The New England Revolution last played an MLS match a little over a month ago on May 23rd. They won't play their next scheduled MLS fixture for another month, all the way out on July 22nd.
We're in the middle of a pretty substantial pause in the middle of the season. That pause, of course, is to allow for the World Cup.
Like many of you, I'm sure, I've been enamored with the drama and storylines of the planet's largest soccer competition. Not to mention all the love Boston has been getting from fans and players alike.
I'm ashamed to admit that, as a result of all this excitement, I've found the Revs far from the front of my mind. I have even found myself forgetting things that I used to know offhand. Things like the Revs goal-differential, or certain aspects of the formation, or that Leo Campana exists.
Trust, then, that I'm writing this piece as much to remind myself of where the Revs are (and where they may be headed) as to inform the reading public.
It seems to me that New England, despite a strong start to the year, has several problems that need solutions if they are to continue with their status as Eastern Conference contenders.
Where will the goals come from?
While I made a bit of a joke about Leo Campana fading from memory, after picking up an injury and most recently seeing the field on March 21, you could make a similar jest about his striker partner Dor Turgeman. The pair of center forwards have combined for just three of the Revs 22 goals this season.
Using stats from FBRef, about 33% of goals (218 of 659) in MLS this year have been scored by players labeled as 'FW' in their database. Compare this to the Revs 13.6% as laid out above, and it's no secret that New England isn't getting as much from their forwards as other clubs.
If we expand that from just 'FW' to include players with hybrid 'FW/MF' and 'MF/FW' designations, effectively bringing wingers into the fold, they are responsible for 465 of the 659 goals scored in MLS this season. That's a whopping 70.6%. The Revs center forwards and wingers are responsible for 7 of New Englands 22 goals: 31.8%.
This may be somewhat flawed since I can't (read: didn't want to) ensure that the position labels are entirely accurate. Notably, Carles Gil is listed as a pure midfielder in their database, and he's responsible for another 5 goals himself. Even still, his inclusion only brings the Revs 'attack' up to a 54.5% goal share.
All this to say that New England has been spreading the goals around - and not just amongst forwards.
New England's 36.4% goal-share coming from DF or hybrid DF players dwarfs the league wide 9.7% share. It's worth questioning if this is a sustainable path forward for the Revolution, who currently take the fewest shots-per-90, and 2nd fewest shots-on-target-per-90 of any team in the league.
Will Revs lock down Turner?
As I'm writing this Matt Turner's loan from Lyon is set to expire by the end of the day. The goalkeeper is currently with the USMNT at the World Cup, and it remains to be seen if he will return to the club after the tournament is over.
“We are in conversations with them to try to find a deal that satisfies all parties," New England Revolution chief soccer officer Chris Tierney said. "You have Lyon, you have us, and you have Matt, and I think the deal has to make sense for all three of those parties in order for it to work for us. So we are working diligently to make that happen. We would certainly love to have Matt here long term.”
If you had asked me yesterday whether or not the Revs would purchase Turner outright after the loan, I'd have said 'they'd be foolish not to'. There is, however, a recent rumor indicating that they may be foolish.
I've posted at length here and elsewhere that Matt Turner is not only among the best shot-stoppers in the league, but also on pace for the best shot-stopping season from a Revs keeper on record.
That includes some already record-setting performances from Djordje Petrovic as well as Matt Turner's own GKotY performance in 2021.
New England may very well think they can find another keeper, at a lower cost, or that they would like to develop their existing talent. Behind Turner on the roster are Donovan Parisian and JD Gunn, neither of whom have played significant minutes at the MLS level.
While the Revs are, of course, under no requirement to make the move official, the recent Roster Profiles released by MLS indicate that New England has an option for permanent transfer with a contract through 2028. The one snag to that plan may be the cost.
Do Revs go after a Designated Player?
As alluded to above, Matt Turner currently fills one of the Revs 2 available Designated Player spots. This is to say that his salary is high enough that his contract exists outside the salary cap, at the cost of one of your limited DP slots. It has been reported that his current loan salary is low enough that he doesn't strictly require the DP label but, in order to save discretionary allocated funds, he occupies the spot to provide cap relief elsewhere.
If New England signs Turner full-time, would his salary/fee require that he continue to take up the valuable roster designation? It's generally unwise to use a DP spot on a goalkeeper as there is much more value and impact to signing expensive outfield players.
If money is an issue and they opt to go another direction at GK (which I'm not convinced they should), they should at least have a plan as to how they want to use the DP spot that would be vacated by Turner.
Chris Tierney said they’re evaluating a number of options to bring in a Designated Player.
— Seth (@SethMan31) June 30, 2026
Says the hope and expectation is to be able to add a DP this summer. #NERevs
One rumor floating around is that the Revolution are interested in winger Jack Harrison. Harrison has experience in MLS at NYCFC and in the Premier League with Leeds and Everton. He's a talented wing player and would make sense at an MLS level at this point in his career. Given his experience and pedigree, I'd expect him to be on a contract around the DP threshold in MLS.
Seth Macomber
Personally, I would argue that the Revs don't need to bolster their wings as much as some other places on the field. Given the rate at which their center forwards score (as laid out above) even that might be a better use of a potential DP spot. And if they move on from their starting GK in order to make this (or a similar) move happen, it'd be hard to argue that they'd feel like an improved side heading into the second stanza of the MLS season.
Time will tell how they answer these questions. Let us know what you think they should do in the comments
