Porter Says Revolution Are Evolving

Porter: "For me it’s unquestionable, we’re evolving in every aspect. The soccer, the defending, the chance creation for sure.”

Photo Courtesy of the New England Revolution

Head coach Caleb Porter believes his team is evolving.

After a 2-10-1 start to the season, the New England Revolution have won their last two games, securing a 2-1 road win over Nashville SC before collecting a 1-0 home win against the New York Red Bulls.

This is the first time they’ve won consecutive league games since mid-July 2023.

“The biggest key is our mentality has been stronger,” Porter said after Saturday’s game. “We’re finding ways to get results. That evolution, I’m very pleased with, so I think for me it’s unquestionable, we’re evolving in every aspect. The soccer, the defending, the chance creation for sure.”

Porter noted there’s room for improvement, including on the attacking end. The Revs have scored 12 total goals, the lowest mark in the league.

They had two goals against Nashville, their second multi-goal performance this season. There were opportunities for more tallies in that game and against the Red Bulls.

“We are finding goals. I’d still like us to find a few more,” Porter said.

Matt Polster also stated that he’s seen improvement from the Revolution in recent weeks. Part of this is associated with the adjustment period that often comes with the arrival of new coaches.

“A new coaching staff came in, it’s a building process,” Polster said. “They've wanted to build that new style, new system, and it’s taken time to get accustomed to that and reach those expectations that the staff want from us.

“It's been a slow progression, but I think we've checked those boxes really well the last few games where we're playing a lot better, a lot more confident. We're playing better in the final third. We're creating more chances, and you can see that we're starting to win more games.”

While performances have been better, the Revs are still at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, sitting six points out of a playoff spot. They do have at least one game in hand on every team above them except the Columbus Crew.

The 2024 season hasn’t gone how the Revs have wanted, but Porter believes there’s still much to fight for.

“I know the group very well,” Porter said. “I’ve grown to really love them, love all these guys a lot. We still need a few more pieces here and there, but I’m confident this group can make a run here.

“We know we’re in a hole, there’s no doubt about it. We’re in a hole. We have to continue to fight our way out and it’s going to take every game and it’s going to take until the end of the season. It’s going to be a fight every single week until the end of the year based on the hole we’ve been in, so our guys are ready for that fight.”