FOXBORO — New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter has a history transforming a contender into an MLS Cup champion in short order.
Porter, 48, did it in the Pacific Northwest with the Portland Timbers (2015) and in the nation’s heartland with the Columbus Crew (2020). Porter would like to add New England to his collection of transcontinental triumphs with an original MLS franchise that has never won a league championship.
Porter was formally introduced as the Revolution’s ninth head coach during a press briefing on Thursday morning at Gillette Stadium.
Porter was joined at the podium by his new boss, first-year sporting director Curt Onalfo, with team owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft and club president Brian Bilello in attendance.
“Caleb is a proven winner, he has incredible experience and he has won everywhere he has been,” said Onalfo. “At the college level, at Portland, in Columbus and he is going to do it here.”
Porter was the 2013 MLS Coach of the Year who compiled a record of 113-93-89 in nine MLS regular seasons and 9-3-4 in the playoffs. Porter’s Crew beat Bruce Arena’s Revolution squad in the 2020 Eastern Conference final and advanced to win the MLS Cup.
Porter brings a different set of priorities to a new job than most first-year coaches. Porter would prefer to take over a strong program with an established nucleus and put it over that top as opposed rebuilding a weak program and molding it into a contender.
That is exactly the situation he has in New England. The Revolution set an MLS regular-season record with 73 points in 2021 and many of those players remain on the roster. The Revolution underperformed in the tumultuous final three months last season after Arena resigned and were eliminated by the Philadelphia Union in the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs.
Having game planned against the Revolution in the recent past, Porter is familiar with the pieces in place and has a clear idea how they will fit in his “blueprint” at the start of training camp.
“This is a very strong foundation to build on with the people, the staff, and the infrastructure and the roster,” said Porter. “Those aspects are very important to me in my decision and ultimately that is why I felt that this was the ideal fit.
“The team is rife for success and I look forward to getting to work with the players and helping them to continue to leave a legacy and hopefully put more trophies in the trophy case. I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t feel we could win an MLS Cup here.”
Porter began his tenure by conducting interviews with the players Onalfo retained in the offseason. Topping Porter’s list was Revolution captain Carles Gil, the 2021 league MVP and one of the most dominant and productive midfielders in the league. The Revolution’s attack goes where Gil take it.
“We will put our tweaks on everything and how we can improve the roster and make it better but there is a long process to get there,” Porter. “In my nine years in the league I have developed a blueprint and a process to get there. I believe that the daily details determine the difference and that’s the edge.”
Porter expects to have his staff in place before the team departs to Florida for training camp. Porter said he has retained Clint Peay, who was the Revolution’s interim head coach at the end of last season. The roster spot in biggest need of an upgrade is goalkeeper. The Revolution signed defender Jonathan Mensah on Thursday. Mensah played for Porter in Columbus.