FOXBORO — The New England Revolution’s newly-minted full-time sporting director spent his second day on the job fielding questions on the club’s prospects for the 2024 season.
The Revolution are in the market for a new head coach to take over a team with substantial upside that immensely underachieved in the last tumultuous months of the 2023 season.
Curt Onalfo must make the signature transaction of his tenure in the next few weeks and have a new coach in place with a track record that will command the attention and respect of the players.
Onalfo knows what he wants in a head coach, but finding the right guy is a difficult process and he can’t afford to make a mistake. Onalfo spelled it out during his introductory press briefing on Friday morning at Gillette Stadium.
“We need to hire a coach and the timetable to hire a coach, the search started yesterday,” said Onalfo. “We want to make sure we have a coach in place prior to the start of preseason and January is the timeline to have a new coach in place.”
Onalfo offered no specifics on potential candidates or where he’s made inquiries, whether they be inside MLS or overseas. But he did provide and outline on the type of person he wants as his field manager.
“I want strong on character and strong on leadership and a very good tactical understanding,” said Onalfo. “The game is always changing and evolving so a strong tactical understanding on the offensive part of the field as well and the defensive part.
“He needs to have the ability to manage big personalities and big players and one that has a track record. Those are some of the qualities we will be looking for in a head coach.”
Onalfo spent the last five seasons as the Revolution’s technical director and became interim sporting director when head coach Bruce Arena, who served in both capacities, was suspended by the team on July 30 pending an MLS investigation for using inappropriate language. Arena would resign a month later.
Onalfo was in place to handle the administrative duties of finalizing player transactions and setting the roster. His first big move was to exercise the club’s permanent transfer option on 24-year-old Argentine forward Tomas Chancalay, who on Wednesday signed an MLS contract as a Designated Player through the 2026 season.
Chancalay joined midfielder Carles Gil and striker Giacomo Vrioni as the three designated players allowed by MLS. The Revolution released the names of the 17 players with guaranteed contracts through 2024 and the half dozen with one-year contract options.
The obvious omissions from the lists were forward Emmanual Boateng and striker Gustavo Bou, who had been a designated player since joining the team in 2019. When the Revs signed Chancalay as a DP, Bou became the odd man out.
“Gustavo was a player that I was very instrumental in bringing here to the club,” said Onalfo. “I have a strong very close relationship with Gustavo and love Gustavo.
“But the minute we picked up the option and bought Tomas Chancalay, that meant we had three DP’s. At that point, it makes it much more difficult to sign a player like Gustavo Bou and his qualities.”
Two of the players listed on the group of 17 were outside back Brandon Bye and midfielder Dylan Borrero, dynamic young players who suffered season-ending knee injuries last season. Bye and Borrero are essential to the Revolution’s long-range forecast and Onalfo said their rehabilitations are on schedule for a return in 2024.
“They are doing great, which is really encouraging,” said Onalfo.