Defense Wins Championships

“It’s what it takes to win in this league."

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

The one consistent bright spot for New England this season has been the backline. While there is plenty of credit to go around, the play of Brayan Ceballos and Mamadou Fofana deserves some extra praise.

Both players came to New England in the offseason having not played an MLS game. While both had careers in Europe, for a variety of reasons (including injuries and a war in Ceballos’ case), both needed a fresh start and the Revolution and the United States offered both players an opportunity to revitalize their careers.

While both players are not without their mistakes, both have been anchors of New England’s defense. Even with how well both players have performed to start the season, head coach Caleb Porter believes that they can perform even better.

“I think they [Ceballos and Fofana] could both still be better, to be honest with you,” Porter said. “But yeah, they have transitioned pretty well, but I still think the whole team can continue to be better. We are winning games, obviously, we are creating more, and we are playing better, but when you go through the film, there are still a lot of things and a lot of areas where we can be better individually and collectively. I’m pleased but the greatest enemy of progress is past success, so we have to be very mindful of continuing to improve and continuing to get better, understanding the next game. We are playing a team [Charlotte FC] that is top of the league and that’s 5-0-0 at home. We have to keep getting better, and we have to play better in this next game if we are going to win.”

Overall, the Revolution have performed better defensively. Aljaz Ivacic’s post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed is 2.2. The fact that this number is positive shows that the goalkeeper is stopping more shots than expected.

Additionally, New England is fifth-best in xG conceded in the league (10.3) and is also fifth-best in interceptions per match (10.3). The Revolution have also only allowed seven goals in eight games while in 2024, New England had already allowed 14 goals.

Porter stressed the importance of being quality defenders when speaking to the media on Tuesday.

“It’s what it takes to win in this league,” Porter said of teams having defensive grit. “You see how close the margins are. You have the MLS Cup champion [LA Galaxy] that hasn’t won a game yet. That just shows how tight this league is and how difficult it is to win in this league. The margins are very tight. It takes that mentality. In the boxes, it takes that bravery. You have to put your body on the line and you have to be willing, within the team, to make plays. Individually, finish the play, score the goal, or find a set piece goal. Or defensively, head the ball out, clear it out, track a guy. Those are the margins. Those are things that people don’t see. When you watch the film, you see all these little moments that add up. It’s a game of moments, and the team that wins more moments usually wins the game.”

But New England will be facing a Charlotte FC squad that is at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Carolina club is tied for third in goals scored (16) and Charlotte’s post-shot expected goals minus goals is even more impressive than Ivacic's (3.6).

In the attack, Pep Biel is leading the way with three goals and six assists while Charlotte also added star forward Wilfried Zaha on loan. Porter understands that it will be a big challenge for the Revs.

“They [Charlotte FC] are a team that has not lost at home,” the head coach said. “They are sitting top of the league and they are in form. I like where we’re at and it will be a great opportunity for us to go and try to get a result in a very difficult environment against a very good team.”