Carles Gil Aiming To Be "Best Carles Ever" After Forgettable 2024
Gil: "I want to look at me, try to be the best Carles possible in any way that I didn’t. I believe in me and I will come [back] strong.”
Carles Gil aims to be “the best Carles ever” after a forgettable 2024.
The New England Revolution, who finished fifth in the Eastern Conference last year with a +12 goal differential, were 14th in the East this year with a -37 goal differential. They were nine points below the playoff line.
When reflecting on the season, Gil said, “I think everyone had a bad season, me the first, as a captain and as a leader. It wasn’t the season I expected of me and, obviously, of the team.
“I will try to be the best Carles ever. That needs to start in my preseason, or my offseason, working hard and having the right mentality.”
For Gil, it begins with mentality, noting the Revs need to “be a team that works hard, have good ideas to try to win games.” This year, he believes, “was the opposite.”
The Revolution ended the year losing 4-0 to the Columbus Crew, last year’s MLS Cup winners, and 6-2 to Inter Miami CF, this year’s Supporters’ Shield winner.
The attacking midfielder, who didn’t play in either game due to injury, said these results show that “right now, we’re very far from teams like Miami and Columbus.”
“That’s why I say the first thing is to be a competitive team that can go to any stadium and look its opponents in the eyes, against any team in MLS, and win,” Gil said. “We had been that in the past and right now, we’re not.”
Gil explained that after a season like the one that just ended, “everyone needs to think about why,” and that includes him.
While the 2024 season had plenty of lowlights, Gil liked what he saw from Alhassan Yusuf and Luca Langoni, both of whom signed midyear.
Yusuf, a defensive midfielder, recorded two assists in seven games (five starts) while Langoni, a wide attacker, had three goals and two assists in 11 games (eight starts).
Gil described Yusuf as a “very good player, and he’s showing that in games that he had.” He said that Langoni “is a player that works very, very hard with the ball and without the ball” and one that “has a good finish.”
He thinks both players are “good players and competitive players” who can help the Revs.
Gil is set to embark on his seventh season with the Revolution after signing as a Designated Player in 2019.
New England has become a home for him, which is why he wants to do everything he can to get the Revs back on track in 2025.
“This is my club,” Gil said. “It’s my sixth year and I love this club, everything. I love Boston. I’m here to help the club in any way. But I also want to win and I want to be competitive. Not just me, I think if you ask all the players, the staff, or anyone here.
“Like I said, I will try to help the team in any way. First of all, I want to look at me, try to be the best Carles possible in any way that I didn’t. I believe in me and I will come [back] strong.”
Carles looked unhappy for most of the year. He needs to stop complaining on every call.
This year, despite everything, still was in a very high percentile in a ton of underlying stats based around change creation and ball progression according to opta (which is WILD considering Porter ball.). So this attitude of working to hold himself to an even higher standard is exactly what you want to hear from him.
If only the two dunces in charge of the team and how they’re set up to play could get fired we might hope.