When the New England Revolution first suspended, and then completely parted ways with Bruce Arena in the summer of 2023, things pretty comprehensively fell apart. A team with an MVP-caliber No. 10, exciting young players and veteran knowhow just about everywhere, one that had been on a 65-point pace, absolutely crumbled down the stretch under a series of interim managers, culminating in a limp exit from the playoffs.
The job of Curt Onalfo, who became sporting director upon Arena’s departure, was to find the right, long-term replacement to get the Revs – still loaded with talented players, both young and old – back to that contender-level pace, and so he turned to Caleb Porter. Porter had won MLS Cup in both Portland and Columbus, had almost always used the same 4-2-3-1 Arena’s side had deployed in Foxborough, and said all the right things (more or less “this team doesn’t need an overhaul, just a few structural tweaks”) heading into the season.
They lost each of their first four games, and 10 of their first 13. It was a miserable year in just about every way.
In we go:
More than anything else, this tells the story of 2024 for the Revs: They could not stop anyone. With two games left they’ve conceded 64 goals, which is their worst mark in more than a quarter century. This despite returning the entire defense that had won the Supporters’ Shield back in 2021, and then had remained respectable for the subsequent two seasons (sure, right back Brandon Bye was hurt, but that doesn’t account for such a massive drop-off).
With a new coach, though – minor tactical tweaks or not – they looked like an entirely different group.
And this was not some sort of cascade of bad luck, as the advanced data matched what we were all seeing in the boxscore. Nearly halfway through the season, with the Revs sitting on a 2W-10L-1D record, their expected goal differential per 90 was -1.03.
To put that into context, that is more than 50% worse than what last year’s Wooden Spoon winners, Toronto FC, logged per 90 (-0.67). It’s about 33% worse than the legendarily bad 2019 FC Cincinnati side (-0.77) that set the league record for both goals conceded (75, since equalled by this year’s Quakes) and negative goal differential (-44; Cincy still own that one).
Which is to say that, through 13 games, you would not have been out of line in saying that New England were one of the handful of worst teams in MLS history.
Before the winter window closed, the Revs made their first significant move, parting ways with Henrich Ravas and bringing in goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic.
The ball really got rolling in the summer, though:
- DeJuan Jones and Henry Kessler were shipped out, the first to make way for promising academy left back Peyton Miller and the second to bring in veteran Tim Parker (who’s on an expiring deal).
- Xavier Arreaga, another CB, was acquired from the Sounders.
- D-mid Alhassan Yusuf was purchased from Royal Antwerp.
- Noel Buck – a breakout performer in 2023 who finished 4th in last year’s 22 Under 22, but never got on track in 2024 – was loaned out to Southampton.
- They used a U-22 slot to bring in another Argentine winger in Luca Langoni.
Gone was the notion that this team needed just slight tweaks. It’s a vastly different group than it was six months ago, and no one expects the changes are done.
Even if things got better after the 13-game poop-scoot that effectively ended the season before May ended, they still haven’t been great: 7W-9L-3D since the start of June. And since the start of September it feels like spring again, as New England’s clocked just 1W-5L-2D.
So there doesn’t really seem to be anything structural to hang their collective hat on. However, the play of the 16-year-old Miller at left back and of 19-year-old Esmir Bajraktarevic at right wing at least give a small silver lining to an otherwise lost year.
Even that, however, is somewhat dimmed by the regression and eventual departure of Buck, as well as the inability of Dylan Borrero to recover anything close to his pre-injury form.
- Carles Gil (AM): Still one of the best No. 10s in the league, so a wasted year at the tail end of his prime really, really hurts.
- Alhassan Yusuf (DM): Has shown some good things in limited time thus far.
- Peyton Miller (LB): Does not look out of place physically – he’s clocked in as one of the fastest players in the league – and has shown good attacking instincts.
- Luca Langoni (W): Hasn’t been particularly productive, but I’m gonna give him grace as he’s a young guy learning a new league.
- Esmir Bajraktarevic (W): Became more of a downhill player in the second half of the season, which is very promising.
The Revs have a ton of flexibility in the middle of their roster, as 13 players who make between $286k and $1.03m are either on club options for 2025 or are out of contract entirely. I wouldn’t be shocked if the vast majority are gone, and that means literal millions of dollars for Onalfo and the rest of the front office to work with this winter.
The DP situation is trickier. Gil’s not going anywhere (nor should he), but what about disappointing No. 9 Giacomo Vrioni, who’s entering the final year of his guaranteed deal? Winger Tomás Chancalay, meanwhile – who missed most of the season via injury, and didn’t seem to be one of Porter’s favorites even when healthy – has two more years left, though each is at about half of Vrioni’s 2025 reported $2m salary.
Is a buyout on the table for one, or somehow both? Kind of feels like it might be, especially if they feel urgency to build one last contender around Gil, who turns 32 next month.
Bottom line: expect the Revs to be one of the busiest teams in the league this winter. And if there’s not marked, immediate improvement to start next season… well, if that’s the case, I wouldn’t expect the mid-season changes to be limited to the roster.
