Caleb Porter, who has coached MLS championship teams at Portland and Columbus, was named head coach of the New England Revolution on Tuesday.
Porter replaces Bruce Arena, the winningest coach in MLS history, who resigned in September after a review into allegations he made insensitive and inappropriate remarks. Arena had led the Revs since midway into the 2019 campaign.
Porter, a 48-year-old American and former US under-23 head coach, guided the Portland Timbers to the 2015 MLS crown during a five-year run that began in 2013 and coached Columbus to the 2020 title before being fired after missing the playoffs the next two seasons.
“Caleb Porter is a gifted and respected coach with more than two decades of coaching experience who has delivered MLS Cup championships to both of his previous clubs,” Revs sporting director Curt Onalfo said in a statement.
Porter has a record of 113-93 with 89 drawn and was named MLS Coach of the Year in 2013 in his first season at Portland after directing the Timbers to the Western Conference regular-season crown.
“Caleb has consistently demonstrated the leadership and tactical acumen needed to build a winning team in our league,” Onalfo said. “We know he’s the right person to lead our team, which we believe is already well-positioned to compete for trophies.”
Porter’s task will be to bring the Revolution a first MLS crown since the team began as one of the league’s founding clubs in 1996. New England has lost all five of its’ trips to the MLS Cup Final, including three in a row starting in 2005 and the most recent in 2014.
“The Revolution have a rich history and I’m driven to build off that strong foundation and help the players add to their legacy with the club,” Porter said.
“I’m extremely motivated to reward the supporters for their undying loyalty over the past 27 years. I’ll work relentlessly to bring the first MLS Cup to this storied club and New England.”
