Porter Says He Has Support Of Front Office After Difficult Start

Porter: "We're not performing the way we want to perform, the results aren't what we want them to be, but I have the support of the owners and of Curt [Onalfo]. We need some pieces, they know that."

Photo Courtesy of J. Alexander Dolan

New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter is focused on improvement after a difficult start to the 2024 season.

Porter became the ninth official head coach in Revolution history on Dec. 19, 19 days after Curt Onalfo was appointed sporting director.

The Revs are 1-7-1 under Porter, putting them at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

After Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Inter Miami CF, Porter was asked about conversations he’s had with club officials.

“I have their support,” Porter said. “Obviously, we're not performing the way we want to perform, the results aren't what we want them to be, but I have the support of the owners and of Curt. We need some pieces, they know that. They are aligned with that.”

The Revolution made two Deadline Day signings, bringing in goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic and center back Xavier Arreaga. Arreaga played 90 minutes on Saturday and Ivacic was scheduled to start before being sidelined with an illness.

The Revs were on the verge of adding a third player before the primary transfer window closed but Porter said that the deal for Iddrisu Baba fell through due to an injury. 

On Tuesday, Porter stated the Revs will look to add 3-5 players during the secondary transfer window, which opens on Jul. 18. There should be more roster flexibility at that point.

According to The Athletic, MLS clubs are expected to get a second buyout. Teams will likely also have greater access to U-22 slots: those with three Designated Players will have three U-22 slots and those with two DPs will get four U-22 players, plus $2 million in general allocation money (GAM).

Porter supports the rule adjustments, saying on Thursday, “Those are all things that can help a club, so in the summer, those will be a factor in what we do. We’re definitely looking to use every mechanism we have available to us.”

Porter also noted that the team will look at every transfer window as an opportunity to improve the roster.

“We will add in the summer and every window from this point forward,” Porter said on Thursday. “We will add pieces and try to improve. This league is every single window getting better and better and better and the money being spent. I think there were six transfer records in this last window.

“So, if you want to keep up in this league, you’re going to have to add players, you're going to have to spend money. We don’t want to be a team that's falling short because we're not making additions in the windows. The best clubs in the world, they are always adding pieces. Even when you’re good, you have to add pieces, constantly.”

While the results haven’t been good so far, Porter sees improvement. His goal is to continue to see positive change until the team is where he wants it to be.

“There are signs that we’re evolving,” Porter said after Saturday’s game. “We're focused on the next, I call it, quarter [of the season], right? There are four quarters, the first eight games didn't go well.

“We're in the next eight, we want to improve, tick up. We have targets in terms of what we want to get these next eight [games], so we'll continue to stay on track, and we’re focused on the next seven games now and seeing how we tick up from the first eight.”