Caleb Porter Comments On Making Four Changes To XI

Porter: “I thought we found really good rhythm today.”

Photo Courtesy of J. Alexander Dolan

New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter is happy with his team's chemistry after he made four changes to the starting lineup.

One week after losing 2-0 to New York City FC, Porter inserted Ryan Spaulding, Andrew Farrell, Noel Buck, and Esmir Bajraktervic for DeJuan Jones (injured), Dave Romney, Ian Harkes, and Tomas Chancalay.

Porter stated after the game, ”I always make decisions based on what I feel is the right decision for that game.”

Farrell made his third start of the season on Saturday, having also featured in the home games against Toronto and Chicago. The veteran played 90 minutes as a center back alongside Henry Kessler.

Porter noted that Farrell is “very good on the ball” and “brings a lot of leadership to this team.”

Saturday also marked Buck’s third league start of 2024. The midfielder started the first two league games but only saw six minutes in the five games that followed. He did play in the Concacaf Champions Cup during that span.

Buck contributed 44 minutes against Toronto before exiting with an injury.

“I thought he was playing well,” Porter said. “I started him because he had been playing really well in training. If you remember, I started him in the first two games of the year and I thought he didn't impact either game like I wanted him to in that role.

“Then I went with Mark-Anthony [Kaye] some and Ian [Harkes] some, but I felt like Noel was training really well and was the right guy to start in this game. Same with Farrell at center back, same with Esmir [Bajraktarevic]. Guys have to earn making the 11.”

Buck wasn’t the only 19-year-old on the field for the Revs this weekend as Bajraktarevic also got the nod. The U.S. international’s last league start came on Mar. 17, though he’s been a regular off the bench.

Porter complimented the play of Buck and Bajraktarevic after the game.

“We went with a couple of 19-year-old kids that are homegrown, and we felt like those two would bring energy,” Porter said. “Young guys bring a little passion and something to prove, and I thought both those guys brought that today.”

For only the second time this season, Tomas Chancalay was on the bench. The Designated Player previously started 12 of 13 games across all competitions.

Chancalay entered in the 72nd minute when the Revs were down 1-0. He forced a save from Sean Johnson four minutes later.

“I think Tomás needs to develop chemistry with our team,” Porter said. “I’ve said it, he's got goals in him when he is around the goal, but there is a lot more to the game than that.”

The Revs have yet to replicate a starting 11 through eight games. While schedule congestion and absences are certainly factors, it seems that Porter is still trying to identify his first-choice lineup.

Porter spoke highly of his team’s performance on Saturday, saying, “I thought it was one of our best performances of the year.” He noted that it was something to build on.

“I thought we found really good rhythm today,” Porter said. “Possession for possession’s sake doesn't mean anything, but we had really good possession numbers today, which meant we had control, especially on the road. I think a lot of that was there was good chemistry.

“The ball was moving. We kept possession better. I looked at the analytics quickly before I jumped in here. Our pass completion percentages were much higher in this game, which meant we had more of the ball, we had more control. We don’t have to defend for as long periods, which took pressure off us.

“So again, I thought we executed really well. The chemistry was good. The intensity was good. The leadership was good.”