Five Interesting Quotes From Caleb Porter
Five Interesting Quotes From Caleb Porter
We take a closer look at Caleb Porter's interview with RevolutionSoccer.net.
New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter hasn’t been formally introduced to the local media yet—that will come on Jan. 3—but he did speak to Caroline Oatway of RevolutionSoccer.net.
Porter addressed a variety of topics during the interview, including his desire to come to New England, his goal of helping the Revs win their first MLS Cup, and his thoughts on the current roster.
The entire article, which was posted on Dec. 21, is worth a read, but below are five quotes that stuck out to me.
“I’m working a lot with [Revs sporting director] Curt [Onalfo] – I think we need some pieces but not much. It’s a good group. Obviously, we lost a few players. We will add some players for sure, but this is a rebuild – it’s not an overhaul. It just needs a few pieces. As time goes on, working with Curt, we’ll continue to put our stamp on the team and the roster more and more, but I wouldn’t have taken the job if I felt there was a major rebuild or overhaul.”
While we could certainly see players leave before First Kick, the Revs currently have 28 players on their roster, and all but four (Nick Lima, Malcolm Fry, Santiago Suarez, and Peyton Miller) were part of last year’s team.
In all honesty, I don’t think an overhaul was needed at this point because there’s a solid base of talent, headlined by Carles Gil and Tomas Chancalay.
The Revs are in a win-now situation, especially with the 31-year-old Gil in the last year of his contract. The hope is that they can keep the chemistry intact by adding a few quality pieces to a largely returning roster.
Remember, the Revs were near the top of the Eastern Conference for the bulk of 2023.
“We’ll continue to create a strong pathway from up and down – a vertically-integrated club where there’s a clear idea at the top and everything feeds into the first team.
“I want to have the vision very clear of how you can make it and what it’s going to take to make it for the young players in the Academy. I think if you’re not tapping into the young players and using that mechanism, you’re wasting that opportunity.”
Onalfo was instrumental in developing the Revs’ pro player pathway—something he also did with the LA Galaxy—so it makes sense that Porter believes in utilizing young players.
This is a trend that we’ve seen with a lot of successful MLS teams, including the New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, and Columbus Crew.
Aidan Morris is a prime example of this. In 2020, he became the youngest player ever in MLS Cup history to start and provide an assist. Porter, who was coaching the Crew at the time, leaned on the 19-year-old Morris after Darlington Nagbe tested positive for Covid-19. Morris, Porter, and the Crew beat the Sounders 3-0 to win the MLS Cup.
Of course, this isn’t to say that the Revs will solely rely on their Academy. Instead, it will likely be used as a valuable tool to bring in pieces, especially with the MLS SuperDraft declining in significance.
The Revs have done a lot to improve their Academy in recent years as they now attract top prospects from around the region and country. The aim is to produce more players like Noel Buck.
“I always believe that to succeed, sometimes you have to suffer and there was some suffering in my getting fired [from Columbus], frankly. It was the first time in my career. We missed the playoffs on the last day on an 85th-minute penalty. ‘Would have, should have, could have.’ We all have the reasons why it didn’t happen. We only had eight losses actually on the year, but we didn’t get it done. Bottom line, I had to look in the mirror and say: ‘Okay, what happened?’ There are some things I learned from and that I’ll do better next time.”
Porter has won two MLS Cups with two different teams, but he’s also missed the playoffs in five of nine seasons.
I’m not exactly sure what went wrong during the years when he missed the post-season, but it certainly sounds like Porter has spent some time reflecting. This is an important step for anyone in any field of work because reflecting often leads to growth.
“I’m a true coach – I love being in the trenches with the players, being on the pitch and being in the locker room. It’s been great because I’ve had the opportunity to start to connect with the players. I’m hoping in the next week to speak to every player on the team. I spoke with Carles Gil on the phone from Spain, so that was great. That was a 30-minute call, and we were able to connect. I’m a people guy – I love creating relationships, strong bonds. I do it for the players and the fans, but what gets me out of bed every day is the chance to work with players like Carles and others. That was a big part in taking the job, and that’s what I’m really looking forward to.
It seems like Porter has hit the ground running since he’s having conversations with players and reviewing game tape from last year.
These are critical details because the 2024 season will be here before we know it.
Players report for preseason camp on Jan. 13. They will then travel to Florida before playing a Concacaf Champions Cup away game against Club Atlético Independiente on Feb. 21. The return leg will take place at Gillette Stadium on Feb. 29.
While those CCC games aren’t the end-all and be-all, advancing in the tournament would be a solid start to the Porter Era.
“There’s a lot of work to do but for me, the good work comes with good relationships. It’s really important that we all connect, we have good lines of communication, that we trust each other. As fluffy as that sounds, it’s very important to have a culture, a true culture where we are genuinely on board with each other, all pulling in the same direction. It’s football – there are going to be ups and downs, and hard times, but we have to be on the same page and stick together. That’s really key.”
This quote connects to the last one in that I think it’s key that Porter develops a positive locker room culture since the Revs went through a lot last year.
Porter looking to have conversations with the players is a positive start to his tenure. The hope is that everyone is on the same page as they look to move forward.