Amid a downturn of success and the club all but guaranteed to miss the playoffs for a second straight year, the New England Revolution front office made a long-awaited move Monday morning as it parted ways with head coach Caleb Porter less than two full seasons into his tenure.
Porter, the Revolution’s ninth head coach (excluding interim managers), accrued a 23-39-13 record across all competitions with the Revolution. Assistant Coach Pablo Moreira, Porter’s No. 2 since his tenure as coach of Akron University, will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
While the writing had been on the wall for some time — the Revolution have won three times in their last 20 games and are just 3-9-3 at Gillette Stadium this season — the coaching change does not on its own address other major issues affecting New England this season, including tactics, player personnel decisions, and roster composition.
It’s important to recall the team Porter inherited when he was named head coach in December 2023.
The Revolution had just crashed out of the playoffs, but the environment within the locker room had soured. Head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena resigned in September after being placed on administrative leave for five weeks after reportedly making “insensitive and inappropriate remarks.” Assistant coaches Dave van den Bergh and Shalrie Joseph followed Arena out, with Arena’s second-in-command Curt Onalfo taking over as sporting director and assistants Richie Williams and Clint Peay each undertaking stints as interim head coach.
But the details of Arena’s departure were murky, with few specifics made public, and the players never regained their form despite starting the year as championship contenders. In fact, the core of the team was mostly intact from the squad that won the 2021 Supporters’ Shield by breaking MLS’s regular season points record.
So when Onalfo and Revolution President Brian Bilello appointed Porter, a veteran coach who had won an MLS Cup with both the Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew, there was a sense the team could pick up where it left off prior to the Arena drama. Porter came in saying as much, anyway.
“I wouldn’t have taken the job unless I felt we could win an MLS Cup here,” he said during his introductory press conference.
Regardless, nothing went as planned. The Revolution ended last season second-to-last in the Eastern Conference, at 9-21-4. Over the course of last summer’s transfer window and the offseason, the front office made major moves to open up salary cap space and maximize player worth.
First Henry Kessler and DeJuan Jones — two centerpieces of Arena’s back line and depth pieces in the U.S. national team’s player pool — were traded. Next came a series of moves to free up roster slots and more cap space: Designated Player striker Giacamo Vrioni was shipped to Montreal for a draft pick; Internationals Dylan Borrero, Xavier Arreaga, and Nacho Gil had their options declined; and veterans like Bobby Wood and Tommy McNamara had expensive contracts expire.
In the meantime, the San Jose Earthquakes hired Arena as head coach and sporting director. Tasked with a rebuild of his own, he turned to a familiar partner — engineering five trades with New England to acquire six former players, including leading prospect Noel Buck, who joined San Jose this spring after a loan stint with Premier League side Southampton.
All told, the Revolution managed to open up $5.5 million in general allocation money and other roster-building assets to approach the 2025 season. Porter and Onalfo remade the back line, then added Leonardo Campana off a $2.5 million discount with Inter Miami CF to serve as the club’s main attacking threat. A series of international transactions and smaller moves in domestic free agency were meant to add depth up and down the lineup.
Thirty-three moves — 19 departures, 14 new arrivals — provided Porter with the setup he desired.
“I can guarantee you this is today my roster, my team,” he said in January. “I’ve picked these players, along with [Curt Onalfo], and we’re really happy with where we’re at.”
While the Revolution appeared to be on the right track earlier this season — they had a nine-game run in regular season play and seemed to be in contention for an automatic playoff berth — things began unraveling in late May. Porter’s switch to a 3-5-2 formation lost its effectiveness, and the Revolution started surrendering untimely goals or lost their foothold in games when opponents adjusted.
The club has also been historically bad at Gillette Stadium, tying the 2011 record for consecutive games without a win on home turf (seven). The team’s record for this statistic is nine, achieved in 1998.
Moreira will today preside over the final four games of the regular season with the Revolution on the verge of being mathematically eliminated from post-season contention.
The club’s front office will today shift its focus to preparing for 2026. It remains to be seen if there will be more leadership changes. Earlier this summer, Porter’s futility led to protests from the Revolution’s official supporters groups, the Midnight Riders and the Rebellion, which also expressed dissatisfaction with Onalfo and club president Brian Bilello.
In any case, the head coaching job will likely attract significant interest. Despite the team’s lack of success this year, there is a foundation for the right coach to build upon. Potential candidates could include veteran Jim Curtin, who won the 2020 Supporters’ Shield with the Philadelphia Union; former Revolution striker and Portland Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese; San Jose assistant and longtime Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston; former Revolution defender Rob Valentino, currently an assistant in Atlanta; and LA Galaxy assistant Dan Calichman, a former Revolution defender.
There may also be intriguing international options in the mix, though the Kraft family has not hired a non-American without some experience playing or coaching in MLS since inaugural head coach Frank Stapleton in 1996.
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