FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — It is a testament to the resilience and heart of this New England Revolution team that anyone watching Saturday night’s contest with FC Dallas would not have suspected that the home side was playing their third game in eight days. Indeed, for a team that had already lost two games in the same week and three in a row, the Revs looked rejuvenated, determined, and up for the challenge of their last MLS match before the Leagues Cup break.
And if someone was surprised to learn that New England was playing on tired legs, they would have been downright shocked to find out that Peyton Miller was making his first career MLS start. The 16-year-old defender displayed creative talent, mature bravery, and blistering pace throughout his 82-minute appearance, and played a key role in creating what ultimately went down as an own goal from Dallas’ Nkosi Tafari, New England’s only tally in their draw with the Toros.
“I thought I performed well,” Miller said after the game, seemingly unfazed by the gravity of his first start. “It was great to represent my family, friends, and my town, and the crest especially.”
The Connecticut native shared that he had known for a few days that Saturday’s game would be his first start, but said that he didn’t let himself take it for granted.
“I found out I was starting on Wednesday,” Miller said. “I mean, I was excited, but I knew that I had to do my job and that the team would need me.”
Miller had big plays on both sides of the ball Saturday night. He will rightly be remembered for providing the pinpoint cross for his team’s second-half goal, but about 10 minutes before the break there was a moment when he put on a full sprint just to win a ball in midfield near the touchline. Miller was rewarded for his industry with a crunching tackle, one that earned Sebastien Ibeagha a yellow card, but Peyton said after the game that he had no room in his game for compromise on plays like that.
“I think when I play it’s more of, like, a life-and-death situation, where I have to get the ball,” he stated coolly. “And if I don’t get the ball then they’re going to counter-attack. But I really get that bravery — that’s just how I grew up playing.”
His performance also stood out to head coach Caleb Porter, who made it clear he would have had Miller on the field much sooner had it been possible.
“I thought he was unbelievable,” Porter said. “Showed his quickness. Like I’ve been telling you guys, in preseason I told you, this kid is something else. Had him at the two [in the depth chart] and then he was injured all year. He’d probably have 10 games or more if he wasn’t injured … I think you could see he’s got a bright, bright future.”
Porter went on to explain how it wasn’t any one aspect of Miller’s game that made him so impressive, but how he had a command of so many different skillsets at his young age that stood out to him the most.
“He’s not just quick, but he’s a very good crosser,” Porter said. “You look at some of the crosses that he feathers in, it’s very educated. A lot of quality. And he’s brave. At one point he came over to me and he’s like, ‘These guys need to keep getting me the ball.’ That’s the mentality you want out of a kid. He’s brave and aggressive; he wants the ball and wants to win. Got in a lot of tackles, too, going against a very good player in [Paul] Arriola.”
Porter has said he hopes to have most of the Revolution’s major injury absences back by the time league play resumes in late August, but with Leagues Cup kicking off in just a week this may be a crucial stretch for Miller to continue to demonstrate his outstanding talent. It should not be forgotten that Miller’s MLS debut came on the same night as Philadelphia’s rising star Cavan Sullivan, and if the Revs defender continues to perform like he did against Dallas, then those two names could keep coming up together in conversations about the next great American soccer talents.
