Revolution Outside Backs Banged Up

Peyton Miller and Brandon Bye will spend some time on the sidelines

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

Just as the New England Revolution seemed to be healthy, two key components off the back line picked up injuries.

Peyton Miller missed New England’s match against Montreal. The youngster was seen leaving the Revolution’s Leagues Cup defeat to NYCFC in a boot but participated in training prior to the Montreal match.

After New England’s 5-0 win, Caleb Porter gave an update on Miller’s status.

“Peyton [Miller] rolled his ankle, I think it was Wednesday or Thursday last week, so we put Will [Sands] right in,” Porter said. “We knew we would be very covered with those two guys. I said it, Peyton and Will, I have a lot of confidence in them, and I think everybody saw today why we traded for Will. He is a very good player, very well-rounded, very complete, a good defender, good at keeping the ball, and good going forward. So, Peyton, we will see where he is at. We are hopeful he will be available next week.”

The Revolution head coach then went on to say that starting jobs need to be earned and that goes for everyone on the roster.

“But as I told my team last week, the audition for parts is going to be every week and guys have got to earn jobs, so it is going to be tough to keep Will out with the performance he had today,” Porter stated. “Peyton Miller, he is a very talented player, a young player, and his upside is as good as you're going to see. Guys still need to earn their jobs and that's what is raising our level right now, because every single guy has to perform at training and the games.”

The only lowlight of New England’s match north of the border was the fact that Brandon Bye was forced to leave after he assisted on the opening goal. Porter stated that Bye appeared to have suffered a sprained ankle and could be sidelined for a week or two.

“We think it is an ankle sprain,” the head coach said. “I don't think it's too serious, but we'll evaluate it. He's probably out for a week or two, I would guess just looking at it, but I don't think it's too serious where he's going to be out too long.”

As Bye had just returned from a torn ACL that was suffered in 2023, this is an unfortunate step backward for the right back.

If Miller and Bye miss the Revs’ next match — a journey out west to Real Salt Lake — Will Sands and Nick Lima are likely to earn starts. Both of these players performed well against Montreal with Lima tallying a goal.

But depth at the position will be a concern. If Sands or Lima needed to be subbed out of the match or picked up an injury, New England has no natural outside back options to choose from. Andrew Farrell would likely fill in at right back and Ema Boateng on the opposite side. Considering the fact that Ryan Spaulding was loaned to the Tampa Bay Rowdies, this situation appears to have been avoidable; albeit it is hard to imagine both of your starting outside backs suffering injuries right after you got rid of your overall No. 1 outside back… DeJuan Jones.

Luckily it sounds like Miller could feature against Real Salt Lake but the fact he continues to get hurt is worrying. The 16-year-old doesn’t shy away from contact, which deserves praise, but it appears to take a toll on the left back.

So while the Revolution will be confident that the backups can fill in and perform, with the commitment the club has made to Miller, his struggles to stay healthy make you wonder if they went all-in on the 16-year-old too soon.