Caleb Porter Offers Praise To Matt Polster, Other Center Midfielders
Porter: "Matt is going to be a starter here, he’s going to be a key player, and we just have to settle on who is going to pair with him.”
New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter is happy with what he has in Matt Polster.
The 30-year-old midfielder is entering his fifth season with the Revs after joining the club from Rangers FC on Jul. 8, 2020. He’s made 105 league appearances (91 starts), offering six goals and seven assists.
Polster started both games this season, playing 90 minutes against CA Independiente and 77 against D.C. United.
“He is just a great professional,” Porter said of Polster. “He’s a good player, a very complete midfielder. He’s a leader. For me, he’s an ideal player as one of the two double pivots in a 4-2-3-1.
“I think you’ve seen we’ve cycled some guys next to him. We have some different pieces and profiles. Matt is going to be a starter here, he’s going to be a key player, and we just have to settle on who is going to pair with him.”
Porter opted to start Mark-Anthony Kaye in the Revs’ first Concacaf Champions Cup game. The Canadian international, who was suspended for the MLS opener because of a red card he got last year, went 63 minutes before making way for Noel Buck.
Buck got the nod against D.C., playing 61 minutes. He was then replaced by Ian Harkes.
While Harkes has only contributed 30 minutes in the first two games, he has the potential to start. In 2023, he played 606 minutes over nine appearances (seven starts).
The experienced Tommy McNamara is also a candidate to play alongside Polster. The 33-year-old owns 214 appearances (152 starts).
“We know Kaye brings range and athleticism,” Porter said. “Noel Buck is a young player, very talented, and can step into the attack to chip in goals. And Ian Harkes is a very good soccer player, very technical and very smart tactically.
“So, we have different profiles in the other player that we’ve paired with Matt, and I think we’re still looking to find that ideal pairing. In my game model, those three center midfielders, along with the 10 in Carles Gil, are massive for us to be able to control games on both sides of the ball the way we want.”
Polster also recognizes that there are a lot of midfield options and that each one offers something different.
“We have a lot of quality players that can come in and do different types of roles,” Polster said. “Obviously, when I play with Mark-Anthony, he's more of a sitter and he's able to connect the game for us, and then when you bring in an Ian or a Tommy or Noel, those guys are a little more advanced in their play and allows me to kind of float and pick up the ball and help connect the game.”
“But no matter who plays, the objective is to win the game and whoever comes in, all those players are more than capable of playing at this level and influencing the game and helping us win.”
Polster was one of the weakest players in DC - incredibly slow, giving away passes.
What does thus guy do in training to impress coaches? Honestly, incredible, he can't defend, so so on the ball and Porter loves him, Peay had him playing two positions. I honestly don't get it.