Caleb Porter Is Confident Goals Will Come For The Revolution
Porter: "I’m not worried about the goals. This is a very good group. We have talent in the attack. You’ll see, the goals will come. That won’t be a problem.”
New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter isn’t worried about the lack of goals during preseason. He believes that those will come.
Matt Polster became the first Revolution player to find the back of the net under Porter when he finished a pass from Tomas Chancalay. The strike came against Orlando City SC, which was the Revs’ third preseason opponent.
In their fifth and final tuneup, the Revolution got on the scoreboard via an own goal and a left-footed curler from Jack Panayatou.
In sum, the Revs scored three goals while going 0-4-1.
But results aren’t necessarily important during preseason. Teams generally use this time to build fitness and chemistry. This is especially true under a new coach.
“The way that we train is different than the way that they’ve trained in the past,” Porter said. “The way that we put a team out on the field in terms of formation is different. The way that we approach our defending philosophy and attacking philosophy is different. So there will be a transition but the group is extremely bought in.”
Porter said that this preseason was “one of the better preseasons” he’s had. He noted that the team worked on different things during each game.
The Revs had a strong performance against the Philadelphia Union, which was their fourth preseason friendly. Here, they collected a 0-0 draw while putting out a strong lineup.
“We put everything into that 90 minutes against Philly,” Porter said. “They’re a very good team, obviously the team that knocked us out last year. I thought we did extremely well in that game without finding the goal. For me, that’s the final piece.
“[We] defended really well. I thought our control and our buildup was really good. We got in good spots. I’m not worried about the goals. This is a very good group. We have talent in the attack. You’ll see, the goals will come. That won’t be a problem.”
The Revs’ attack will go through Carles Gil, a perennial MLS MVP candidate who captured the title in 2021. Porter called Gil “one of the best players he’s ever worked with.” He also complimented his attitude and professionalism.
Striker Giacomo Vrioni is set to have a big role in 2024. The Designated Player had six goals in 29 league appearances (13 starts) last year. He also had a hat trick in the Leagues Cup.
Vrioni is now entering his third year with the Revolution after joining the club midway through 2022.
“I think he had very good moments last season,” Gil said. “I’m sure that he will continue to make progress, to score more goals. He’s an experienced player but still young. We believe in him, not just me but the team and the staff. I think we have very good strikers with him and Bobby [Wood], and for sure they’ll score many goals for us.”
Chancalay is also expected to make attacking contributions this season. In 2023, the Argentine had six goals in 11 appearances (10 starts) while on loan.
The Revs exercised a permanent transfer in the off-season, making Chancalay a DP.
Another player to keep an eye on is Esmir Bajraktarevic. Earlier this week, Porter said that the 18-year-old—who impressed in his first senior cap with the U.S. Men’s National Team—is “going to play a major role this year.”
“Esmir is a very young player, very talented,” Gil said. “He’s making his first professional step. I think he’s very talented. The experienced players like me, I play close to him on the field so we’re trying to help him and make him comfortable on the pitch. I’m sure it will be a very good season for him.”
The Revolution begin play in the Concacaf Champions Cup on Wednesday, Feb. 21 when they travel to face Club Atletico Independiente. They will then head to Washington D.C. to face D.C. United on Saturday, Feb. 24.