, Onalfo said that he’s ready to “put my print now on this organization from the top down.”

He later explained, “When you’re the head of an organization, you’re now in charge of all aspects. I will look to enhance every single department. The way I manage is through empowerment. I believe in people.”

Onalfo is now tasked with finding the Revs’ next head coach, which hopes to have in place by January.

“I’m excited to see this incredible organization that we have and the people that we have in this organization to thrive and to do some great things where we can have some great memories down the line,” Onalfo said.