Caleb Porter Gives An Early Assessment Of The Revs' Roster
Caleb Porter Gives An Early Assessment Of The Revs' Roster
Porter compliments Gil, Chancalay, Polster, and more.
New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter is happy with what he’s seen so far from his new players.
Two sessions into preseason, Porter—who is entering his 10th year as an MLS coach—noted that the “attitude is excellent” and the “energy in training is as good as I’ve seen in a group.” Porter said it’s “a very good group.”
The team is headlined by captain Carles Gil, who scored a career-high 11 goals last year. Porter has spoken highly of the No. 10, stating that Gil will be “key in our game model, really key.”
Porter reaffirmed that sentiment on Tuesday, telling media that Gil “is as good as it gets in this league.”
Another important figure for the Revolution is Tomas Chancalay, who is now a Designated Player after having his permanent transfer option exercised in the off-season.
The 24-year-old attacker had six goals in 11 MLS appearances last year. The hope is that he will continue to find the back of the net in 2024.
“Very good player,” Porter said of Chanclay. “He has got it all, really. He's strong. He's got more pace than you think, and he can absolutely crush a ball. I mean, it’s scary when he's around goal, because he is either going to break the net or break the goalkeeper’s hands or score, so he is just ruthless and looking to score goals.
“And what surprised me most about him, he's a little more clever on the ball too just in how he can get out of stuff, combine, jump defenders.
“He's a very smart player and he's a very kind of positive guy. His energy is excellent, he’s just happy, always smiling. Can't say enough about him. He's a very good player, a very, very good player.”
While Porter was familiar with the Revolution’s roster, he’s noticing new things now that he’s working with the players every day.
For example, Porter knew that Gil and Chancalay were good, but on Tuesday he said they were even better than he thought.
There have been several players that have caught Porter’s attention just by getting the little details right.
“It's funny, a lot of these guys I think are a bit underrated at times, outside looking in,” Porter said. “So, guys like Matt Polster, he just does a lot of really good little things that you maybe don't notice unless you're coaching him. He’s just such a Steady Eddy, covers ground, wins balls.
“And Henry Kessler and Dave Romney are the same. They don't make many mistakes, they compete. They're very smart players. They don't do always the sexy thing, they do the simple things, and they carry their lunch pail every single day, put a shift in, and I like that, so I think some of those guys really, for me, I've noticed.”