New England Revolution Looking to Gain Points, Not Point Fingers

“There’s emotion, and passion is good, emotion is good; being emotional is not good."

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

Last Friday evening’s loss to CF Montreal was frustrating for a multitude of reasons but the New England Revolution are aiming to band together instead of blame one another.

During New England’s loss to CF Montreal, Tomas Chancalay could be seen barking at teammates, seemingly frustrated with their performance heading into the locker room after the first half. The Blazing Musket asked Caleb Porter about this moment — and about keeping the team united — after New England’s ninth straight match without a win.

“There’s emotion, and passion is good, emotion is good; being emotional is not good,” Porter said. “That was one of my first points at halftime. Let’s harness the passion and the frustration. Let’s put it inside the lines in the right way and put it into the performance. I thought we gave it a good run [in the] second half. It’s crazy we didn’t get a goal. I thought we had enough chances to get at least one goal to tie it. I’ve got to look at the film though to truly analyze that, how good were the chances, and I will. We’ll do what we always do. We’ve got a little break here, but we’ll go back to work. We’ll analyze everything. I’ll look at myself as well. I think, again, the story was they did some different things in the build than we thought they would do. We saw it right away, we just couldn’t get the information in there to sort it out quick enough and then we’re down, we gave away two goals.”

With how much New England is struggling, remaining united will be crucial for the Revolution. Moments of confrontation became commonplace in 2024, as illustrated by Carles Gil and Xavier Arreaga coming to blows after the first 45 minutes of play. If they return in 2025, it will be difficult for Porter to keep his job.

While the Revs are spiraling out of control, there is still a path for the club to make the playoffs. New England is only 10 points out of the playoff positions and the club has seven home games remaining.

The Revolution also just got an injection of life in goalkeeper Matt Turner. While he can’t score goals — a problem New England has dealt with throughout the season — Turner will be one of the top shotstoppers in MLS and maybe help the Revs gain a few extra points.

But the USMNT goalkeeper will also be a lift to the locker room. He is someone who knows what it is like to win in MLS and can be a leader. With New England struggling mightily, Turner can ensure that everyone is fighting for the badge and not with each other.

Because if the locker room sours and arguments on the pitch become more frequent, New England’s losing streak will continue and that will likely mean that Porter’s time with the club will come to an end.