Where we left off last year
2023 season: 55 points, 5th in the Eastern Conference
Don’t let their somewhat standard fifth-place Eastern Conference finish fool you: 2023 was a crazy year for the New England Revolution. The headliner was head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena being placed on administrative leave by MLS to investigate “allegations that he made insensitive and inappropriate remarks”. Eventually, Arena resigned. Internal drama and chaos ensued.
On the field, New England transferred superstar goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic to Chelsea, gaining a whole load of cash but losing their most important player in the process. Without a suitable replacement, the Revs were swept by the Philadelphia Union in the first round of the playoffs.
What changed in the offseason
Notable arrivals:
- Caleb Porter, manager: After collecting an MLS Cup in each of his first two stops in the league — Portland and Columbus — Porter is shooting for a third in New England. The Revs, who clearly valued MLS experience in their search for a new head coach, won’t look drastically different on the field to start 2024 than they did to start 2023.
- Nick Lima, RB: After Brandon Bye went down with a long-term knee injury, New England needed another fullback. Enter: Lima, who was acquired via a trade with Austin FC. The 29-year-old will likely be a starter, but isn’t a top-tier outside back at this point in his career.
- Henrich Ravas, GK: With Petrovic and Matt Turner both making jumps from New England to Old England in recent seasons, the Revs have become a goalkeeping hot spot. Given their track record (and ignoring that weird Tomas Vaclik deal last year), it’s easy to be optimistic about Ravas as the team’s new No. 1. Joining from Poland, the 26-year-old Slovakian should add real shot-stopping value in 2024.
