A new year brings a new outlook.

This is especially true for the New England Revolution, who welcome Marko Mitrovic as their 10th official head coach.

While much of the roster remains the same — the club added five players and said goodbye to five — there's hope the Revs can return to the playoffs for the first time since 2023.

"The arrival of coach Mitrovic has helped me to return my belief in the club and in the team, and really think that we can compete again like we did years ago," Carles Gil told Angel Salcedo of WCVB.

This conviction stems from preseason, where Mitrovic shared new ideas while establishing a family-like atmosphere. He also set high standards, both on and off the field.

"He's very intense," Andrew Farrell explained to Zolak and Bertrand. "He's very 100% no matter what you're doing. If you're in training, give it 100%. If you have a day off, make sure you enjoy it, full day off."

The past six weeks has Gil, a former MLS MVP who helped the club set a points record in 2021, optimstic for 2026. Still, he knows how unpredictable MLS can be.

"In the end, you never know if you’re going to win or not," Gil said. "But sometimes you can feel if you’re going to be a competitive team, a team that has a clear plan, knows what do with the ball, without the ball. We are working a lot on that.

"That makes everyone happy and confident in what we are doing. When a team has clear ideas in what to do, it’s easier to be closest to winning games.”

Mitrovic has said that he wants his team to attack. Early glimpses show a free-flowing group that encourages rotations.

"With the ball, we want to combine, to try to be a dominant team but also a team who has opportunities to create goals," Gil said.

The club captain recognizes that the last two seasons have been difficult, with the Revs finishing 14th in the East in 2024 and 11th in 2025.

But fans have stuck with the team. Now, Gil is looking to reward them.

"We hope to give them what they want, which is a winning team," Gil said. "I think that this season they’ll see a team they can recognize, with clear ideas, with personality.

"I think those things bring a team closer to victory, but we need to show that on the field and we need to win. The league grows every year and is more difficult every year. It’s a nice challenge. I think we’ve prepared well during the preseason for the first game.”

At 33, Gil continues to impress, collecting 10 goals and 14 assists in 2025, his best offensive output since joining MLS in 2019.

He admits that he still gets nerves before opening day, though these emotions are slightly different now.

"I’m more inspired, in fact, because I value every season more," Gil said. "I think at this age you appreciate it a little differently."