Revolution Looking To Re-Establish Fortress Foxboro

Porter: “That's really important, to get off to a good start and get that first win at home against a very good team."

Photo Courtesy of J. Alexander Dolan

The New England Revolution are looking to re-establish Fortress Foxboro. A positive result on Saturday against one of the league’s best teams could do that.

The Crew, who won MLS Cup in 2024 and Leagues Cup in 2025, are coming off a 4-2 win against the Chicago Fire.

The Revs, who tied Nashville SC 0-0 on opening weekend, are aware of the quality their opponent brings.

“With Columbus, they're a very good attacking team,” head coach Caleb Porter said. “We know we're going to have to be mindful of their attacking players and their attacking style of play.

“They're very aggressive, both sides of the ball. They look to create chances with their press and with their control of the game. Obviously, they're very good in the final third, as well, in how they pin you back and get crosses in and attack you in the little half spaces. We're going to have to be mindful of that.”

Two goals Columbus scored last weekend came by forcing a turnover from a Chicago player.

The Revs showcased an ability to build out of the back at times last weekend and they’re continuing to work on it.

“I think it is a quality of ours and it is something that we have really been focusing on this week,” Jackson Yueill said. “I think we have some talented players with the ball. It is a strategy that we want to, kind of, attract [Columbus] so we can give a little bit more space to Carles [Gil], Leo [Campana], and Gana [Ignatius Ganago], and attacking forward.”

While defending will be an important part of the game, Porter also understands the need to put pressure on Columbus.

Last weekend, Chicago found two goals by exploiting the Crew’s three-man backline. The Revs could look to do the same.

“When you look at [the Crew’s] shape, it's built to attack,” Porter said. “They want the ball. They want to be in that 3-5-2, 3-4-3. They want to pin you back. They want that shape to be an attacking shape, not a defensive shape.

“So can we, in different ways, without divulging too much, make it more of a defensive shape? And can we put pressure on their back three in different ways?

“I feel like we have a dangerous attack who can do that in the right ways. But we can't be naive. They're going to have the ball some, and they're going to pin us back some, and we need to be organized for those moments.”

Saturday will be the first regular-season game of 2025 that the Revs play at Gillette Stadium.

After going 5-8-4 at home last year, the new-look Revolution hope to make a good impression on their hometown fans. To do this, they must find a balance between offense and defense.

“You have to be smart,” Porter said. “Some teams do poorly at home because they go and open themselves up. We want to be balanced as a team in every game this year, home and away.

“What I mean by that is how we attack, how we defend, the balance of how we play, the consistency of how we play, we want to be very clear, which means we'll always look to defend really well [and] we'll always look to score goals also. But mostly we're looking to win.”

This weekend begins a stretch where the Revs play three of four at home. As such, the game against the Crew could be used to set a standard.

“That's really important, to get off to a good start and get that first win at home against a very good team,” Porter said. “Sometimes you get a win early in the year and it's against a team that maybe hasn't been that good. This will definitely be a statement win, if we're able to get it.”