The pressure is already growing on Caleb Porter just a couple months into his tenure as New England Revolution head coach.
Now, Porter has taken a step that will undoubtedly ratchet that pressure up even more.
In an appearance on a Boston radio station, Porter guaranteed the Revs would defeat Charlotte FC at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.
The promise was notable, given the Revs are currently the worst team in MLS on a points-per-game basis. Porter’s side has one draw and four defeats in five games thus far, with a league-worst goal differential of -7.
New England is also coming off a dismal 4-0 home loss against Club América on Tuesday, essentially ending their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal tie after just one leg.
Porter appeared on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday, and closed out his interview by saying: “We’re going to get a win Saturday. I promise that.”
Word of Porter’s guarantee quickly reached Dean Smith, whose Charlotte side currently sits six places and seven points above the Revs in the table.
“He shouldn’t make promises he might not be able to keep,” the coach fired back.
Whether Porter’s guarantee ends up being suicidal or a brilliant bit of motivation, we have to give the coach credit for turning a nondescript early-season matchup into a game MLS fans will now be closely monitoring.
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