Caleb Porter Has Lineup Decisions to Make Ahead of Charlotte Game

Porter discusses his options at goalkeeper and right back.

J. Alexander Dolan

Head coach Caleb Porter has some lineup decisions to make ahead of Saturday’s game against Charlotte FC.

One position being looked at is goalkeeper.

Newcomer Henrich Ravas started every game this year before linking up with the Slovakian National Team in late March. 

Earl Edwards Jr. played in the 1-1 draw against the Chicago Fire while Ravas was away. He remained in net for the 4-0 loss to Club America despite Ravas returning from international duty.

Porter spoke about the goalkeeper position during Friday’s media availability.

“It’s not uncommon – when you sign international guys, I've seen it time and again, it takes time for them to settle in our league,” Porter said. “Typically, it takes six months. And I think you're seeing with [Ravas], it's a lot, right? It's a transition for his family. It's a new country. It's a new team. It's a new league. It's a lot of change.

“So, he's had some good games and he's had some games where he can be better. It's not just him. There have been some inconsistencies across the board. But with him being gone, we played Earl, and we drew the game and we felt like he had a good performance. And with Henrich being gone and not actually playing any of those games [with Slovakia], we felt like it made sense to start Earl again in that [Champions Cup] match. For me, that was a natural decision.

“Earl did not take his chance very well in the game, and that's just the truth. We sat down, we talked about that yesterday, and now again, I have a decision to make. So, it's that simple. I'll make that decision again based on what I feel is the best thing to do in this game, to win the game.”

The right back spot is another area that’s a question mark as Nick Lima and Andrew Farrell have split time. DeJuan Jones has also logged minutes on the right, most recently starting there against Club America.

“Yeah, I said it, we’re waiting on [Brandon] Bye,” Porter said. “I think he's the natural guy to start there once he’s back, but he won’t be back until the end of May.

“In the offseason, prior to me getting here, we signed Nick Lima. I think Nick has some quality and experience to play in that position, but he's also had some inconsistencies in his performance.

“Farrell for me isn't a natural right back in the system in the way that I prefer to play. It's more of a box-to-box player that gets forward and provides attack, but also, he’s a very good one-on-one defender and has range. I've played him there because he's a good player. He's good on the ball. He brings leadership, energy, and confidence to the team and that chemistry to the team, but he's not the long-term solution at right back.

“So, knowing that, I had some inconsistencies in finding someone to replace Bye. I saw that was an obvious choice to try DeJuan there. He’s right footed. He played there last year at the end of the year quite a bit. So, I think DeJuan can play both sides, and [Ryan] Spaulding, frankly, earned the right to start that game [against Club America] because he had been playing very well at left back. In the Costa Rica game, Spaulding came off the bench and so it just made sense for those two guys to start. You have a left-footed guy and a right-footed guy.

“Again, I'll make the decisions now about what I do for this game based on what I feel is best for this game.”

The Revs have also used different players at center mid and on the wing.

In an interview with Zolak and Betrand on Thursday, Porter noted that he’s looking for some more consistency in the lineup now that the team is primarily focusing on league play.

“At this point now with the league being the primary focus, we really have to get some continuity in our lineup and consistency,” Porter said. “We know we need a few pieces. For sure we need a few pieces, but I still believe in the group and I still believe we’re going to make a run here in the league and finish strong.”