Nightmare season openings are nothing new for the Revolution. So, victory could not have been expected in Saturday night’s opener, a 4-1 loss at Nashville SC, especially while missing starting central defenders Brayan Ceballos (hamstring) and Mamadou Fofana (visa problem).
Ceballos and Fofana should return soon, but the Revolution displayed few encouraging signs in falling to 6-16-9 in 31 season openers. The team resembled falling dominoes, as Sam Surridge jammed in goals in the sixth and 16th minutes.
It was only a matter of time before Hany Mukhtar scored, giving Nashville a 3-0 lead in the 39th minute. The Revolution recovered after halftime, with Leo Campana converting off a Carles Gil assist in the 47th, but two minutes later, Warren Madrigal concluded the scoring for the hosts.
New Revolution coach Marko Mitrovic said blame for early mistakes extended beyond the back line to other positions, as his team failed to “confront them enough.” More disturbing, though, is what appears to be lack of overall improvement. Last season the Revolution opened with a 0-0 tie at Nashville — an acceptable road result, especially for a team recovering from a difficult campaign.
A year later, Nashville looks to have made progress. The Revolution, not so much.
Newcomers Ethan Kohler, Brooklyn Raines, and Griffin Yow don’t promise a noticeable upgrade on the players they replaced. In fact, the Revolution attack seemed to flow best in the late going, with the additions of holdovers Ilay Feingold, Luca Langoni, and Alhassan Yusuf. Also lacking was involvement from Dor Turgeman, a bright spot late last season, on the right wing.
Part of the solution could be pairing Turgeman with Campana in a two-forward setup, either in Saturday’s visit to the New York Red Bulls, or in the home opener against the Houston Dynamo on March 7.
First, though, attention needs to be placed on solidifying the defense if Ceballos and Fofana, along with outside back Peyton Miller (calf) and Will Sands (head), remain out.
With Matt Turner in goal, the Revolution should present one of the league’s better defenses. (Turner made three spectacular saves on point-blank Nashville attempts, but two of those turned into goals on rebounds.) Meanwhile, center backs Andrew Farrell and Keegan Hughes were matched with Mukhtar and Surridge, a tough ask for two players that have played together only briefly, and were Nos. 5 and 6 on the central defender depth chart last year.
Injuries and such are inevitable, but the front office needs to bolster the depth — as Nashville has done, despite coming off a US Open Cup championship and 16-12-6 season. Nashville might not have needed to make significant changes, but it added central defender Maxwell Woledzi, plus Cristian Espinoza and Madrigal — all veterans and/or national teamers ready to make an immediate impact.
As for the Revolution, they are integrating performers that competed for Mitrovic on US youth teams — neither high-profile types nor, possibly, ready to provide what the team needs.
After two losing seasons, Mitrovic was hired to replace Caleb Porter, hoping he would get the best out of, essentially, the existing roster. This could yet happen, though still not be enough to transform the Revolution into a contender.
Mitrovic needs to place his stamp on the team, and he started doing that by bringing in performers he’s familiar with. However, the soccer transfer market is a caveat emptor proposition, and familiarity is not as important as paying out significant salaries and/or transfer fees to refresh the lineup.
Another part of the solution might be to contract a couple more veteran New Englanders to provide anchors and depth, such as former University of New Hampshire defender Josh Bauer. Bauer has mostly been a backup with Nashville, but last season performed well as a starter in the postseason.
This might not be panic time, but a team that has compiled only one winning season since 2021, and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2020, probably needs to demonstrate it is getting back on track.
Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at frankdellapa@gmail.com.