Revolution Focusing On Next Eight Games
Porter: “The first eight games weren't good enough in terms of record, points, goals for, goals against."
Head coach Caleb Porter is looking forward to seeing what his team looks like during the next eight games.
The New England Revolution are currently 1-6-1 and sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a -9 goal differential.
Of course, the beginning of the year was challenging as the club frequently played three games a week while balancing the Concacaf Champions Cup and league play.
Regardless, this wasn’t the start that Porter or the Revolution wanted.
“The first eight games weren't good enough in terms of record, points, goals for, goals against,” Porter said. “There are reasons behind that. Obviously, Champions Cup, there’s plenty of excuses, but bottom line, it wasn't good enough.”
The Revs are seven points off from a playoff spot with 26 games left. In short, there’s still plenty of soccer left to play.
With this in mind, Porter is focused on how his team plays during the next stretch.
“Right now, it's almost a new mini season, these eight games,” Porter said. “What's our record going to be at the end of these eight games? What's our points [total]? What's our goals for, goals against?”
Porter was encouraged by the Revs’ most recent performance, a 1-0 road loss to Toronto FC, noting, “It was probably our second-best performance of the year; the analytics show that.”
Porter stated his team “got in great spots to score more than any other game.”
The Revs led in many statistical categories, including expected goals in open play (.93 to .53) and expected goals on set pieces (.65 to .19). Both stats were taken from FotMob.
Giacomo Vrioni had two good chances while Nacho Gil and Mark-Anthony Kaye each had solid bids on goal. None of them ended up in the back of the net though.
“We just have to finish, that's the biggest thing,” Porter said. “But if we play that way, there's a path forward. I believe the results will come.”
Experienced defender Nick Lima understands that an MLS season is long.
The former San Jose and Austin player recognizes there will be ups and downs. The unique nature of MLS—where nine teams in each conference make the playoffs—means that teams just have to get hot at the right time.
“In Austin, we were second place in the west,” Lima explained. “We won eight in a row in the summer, we’re second in the west, and we get into playoffs with big momentum and make a run. The playoffs are awesome because you get the opportunity, you just have to make it in.”
Of course, the Revs have to start collecting points if they’re going to make the postseason. This is why the next eight games are so important.
“Things happen fast in this league, man,” Lima said. “You look at the scoreboard – one, two games away, and you're fighting for a playoff spot already, and then who knows what happens from there?
“You can climb the table really quickly. I think every team is so similar from top to bottom in this league still that teams struggle and when they do, you just have to take your opportunity to climb that table.”