Revolution Players Reflect on 1st Season Under Caleb Porter

We believe in Caleb. We believe in the staff and what they were asking of us. I don't think we were able to execute it as players, especially at the start of the season."

Photo By J. Alexander Dolan

The 2024 season didn’t go to plan for the New England Revolution but players are the ones taking the blame instead of passing it on to their head coach.

While no one could have expected that the Revolution would be one of the worst teams in MLS, having a new head coach makes for some challenges. That is especially the case when that coach is bringing a new style of play.

Porter wanted his team to build out the back, dominate possession, and press opponents. This was quite different from Bruce Arena who liked to play direct, free-flowing soccer.

Matt Polster believes the responsibility falls on the players for failing to adjust or perform well in Porter’s preferred playstyle.

“At the beginning of the season, I think he [Caleb Porter] really wanted to emphasize the aspect of playing out. Again, I think we didn't execute that to what he envisioned, maybe. So, then we have to alter things a little bit, maybe play a little more direct, switch it up a little bit, play short sometimes or play long sometimes. But overall, I think the vision was there, the ideas were there, and I think it was players not being able to execute.”

Additionally, Polster said that the team was bought into Porter’s vision and that they believe in the head coach and his staff.

While Porter’s system was different, the formation that New England utilized was not. The Revolution played in a 4-2-3-1 formation for the majority of the year, the same formation primarily utilized by Arena.

Similarly to Polster, Dave Romney feels that the system shouldn’t have been difficult to adjust to and that the players needed to perform better.

“I think it's not like some difficult brand of football to get used to or anything,” the center back said. “Most of the stuff has been stuff you've seen at clubs before, and it's very black and white. We're not playing some complex formation. It's mostly been like a 4-2-3-1, and guys have been in this formation for a lot of their careers, so there's nothing hard to buy in with, I would say. Myself and others included, I would say, need to be more clinical or better in certain spots that make game-changing plays, whether it be offensively or defensively.”

While some players struggled, Alhassan Yusuf did not. The summer signing looked great in the seven matches he featured in. Yusuf was all over the field and able to show off his passing ability as well as his work rate.

For the Nigerian, Porter’s style of play is a perfect fit.

“It’s really good,” Yusuf said. “It’s my style of play to try to play, press high, transition. Yeah, of course we didn’t win a lot of games. It didn’t work out this season. But for me, we just have to see how it’s going to be next season. I hope nothing changes in terms of that style, so just have to believe and trust it and see what is going to come.”

While the players taking the blame is commendable, the pressure will be on Porter come 2025. If New England continues to struggle, the head coach will head to the chopping block.

So with a full offseason and no continental competition on the menu, the Revolution will need to start strong out of the gate. The players are motivated to rectify the mistakes made in 2024, the question is can Porter and his vision get the Revolution back to the promised land or will the coach need to adapt to succeed next year?