Brandon Bye Will Need to Win Starting Role

"But Nick [Lima] has been doing very well, so I told Brandon this: he has to come in and win his job back."

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

Brandon Bye made his first appearance since returning from a torn ACL but he is already facing another battle.

For the last few seasons, Bye has been a prominent fixture on the New England Revolution back line. His speed and ability to whip in crosses made him a great asset on the attack.

But speaking to the media on Thursday, Caleb Porter made it clear that Bye will need to win his starting job back.

“[Bye] is very experienced. Similar to DeJuan [Jones], he’s a perfect profile for what I look for in my outside backs. He’s box-to-box, very athletic, and has a lot of range to get forward into the attack and also defend in the channel one-versus-one,” Porter said. “But Nick [Lima] has been doing very well, so I told Brandon this: he has to come in and win his job back. Obviously, it was his job for the last several years, but he certainly has the talent and it’s just going to take some time to integrate him.”

Porter went on to say that the match against Atlanta could be an opportunity for Bye to get his first start.

To the credit of Lima, he has performed well in Bye’s absence. He has been a reliable option for New England, primarily showing his worth when defending.

When Lima was first acquired the expectation was that he would revert to the bench once the 2018 SuperDraft selection was fully healthy. Now, the pressure to perform immediately will be turned up even more as Bye strives to become a starter again.

Iron sharpens iron and surely the likes of Lima and Bye will help each other grow as players but fans will be hoping that the 28-year-old doesn't push himself too hard after returning from injury just because he now faces the reality of having to win his job back.