Four incoming players. Three outgoings. Two trades. One new club-record signing.
The New England Revolution’s Secondary Transfer Window was, in a singular word, busy.
New England’s activity flew somewhat under the radar given their struggles this season – they’re 15th in the Eastern Conference, five points off the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs pace with two games in hand.
But sporting director Curt Onalfo feels the Revs are poised to make a late-season charge over their last 11 games, starting with Saturday’s trip to CF Montréal (7:30 pm ET | Apple TV - Free).
“We're a big club and we're making big, bold moves,” Onalfo told MLSsoccer.com. “We have a championship-caliber coach [Caleb Porter] who's won two championships at two different clubs and we hired him to win a third one here with the Revolution.
“So for us, we had a very active and busy window. It was a record-breaking one in terms of things we got done because we want to win now and we want to win in the future.”
Langoni arrives
Most notably, the Revs set a new club-record transfer earlier this month by acquiring Luca Langoni. The winger arrives from Argentine powerhouse Boca Juniors for reportedly around $7 million and occupies a U22 Initiative roster spot.
Langoni, 22, is expected to elevate New England’s attack alongside Carles Gil, Giacomo Vrioni and Dylan Borrero – all of whom are back healthy.
“He's an explosive winger who can stretch teams, can score goals, get assists,” Onalfo said. “That's why we purchased him. He fits Caleb's game model and we feel like he's a really great fit for us.
“He wanted to come here from the beginning. It was an easy sell for the player. Dealing with Boca is not always the easiest, so you have to get through that obstacle. But he always wanted to come here.”
More deals
The Revs also acquired central midfielder Alhassan Yusuf. The Nigerian international arrives from Belgium's Royal Antwerp, having helped them win a double and compete in the UEFA Champions League.
Onalfo envisions Yusuf as a perfect fit for Porter’s system, noting how Diego Chara (Portland Timbers) and Darlington Nagbe (Columbus Crew) had similar profiles when the coach won his two MLS Cups.
“Yusuf covers a ton of ground as a box-to-box midfielder,” Onalfo said. “Caleb talks about how he'll help us play a little more vertically so we can advance the ball quicker and better. That allows us to have more dominance in that part of the field with his athleticism and his passing ability.”
New England have a new center back, too, swapping Tim Parker and Henry Kessler in a trade with St. Louis CITY SC. Ditto for left back, exchanging Will Sands for DeJuan Jones in a trade with defending MLS Cup champions Columbus.
Those moves weren’t just about personnel, though. New England received a combined $1.2 million in General Allocation Money (GAM), giving them flexibility for future signings.
Playoff hunt
Amid all the comings and goings, New England remain confident they’re a playoff-caliber team.
“We've never doubted anything because we're steadfast and we see the training environment,” Onalfo said. “The players are bought in. I knew it was just a matter of time until it started coming out. This summer we won five of six and then we got injuries, dropped again. All those things are part of a season.
“Hopefully we can enter these last 11 games on a real positive note and with these new players, the results start coming. It took time to come out, but Caleb is a really good coach who's created a good environment. The team's getting better each day.”
Young core
Meanwhile, the Revs’ talented youngsters have gotten their shot.
Peyton Miller has emerged at left back. Noel Buck has reinforced his quality in midfield. Esmir Bajraktarevic has carried the attack for stretches. Jack Panayotou and Malcolm Fry even had their moments in Leagues Cup.
Onalfo especially highlights Bajraktarevic, who’s reportedly set to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina after time with the United States. This season, the 19-year-old winger has two goals and three assists in 20 appearances.
“If you look at Esmir's development, he was with the second team and probably the best player in MLS NEXT Pro. He scored at will when he played,” Onalfo said. “Then he gets into the first team and it's a much faster, harder level. He needed to work on the defensive part of his game, so now he's become this complete player. He's physically gotten strong enough and is a reliable MLS player.
“But now what's the next step for Esmir? It's to consistently score and create assists. Once he does that, he'll probably get sold. There will be offers that are difficult to turn down.”
Time is now
All this unfolds six months after the Revs' season began. They qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, eliminating Panama’s C.A. Independiente and Costa Rica’s Alajuelense before falling to Mexico’s Club América in the quarterfinals.
Onalfo believes that stretch took its toll on New England, especially so early into Porter’s tenure.
But the Revs know it’s crunch time. And with a combination of new faces, Porter’s game model taking root and players getting healthy, they’re bullish about the stretch run.
“We want to be a team that's consistently not five points out of playoffs like we are now,” Onalfo said. “We want to be in playoffs and pushing towards the top of the standings. We want to win and we're relentlessly working towards that goal.”
