BRADENTON, Fla. – With so many changes to the Revolution roster – 14 new additions since the end of the 2024 campaign – one of the most pressing questions this preseason is who will earn starting spots come opening day? As new faces have arrived in key positions, the Revolution’s depth is becoming apparent, but it’s the competition for those starting slots that could drive players to play their best soccer this season.
When it comes to picking a starting XI, head coach Caleb Porter doesn’t consider seniority; he simply cares about who is playing their best and who deserves to be on the pitch. “Every position is an open competition. I don’t care what age a guy is. I want to play the best players and the players who deserve to play,” he said. “At the end of the day, the players that perform and the players that I think are worthy will play.”
Notably, the Revolution roster has gotten a lot younger this season and it is something Porter feels good about. “It's exciting to have new blood, and it's exciting to have young players who are really hungry and eager,” said Porter. “They do need to earn it, though. They do need to earn it.”
The outside back positions are an area where New England finds itself with plenty of depth in 2025, and with that, plenty of competition. With the incoming Ilay Feingold, Porter emphasizes how competition has already begun to elevate the play of right back Brandon Bye. “I have seen the level of Brandon Bye go up this year. Is that because it is year two after the ACL [injury]? Probably,” explained Porter. “He seems more confident, more aggressive, and more back to probably normal. But also, it doesn’t hurt. He is not dumb. He sees the signing of Ilay and sees that he has got someone [to compete with], and that he is going to have to perform. The best way to get players to perform is competition.”
Porter emphasized that any team will have a handful of players who are expected starters, but that it’s important to feel comfortable with rotations and playing different players on the pitch. For New England, he says “for the most part, up the spine, it will be pretty obvious who is going to play. It doesn’t mean we won’t have good guys behind those guys to be able to step in if we need depth.” In terms of where he expects the most competition, Porter mentioned the outside backs, the central midfielders, and possibly on the wings.
At the end of the day, Porter’s emphasis on competition and performance is not just about elevating players, but about creating a squad that is flexible, adaptable, and capable of rotating key players without losing a step. As the season unfolds, the Revolution will not only have depth and talent across the board, but also the tactical flexibility to adapt and evolve as needed. As Porter put it, “I think you will see that we have a very tactically flexible team this year that can evolve and can do different things. We are catering to that, and it has been fun to see.”
