Pablo Moreira Hopes His Name is in Revolution Head Coach Conversation
“For me, if I’m honest, I’ve spent 11 years in the league, so it’s something that I do feel like I have a good amount of experience to take on this role.
While Pablo Moreira is about to embark on his first-ever head coaching journey, he feels that he is more than ready for the task at hand.
The long-time assistant coach will lead the Revs in the final four games of the season, with a playoff birth looking like a fever dream instead of a close reality. Moreira has been by Caleb Porter’s side throughout his career, whether it be collegiately with the Akron Zips or in Major League Soccer with the Portland Timbers and the Columbus Crew.
Due to this experience, Moreira feels well prepared for the moment he finds himself in and hopes he can insert himself into the Revs full-time head coaching conversation.
“For me, if I’m honest, I’ve spent 11 years in the league, so it’s something that I do feel like I have a good amount of experience to take on this role,” Moreira said. “In terms of nerves or anything like that – you get nerves if you haven’t done it, you know what I mean? Behind the scenes, I feel like I’ve done pretty much every single role, so I feel comfortable in my own skin there. Really, you just have to control the controllables. All I can do is take one day at a time, one training at a time. It was a heavy week, let’s be honest. It was what it was, but we got the guys in, we all talked about it. We addressed it. We don’t shy away from that, and then we talked about how we’re going to move forward. I know I have the belief in that group in there. They believe in themselves, they believe in us, they believe in what we’re trying to throw out there. We just want to do what’s best for the club. From my standpoint, again, just control the controllables. Take it one day at a time. If I do that and I do the right things, then hopefully, my name is in the conversation [to be the new head coach].”
With so little time, it will be difficult for Moreira to instill a tactical plan. The coach is more focused on allowing for the players to feel empowered to make decisions based on what they are seeing on the field, but still playing within his desired system.
“I think [Sporting Director] Curt [Onalfo] had mentioned it in his press conference, just in terms of ending the last four games on the right foot,” the coach said. “What does that mean? For me, it means getting the most out of the team. Almost just releasing the chains, letting them be free, play within the system that we’re creating, but also, not be afraid to make mistakes. I just want to give them the ability to have that vibe, and kind of see where they go from it. But definitely, there are high-character individuals in that locker room. I know mathematically we’re not out of it. Obviously, it looks bleak, but I know every player in that locker room is looking to win these last four games. To get back to your question, how do we do that? I think it’s multifaceted, but just playing free, playing aggressive. At this point, we have nothing to lose, and we really want to show the fans, show you guys, show everyone that that locker room is capable. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the results and we’re in this position that we are. We know that, we own it, and we’re going to correct it.”
Additionally, while wholesale changes won’t be made, Moreira is looking to add some nuances to the systems that New England has already played this season.
“I think it will be similar; I don’t think it will be the same,” the coach said regarding the tactics New England will deploy. “I think there’s little nuances that you can get within the system. Again, we had two systems that we’ve used heavily this year. I like the fact that depending on the player personnel within those systems, it can morph within that, within the same game. We’re kind of looking at that, how can we tactically approach the game, the schemes. It’s definitely something that we are looking into and obviously planning out.”
While there aren’t a lot of expectations for New England in how it ends the season, Moreira could make a real statement if the Revs are able to start securing wins. It seems like the Revolution are just waiting to be eliminated from the playoffs, but a win against Philadelphia would keep the club’s postseason hopes alive.
With New England being linked to names like Jim Curtin, Moreira will need to make a major impact in a short amount of time. But if he gets the Revs winning or helps them somehow make the postseason, why shouldn’t he be considered for the permanent position?
I hope Andrew gets some minutes.
Porter's reign looks more and more like a disaster, as Caleb Pongratz's expose shows. If Moreira was by Porter's side before and all through that, no way should he get any consideration.