2024 Has Been Tough For Noel Buck
"It's been tough"
So far, the 2024 season has been tough for New England Revolution midfielder Noel Buck.
The youngster is coming off a 2023 campaign where he broke out for club and also for country. Buck made 20 starts while appearing in 25 matches for New England and also broke into the English U-19 squad. The midfielder also scored three goals and had two assists in MLS play.
But in 2024, Buck has been unable to stake a claim on a starting XI spot. He has only started two games and made four total appearances. The Blazing Musket talked to the midfielder in the locker room.
“It’s been tough and it’s always hard to you know, do it again,” Buck stated, seemingly alluding to having to earn a starting spot. “But you know, I think it's part of the game, there’s ups and downs and you just got to get your head down and keep working.”
While it is a bit surprising that Buck has struggled to consistently make the starting XI, the competition in the midfield is quite fierce. Matt Polster appears to be the clear No. 1 choice leaving the youngster to compete with veterans Mark-Anthony Kaye and Ian Harkes.
Buck believes the competition for minutes might be tougher but also beneficial to himself and his teammates.
“It’s a lot of competition,” Buck said of the group of midfielders. “We got a lot of quality midfielders. You got Mark, you got Ian, experienced guys who are really good players. It will be more difficult to get minutes but I think in a way that’s a good thing you know? Your never going to get anything for free. It's gonna make me really work for it. That’s good for my development.”
Only time will tell if all that hard work will pay off for the 18-year-old.
Last year he also got time on the wing - there's more competition there now too - and I'm not sure Porter will even think of him there.