New England Revolution

The Revolution are on a season-saving winning streak, but will it be derailed by injuries?

New England began the season on a historically bad run, but have won four in a row to climb back into a playoff race.

By Hayden Bird

June 28, 2024

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A little over a month ago, the Revolution sat last in the Eastern Conference with an abysmal 2-10-1 record. It was the worst start to a season in club history.

If anything, New England’s record was somehow better than what the underlying numbers indicated. Averaging an almost inconceivable -0.92 expected goals per 90 minutes, the team was on pace to be the league’s worst since the stat has been tracked in MLS.

Yet over the last four games, the Revolution have fought to save their season. New England, showing resolve and (finally) some goal-scoring capability, managed to collect all three points in four straight games for the first time since the historic Supporters’ Shield-winning days of 2021.

Consecutive wins over Nashville, the New York Red Bulls, Vancouver, and Cincinnati have not only moved Caleb Porter’s team out of last place, but — by the boundless possibilities created by the idiosyncratic MLS system — placed New England within a few points of a hypothetical playoff line.

It’s been a varied series of wins, with two coming at home and two on the road. The road games were victories mostly achieved without the ball, as New England opted for a more direct system. At home, Porter’s squad has looked increasingly comfortable within his “control” oriented style of positional play.

The common denominator has been one-goal wins, a testament to the perpetually tight margins of MLS. Another commonality has been the superb play of team captain Carles Gil.

The 31-year-old Spaniard has been the team’s primary playmaker since arriving in New England in 2019. He has been especially valuable during the recent run.

Of the eight goals the Revolution have scored in the winning streak, Gil has been involved in seven of them. He scored a memorable goal in Nashville, and provided the direct assist on two other occasions, including Emmanuel Boateng’s game-winner against New York.

Beyond that, Gil has provided the team with superb midfield support. According to Opta via FBRef, Gil ranks in the 90th percentile or greater in comparison with other MLS attacking midfielders in virtually every measurable passing statistic. This includes progressive passes (99th percentile) and shot-creating actions (97th percentile).

It’s been said before, but Gil is both figuratively and literally central to New England’s plans, which is why Porter’s injury update on Thursday was potentially disastrous news.

“Both Dylan and Carles are questionable for the game,” Porter said of Gil and winger Dylan Borrero’s statuses. “We’ll know a little bit more tomorrow on Carles, but both of them are looking unlikely for the match.”

Granted, the Revolution managed to get a win against Cincinnati (one of the most talented teams in the league) a week ago without Borrero, the exceptionally gifted 22-year-old Colombian winger who has been a difference-maker when in the Starting XI.

But the possibility of having to face Porter’s old team on Saturday (the defending MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew) without either Gil or Borrero seems a particularly daunting task.

The other issue is that Saturday kicks off the first of a trio of games New England will play in a week, given the upcoming midweek matchup with Atlanta United.

“Obviously, we have three [games] next week as well, so hopefully they’ll be available,” Porter said of Gil and Borrero. “If they’re not available for this game, hopefully they’ll be available for Atlanta [on Wednesday]. It’s another game where we have guys out and we’re not going to make it an excuse. We’ll put guys in that we feel will help us win the game and we’ll come up with a plan, but it won’t be easy for sure.”

Somehow, the injury updates on Gil and Borrero weren’t even the most consequential of the day. Moments before Porter’s press conference, the team officially notified media members that winger Tomás Chancalay (one of the team’s Designated Players) will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a partial tear in his right ACL.

“It’s tough for our team and Tomás. I really feel for him,” said Porter. “He was playing really well when he got injured.”

Like Borrero a week ago, New England has managed to get recent wins without the services of Chancalay. That was with Gil (and occasionally Borrero) in the lineup, however. Imagining the team continuing to both create and score goals minus all three feels increasingly improbable.

While Porter alluded to salary cap “mechanisms where you can get a little relief on a season-ending injury” (in reference to Chancalay), the hard truth is that the MLS secondary transfer window doesn’t open until July 18.

Until then, the Revolution will have to make do with what’s available.

One conspicuously available figure is that of center forward Giacomo Vrioni, New England’s lone remaining healthy Designated Player. The Italian-Albanian has shown positive signs recently, scoring three goals in his last two games after struggling for much of the year. Now more than ever, Porter and the rest of the team will need Vrioni to not only score but help create goal-scoring opportunities.

And the depth of the team — which, especially in the case of Boateng, have answered the bell over the last month — will need to continue contributing both offensively and defensively.

Still, there remains a point at which the Revolution will no longer be able to cover for the increasing number of missing key players. The recent resurgence hangs in the balance amid the ever-expanding injury report. Having only just climbed back into a playoff race, Porter’s team still feels like it’s one slip from falling back into the abyss of the Eastern Conference.