Am I having a bad dream? Is the 2026 New England Revolution season going to be the nightmare it was on Saturday night or am I overreacting? It was only one game after all, one in which the Revs were missing most of their defensive players.

This feels like déjà vu. Almost a year ago to the day, we were coming out of pre-season hearing all of the positive messages from the coach and players. How upbeat things were, how well the team was coming together. How bright the future season would be. We then witnessed one of our worst seasons and those positive words ring hollow.

This year, going into the first season under new coach Marko Mitrović, felt like a departure from the depression that was the Caleb Porterpositives era. Mitrović was an exciting hire, not someone that everyone predicted. His pedigree is impressive, he is seemingly admired by former players and coaches alike, and from all reports is a genuinely nice human being. All those qualities give me hope that what we saw on Saturday is not a reflection of how this entire season will be.

But, despite all the positives, we must acknowledge that Mitrović is the head coach of a professional club for the first time. There will be bumps in the road and growing pains. How could there not be?

I came into this season with a mix of hope and hesitation. Will Mitrović be able to reach his potential as a coach and lead this squad back to the playoffs? Sporting director Curt Onalfo did not have much flexibility with the roster, but they were able to bring in some younger players to combine with the veterans. I have been looking forward to the attacking prowess of a healthy Leo Campana and Dor Turgeman scoring goals orchestrated by Carles Gil.

What we got this past Saturday night was a fall flat on our faces. If I had not known any better, I would have thought Porter was still coaching the team.

The Revs got completely outplayed by Nashville. Played right off the park.

The team from Tennessee was up two goals in just over 15 minutes. The Revs could not get on the ball, could not gain any momentum until the game was already in the bag. They could not manage to get a shot on goal in the first half. They only had two shots on goal for the whole game.

Maybe the result says more about the dominance and brilliance of Nashville than it does a depleted Revs side. Injuries certainly did not help, but if I am being honest, I do not think a healthy team would have changed much.

The Revs looked helpless out there.

The difference in class between the two teams was staggering. Never mind the fact that Nashville took its foot off the gas. They could have scored more if they wanted to, of that, I am sure.

Mitrović clearly needs more time to get the team going and turn out performances that the fans can be proud of. I am hoping the season will not be too far gone before that starts happening.

MLS is only getting more difficult. Almost every team in the league has gotten better. There are no easy games to be had, and the Revs should never go into a match expecting to win. Not with how the past couple of years have gone.

I genuinely hope I am overreacting to a singular poor performance. It would be great if the Revs are going full speed in the direction of the playoffs in a couple of months.

But that was a dreadful performance on Saturday night. Let’s not mince words. If that is how the Revs are going to play this season, we are in deep, deep trouble.

The last time the Revs played in New Jersey left a painful mark, going up 2-0 but ultimately losing 5-3. I know it is not fair to this year's team to keep comparing them to the past.

Rationally I know this team is different than last year's team. Unfortunately, that first performance against Nashville makes me wonder if nothing has changed.