Marko Mitrovic Speaks For First Time As Revolution Head Coach

Mitrovic is the 10th official head coach in Revs' history.

Photo Courtesy of the New England Revolution

The Marko Mitrovic Era has begun.

Mitrovic was unveiled to the media as the 10th official head coach in New England Revolution history on Wednesday.

The 47-year-old has extensive experience as an assistant coach, including with the Chicago Fire (2016-2019) and Reading (2020-2022), and as the head coach of youth national teams, such as the U.S. U-19s, U-20s, and U-23s.

He now embarks on his first gig as a club head coach.

---

Choosing Marko

The hiring of a new head coach took approximately eight weeks as the Revolution wanted to find the right person. They believe they have that in Mitrovic.

“He’s exceptional, as I said, in every way,” sporting director Curt Onalfo explained. “Incredible person, you start there. Incredible integrity. Life experiences that help him to be the leader that he is. He’s super confident.

“He’s a modern coach, exceptional tactically, and really has a clear identity of how he wants to play, and how that will look on the field. He’s able to express those in very simple ways.”

Onalfo’s relationship with Mitrovic blossomed over the last four years while the latter was coaching U.S. youth national teams.

“I used to pick his brain on certain players when we were recruiting players into our Pro Pathway,” Onalfo stated.

He recalled conversations about Esmir Bajraktarevic, a Wisconsin player who relocated to New England and rose through the Pro Pathway before being sold to PSV.

“We saw Esmir Bajraktarevic identically, which is not always the case when you talk to players or talk to people in the league,” Onalfo said. “You could tell right there from the beginning, there was a good relationship there.”

Onalfo immediately thought of Mitrovic when the Revs’ head coaching position opened, but had to wait to interview him because of the impending U-20 World Cup. Here, Mitrovic guided the U.S. to a quarterfinal appearance.

When Mitrovic finally came to Foxboro—the last candidate to come to market—it was clear that he was the right person for the job.

“He was highly touted, and other teams were not happy with us making a swift decision to make him our coach,” Onalfo said.

---

Roster Assessment

While the Revs haven’t announced their end-of-year roster moves, many players are set to return. Onalfo noted that Mitrovic’s initial assessment of the roster is part of the reason he was brought to New England.

“Obviously, working with the players, you learn the context much better than looking from the outside, and what are their demands, what are their ceilings,” Mitrovic said. “I feel very positive with the roster that we have right now.

“The selection process in every sport, it never stops, and any given opportunity that we can improve our team, I’m quite positive the club will take steps. We have departments that work on that, but our current roster, we are in a very good spot.”

The Revs added 18 new players last year, looking to revamp the roster. A similar number isn’t expected in 2026, but some additions are likely.

“We’ve been a transactional club as long as I’ve been in charge,” Onalfo said. “We’ll continue to be transactional, but we have a very strong core and a strong foundation to build upon. As Marko becomes more familiar with the team, we’ll continue to look at those things and we’re always going to work hard every window to improve the team. That’s our commitment.”

---

Style of Play

Onalfo spoke highly of Mitrovic’s tactical acumen, stating that he was “clear ways of playing.”

His U.S. team went 3-2-0 at the U-20 World Cup and never got outshot. The team collected marquee 3-0 wins over France and Italy before losing 3-1 to Morocco.

“He’s aggressive,” Onalfo said. “He knows what it takes to win games at home and away. His teams attack in a way that creates lots of chances, lots of expected goals. When you do that, you end up scoring more goals. I just feel very confident, [with] his ability as a coach, for him to hit the ground running, and for us to have a really awesome 2026 season.”

Mitrovic provided a straightforward explanation of his tactical approach.

“I will use one word, it’s attack,” Mitrovic said. “We will attack with the ball, and we will attack the ball when we don’t have the ball, and we will be very aggressive with that.”

That said, he believes that on-field performance is significantly tied to a “fighting spirit.”

“We have to understand that we go out there to give everything we have, and that’s, for me, non-negotiable,” Mitrovic said. “Before we talk about any quality of our player or individual quality, we have to be sure that every player gave, that day, everything. We will live with the outcome of our performance.”

---

Grattitude

Mitrovic spent four years as an assistant with the Chicago Fire. When he left for England, his family stayed in the United States, a place they now consider home.

He returned in 2022 to work with the U.S. Soccer Federation.

“I got that opportunity with U.S. Soccer, which I believed in that moment would help me to grow as a coach and as a person, and would help me to get the opportunity with New England that I have right now,” Mitrovic said.

Mitrovic’s 25-minute press conference was full of gratitude as he thanked those who gave him the opportunity. He showed appreciation to everyone who attended the event, including the media.

“It’s great to meet you all here, and see so many people,” Mitrovic said. “It tells me that I’m in the right place, because when I see that so many people care about this club and support this club, it means that we are in the right spot, in the right place, moving forward.”

With his first public appearance as Revs coach out of the way, attention now shifts to preparation for the 2026 season.

“I just have to get to that training facility, start working, and do the best job I can do,” Mitrovic said.