Head Coach | New England Revolution
Caleb Porter at a Glance:
- Named the ninth head coach in Revolution club history on Dec. 19, 2023.
- One of six coaches to win multiple MLS Cups, and one of only three to do so with different clubs, having led the Portland Timbers (2015) and Columbus Crew SC (2020) to league titles.
- Entering 2024, MLS winning percentage ranks top-10 among all coaches (min. 200 games).
- Led Columbus to the MLS Cup title in second season with the club in 2020, before winning the Campeones Cup the following season.
- Named 2013 MLS Coach of the Year after first MLS season, when he led Portland to a 23-point turnaround over the previous year to finish first in the Western Conference.
- With the University of Akron from 2006-12, won the 2010 NCAA D-I men’s soccer national championship, seven consecutive MAC regular season titles, and six straight MAC Coach of the Year honors. Â
- Won back-to-back NCAA College Cup titles (2003 and 2004) as an assistant at his alma mater, Indiana University.
Caleb Porter is in his first season as Head Coach of the New England Revolution following his appointment to the position on Dec. 19, 2023. The ninth head coach in club history, Porter is a two-time MLS Cup winner and NCAA national champion as a head coach with over 20 years of experience across Major League Soccer, the NCAA, and international soccer.
Porter arrives in New England as one of six head coaches to own multiple MLS Cup championships, and one of only three to do so with different clubs. Entering his 10th MLS season as a head coach, Porter’s 295 games of experience are eighth most among active coaches in the league, while his .534 career winning percentage stands as the 10th best in league history among coaches with at least 200 games managed. In the MLS Cup Playoffs, Porter’s record stands at an impressive 9-3-4 (.688). If he is successful in his mission of leading the Revolution to the club’s first MLS Cup victory, Porter will become the only coach to lead three different clubs to the MLS Cup titles. Â
Prior to his appointment in New England, Porter led the Columbus Crew for four seasons from 2019-2022, where he compiled a 52-46-39 record in the regular season. In only his second year with the club, Porter guided the Crew to a 12-5-6 mark in league play en route to the club’s second MLS Cup title, also his second, with a 3-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC in the final. The following year, Porter and the Crew claimed the 2021 Campeones Cup trophy with a 2-0 win over LIGA MX champions Cruz Azul.
Porter, born in Tacoma, Wash. and raised in Michigan, began his MLS coaching career in 2013 with the Portland Timbers, where he would deliver the club to the Western Conference Final twice in three seasons, winning his and the club’s first MLS Cup in 2015. In his first professional season, Porter won MLS Coach of the Year honors after leading the Timbers to a first-place finish in the Western Conference with a 14-5-15 record, marking a historic 23-point turnaround and 46-goal improvement in goal differential from the previous campaign. During his first 100 regular season professional soccer matches, Porter only lost 25 of them, posting a record of 39-25-36 over that span.
Porter posted a 68-50-52 record with the Timbers over his five seasons with the club. In 2015, he helped the Timbers set a single-season club record in wins (15) and lead MLS in shutouts (13) on the way to the league title. In his final season with the club, Porter helped claim the 2017 Cascadia Cup and led the Timbers to yet another first-place finish in the Western Conference.Â
Before entering the professional ranks, Porter coached the men’s soccer program at University of Akron for seven seasons from 2006-12, where he built one of the most dominant programs in collegiate sports history. Porters’ Zips won the Mid-American Conference regular season title in all seven of his years at the helm. After finishing as runners-up in 2009, he led the Zips to the 2010 NCAA Division I national championship with a 1-0 victory over the University of Louisville in the final; future Revolution midfielder Scott Caldwell scored the game-winning goal in the title match.
With Akron, Porter compiled a 123-18-17 record and garnered numerous honors including National Soccer Coaches Association of America National Coach of the Year (2009) and six consecutive MAC Coach of the Year awards from 2007-12. He remains the fastest coach in program history to reach 100 wins at Akron, doing so in just 126 matches, while also setting an NCAA record conference unbeaten streak at 47 games (44-0-3) in 2012.
Porter’s experience in international club competition includes three Concacaf Champions Cups (2014-15, 2016-17, 2021), as he is set to enter the tournament for the fourth time when New England begins this year’s campaign in February 2024, which will mark the coach’s first official competition with the Revolution. While at Akron, Porter also gained valuable coaching experience at the international level as Head Coach of the U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team from 2011-12. He also worked as an Assistant Coach with the Under-18 national team from 2009-11.
Porter began his coaching career as an Assistant Coach for six seasons at his alma mater, Indiana University, from 2000-05. He helped the Hoosiers win back-to-back NCAA College Cup titles in 2003 and 2004, five consecutive Big Ten Conference regular season championships, and two Big Ten Conference Tournaments in 2001 and 2003. Porter’s playing career included four seasons of collegiate soccer at Indiana, where the former midfielder graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports management.
The San Jose Clash selected Porter in the third round with the 27th overall pick in the 1998 MLS College Draft. He spent the 1999 MLS season with the Clash before joining the A-league’s Sacramento Geckos on loan. Porter went on to sign with the Tampa Bay Mutiny in July 1999 before knee injuries led to his retirement on June 30, 2000.
Caleb Porter’s Coaching Background
- New England Revolution | 2024
- Columbus Crew SC | 2019-22
- Portland Timbers | 2013-17
- University of Akron | 2006-12
- U.S. Men’s National Team (Under-23) | 2011-12
- U.S. Men’s National Team (Under-18 – Assistant | 2009-11
- University of Akron | 2006-12
- Indiana University (Assistant) | 2000-05