Revolution Coach Caleb Porter Discusses Recent Transfers

The Revs have completed two intraleague trades and signed one U-22 Player.

Photo Courtesy of J. Alexander Dolan

The New England Revolution have had an active Summer Transfer Window, completing two intraleague trades and signing one U-22 player. They still have two targets they’re looking at, according to head coach Caleb Porter.

Announced on July 31, the Revs sent DeJuan Jones to the Columbus Crew in exchange for Will Sands and $300,000 in 2024 General Allocation Money (GAM) and $300,000 in 2025 GAM.

The Crew will regain $100,000 in conditional GAM if Sands meets certain performance metrics this season.

Both clubs retain a sell-on percentage if their former player is transferred abroad.

“It’s the worst part of the job, having to say goodbye to good players and a really good person,” head coach Porter said on Friday. “I think the world of DeJuan. He’s a great player, a great person. We weren’t looking to trade him. Columbus wanted him and [teams] don’t trade for bad players. They trade for really good players.

“In the end, we always have to do the right thing for the club. This offered some cap and roster flexibility for the front office to be able to make moves. We need to improve. As tough as it was, it was necessary for us to add more players.

“Also, Peyton Miller, his emergence was a factor as well and we were able to pick up a really solid depth piece in Will Sands.

“As I told him personally, I wish DeJuan all the best. I know he’s going to do great in Columbus. He’s a really good player and an even better person. I really enjoyed working with him. He has done a lot for this club and that won’t be forgotten.”

Porter spoke highly of Sands, a 24-year-old who can play left back, saying he’s “left-footed, good defender, a really solid depth piece.”

On August 2, the Revs acquired Argentinian winger Luca Langoni via the league’s U-22 initiative. 

Langoni, who collected 11 goals and four assists for Boca Juniors from 2022-2024, was signed for a club-record transfer fee. Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport reported that the fee was in the vicinity of $7 million.

Langoni is signed through the 2027 season with an additional one-year club option for 2028.

“[Langoni] is dynamic,” Porter said on Friday. “We need to get more service into the box. We feel like Giacomo [Vrioni], when he gets service can score and finish. There are times we get into half spaces, and we need a little bit more precision. He’ll bring that.

“I really love that he’s a hard-working player on both sides of the ball. That’s important in our game model. He comes from a very historic club. He has been under massive pressure to perform, so his mentality is going to be excellent.

“Everything about him we liked, and we felt that he fits really well into our game model as a winger, a dynamic winger that will penetrate, get service, and create goals. We need to score more goals. We feel like he’s a very talented young player that will come in and help us score more goals.”

The 22-year-old Langoni has dealt with some injuries, something Porter was asked about on Monday.

“We evaluate everything,” Porter said. “We have a very comprehensive and thorough checklist that we go through when we sign a player. That process has been cleaned up from the past, and it is very thorough. We evaluate those things. We looked at that. He’s had a couple soft-tissue injuries.

“Obviously, when you look at the training environment [in Argentina], that could be some of the reason behind that. But ultimately, our medical team signed off on him. He has no major injuries. All our doctors and our medical staff have looked at the player, looked at his previous injury history, and ultimately, there were no red flags or major concerns. They gave us the green light.

“So ultimately, if the medical staff and the doctors give us a green light, or give me a green light, then I'm not going to be worried. For sure, we had seen that he had a few soft-tissue injuries, but that's not all that uncommon, honestly, when you get players.

“But he has no major injuries and we feel like in our environment, the way that we train – he is a young player – that he won't have those injuries in the future.”

The Revolution’s latest move came on August 3 when they traded Henry Kessler to St. Louis CITY SC for Tim Parker and $600,000 in 2025 GAM.

“[It’s] never easy,” Porter said on Monday. “Just like DeJuan, you get close to these guys. In both cases, it is not a decision we take lightly or easily. In both situations, we weren’t looking to trade the player; the opportunity presented itself. When an opportunity presents itself, you have to think about it and ultimately, you have to do what’s best for the club. 

“It is not my decision, it is a collaborative decision with myself, the technical staff, and the entire front office. We decided that it was what is best for the club, even though it was very difficult to lose DeJuan and Henry, two very good guys and very good players.

“But the opportunity presented itself for us to free up a significant amount of cap. That gives us a lot of roster flexibility moving forward, and we were able to acquire two good players as well. But I think the cap part was the main reason in the decision.”

The Revs can still make moves as the Summer Transfer Window closes on Wednesday, August 14.

“I said it, we had three targets, so the trades are irrelevant to that,” Porter said. “These trades popped up, that wasn't a part of the equation. But again, minus losing two really good guys and good players [in Jones and Kessler], we feel like we're in an even better position now moving forward with the cap flexibility that we have.

“But Luca Langoni was obviously one of the three targets, so we have two more targets. Obviously, it's about getting the deal done. It may or may not happen, it just depends. Obviously, if those two targets don't happen or those two positions don't happen, then we will move into the offseason and target those same two positions again.”