Revolution Notebook: Health Update, Leagues Cup, And Goodbyes
Here are some notes before Tuesday's game against Nashville SC.
The New England Revolution host Nashville SC on Tuesday in their second—and final—Leagues Cup group stage game. Here are some notes before the 7:30 kick.
A Health Update
The Revs have been missing several players recently due to injury, including Carles Gil, Giacomo Vrioni, and Dylan Borrero.
While head coach Caleb Porter doesn’t expect to have any new players available for Tuesday’s game, he did say the team is getting healthier.
“We’re getting a little bit, every week, further along with every guy,” Porter said. “No new guys will play in this game, but we are getting healthier and healthier. I would expect, like I've said, obviously the players need to go through the final stages of the return to play protocol, but we should have close to everybody being available for the Montreal league game [on August 24] when we start back up in the league.”
An Opportunity to Advance
The Revs control their destiny on Tuesday as a win or a tie against Nashville ensures a trip to the knockout round. They would also advance if defeated by a one-goal margin.
“We want to advance, obviously, in the tournament,” Porter said. “There is a lot of motivation to do that. We know what we need to do. Obviously, we understand all the scenarios. The guys are prepared and ready, and we're looking forward to getting a result.”
The Revs face an interesting opponent as Nashville hasn’t won since June 23 and hasn’t scored more than one goal since June 19.
That said, the team will be looking to get its first win under new coach B.J. Callaghan. Callaghan’s first game in charge was a 2-0 home loss to Mazatlán FC on Wednesday.
“With any new coach coming into a team, you want to find your first win,” Matt Polster said. “Unfortunately, they didn't do that against Mazatlán, so they will want to find a way to do it against us. They are going to be eager to come here and try and win, so we have to find a way to balance things and to bring our A-game to make sure we find a way to win ourselves.”
Saying Goodbye To Jones And Kessler
The Revs recently traded two long-time players, sending DeJuan Jones to Columbus for Will Sands and $600,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and Henry Kessler to St. Louis for Tim Parker and $600,000 in GAM.
Jones had been with the Revs since 2019 while Kessler joined in 2020.
Many players used social media to express their feelings about Jones and Kessler. On Monday, Polster was asked for his thoughts during his media availability.
“They started their careers here, so I think it is a difficult moment for each of them,” Polster said. “They are both very talented players and great guys, so we wish them nothing but the best.
“I grew close to both of them. They obviously got to see my kids being raised here in New England, so they were part of my family a little bit. But they are both very talented players, and they are going to good clubs where they will be taken care of and we wish them nothing but the best. They will be missed.”
Polster was also asked about the current state of the Revs in light of recent transactions.
Besides the two intraleague trades, the club recently acquired Argentian winger Luca Langoni from Boca Juniors in a club-record transfer.
“I think we are in a good state,” Polster said. “I think whatever the staff is looking to do, I'm fully behind it. They support us, so we as players need to support them in whatever decision they are making. It is for the betterment of the club, so for us as players…we can only go out there and do what we need to do, and that's to perform and to win games.”
Don't see this team doing much this season. Traded two decent players for two so so players and pay around 7 million for a player with a history of injuries. This makes a lot of sense Porter needs to go along with Curt with his history of poor signings.
It feels like we probably could play some more guys, but we’re trying to throw the leagues cup. If we make it to the round of 16, I think we’d have a miraculous recovery of a lot of the players we’re resting and make a real push, but until then none of them are coming back.