New England Revolution Season Recap and Look Ahead

Its time for a new era in New England was the club has appointed new head coach Marko Mitrović, a promising hire for the future of the club.

It has also been a busy offseason for New England as they have acquired some new assets and let some go.

It should be a hopefully exciting season which sees New England back into the playoffs, so lets dive into a little recap and what's to come for the Revs in the 2026 season,

Additions

This offseason has been busy for New England, but not as many moves have occurred as last year where New England flipped the switch and changed half of their roster. This offseason has been much less than that, with the club acquiring some new assets with the oldest being just 23 years old in Griffin Yow, along with a promotion to the first team for a 17 year old who has been with New England for a while, and guys who have previously played under Mitrović.

I was given the opportunity to ask head coach Marko Mitrović a question regarding the offseason where I asked:

"This offseason you brought in a lot of players like Brooklyn (Raines), Ethan (Kohler), and Griffin (Yow) who you previously coached in the past. When you took over in New England, did you already identify those players as targets or did it naturally come during the offseason?"

Marko responded to this question saying:

"Yeah uh, we didn't identify them as targets, coming here and having like a paper and uh bring us those guys. But the good thing about getting the job early November, we had two months to think about everything, and one of the things was like, how we can improve our roster, and then we were talking about those positions, and then who are the players that potentially we can bring? I personally feel very comfortable with all three of them, because I had the opportunity to work with them, and I know what we can expect and what we can get for them, and it's kind of good, safe option for us, and I'm very happy that all three of them are here with us now."

Brooklyn Raines, Midfielder, 20 yrs old. Acquired in a trade with Houston Dynamo for $1.6 million, possible $400,000 additionally if certain conditions are met (12/23/26)

Signed to the U-22 initiative through the 2028/2029 season with a club option for 2029/2030

This is probably the biggest signing the Revs have made in this transfer period as it cost the most for the club, along with it being the first signing of the window for New England. Raines is a signing that definitely came very unexpected for the Revs as Raines had previously been linked to Europe, with clubs like Juventus interested along with City Football Group also interested, with many believing he would depart and go to Europe in the off-season.

He made 22 MLS appearances in the 2025 MLS season for Houston and 7 appearances for the USA U-20 national team, 5 of which being in the FIFA U-20 World Cup under current Revs head coach Marko Mitrović.

Raines may not have the stats under his belt when it comes to goals and assists as he scored just 1 goal and assisted 3 in the calendar year. But Raines plays as a very holding midfielder who can read a game with a very defensive mindset. He covers lots of ground from the midfield position as well, plus having that experience under head coach Marko Mitrović will make him a real asset on this team.

Now the question comes up on who he will replace in this midfield? In my eyes I think it will be Matt Polster. It's been stated in the off-season that Mitrović will play a 4-3-3. With that formation it seems as if Carles Gil will occupy the CAM position in that midfield, depending on if that is how Mitrović will use him in that midfield, while the other midfielders will play more defensively.

In Thomas Pinzone's piece regarding the patterns that Mitrović plays (read here) he states on occasion that "The U-20s sat in a medium block in a 4-2-2-2. This may have been to offer more protection to the back line and aggressive passing in the wide areas." Based upon this analysis, it seems as if Raines/Yusuf will be in those holding midfield roles, staying deep in the field to protect the back line as stated, along with finding those line breaking passes from deep in the midfield. This signing will bolster this New England midfield under new tactics coming in this upcoming season.

Ethan Kohler, Defender, 20 yrs old. Acquired from SV Werder Bremen on a free transfer (12/31/25)

Signed through the 2028/2029 season with a club option for 2029/2030

The signing of Ethan Kohler is definitely a signing that is super underrated for New England. Defensive depth is something the team needs as Wyatt Omsberg retired this past off-season.

Kohler made 26 appearances for Werder Bremen II in the 24/25 season, along with making 7 appearances for German side SC Verl while on loan. He also played in all 5 matches in the FIFA U-20 World Cup along with Brooklyn Raines.

He is another signing who has played under Marko Mitrović for the USYNT, starting in the U-20 World Cup. It shows the trust that Marko has in his guys as this is another signing who has experience under the current manager.

Versatile is a word you can use to describe the young defender. He can play anywhere in the back line, providing depth on the wing back positions as the season progresses and of course in the center back position as well.

Marko Mitrović is excited to have Kohler on the Revs, stating "Ethan's strength on the ball can help us control the game in possession, though he is also one of those players who takes great pride in his defending. I am excited to have Ethan with us."

It's a very solid signing as Kohler is coming from Europe, especially on a free contract which makes this a bargain for the Revs. Whenever you are able to sign a possible starter in a defense for nothing - it is tough to say it is a bad signing for New England.

Cristiano Oliveira, Midfielder, 17 yrs old. Signed as a Homegrown player (1/14/26)

Signed on a Homegrown MLS contract through December 2029 with a one year club option

Oliveira is the first homegrown signing for New England since Eric Klein in May. The 17 year old made his professional debut for the Revs against Rhode Island FC in the US Open Cup in May, scoring the game winner late in the match. Apart from that he was a pivotal piece for Revs ll, scoring 5 goals with 1 assist in the 2025 MLS Next Pro season. He also gained the honors of being an MLS Next Pro All Star this past summer, along with getting called up to the U-17 USYNT this past year.

The young midfielder has an immense amount of potential with New England as he is only 17 years old and has some experience with the first team. He has been in the Revs pipeline since he was 14 years old, having a lot of experience with the academy. He is very versatile , being able to play anywhere in the midfield whether it is defensively or more attacking. In the midfield he plays as a deep lying playmaker, along with pushing up to create chances to score and assist from the midfield.

"We believe that he has a high ceiling and we are ready to invest all our resources to help him reach his full potential and become an impactful player for our team." is what Marko Mitrović had to say about the signing. It is a signing that will provide more depth in the midfield, along with giving Oliveira the chance he deserves on the first team.

Griffin Yow, Forward, 23 yrs old. Acquired from KVC Westerlo (1/20/26)

Signed through the 2027/2028 season with additional club options for both the 2028/2029 and 2029/2030 seasons.

New England acquired the Discovery Priority from the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in exchange for $125,000 GAM (General Allocation Money) along with New England's 2027 MLS SuperDraft second round pick

This is another exciting signing for New England as they need some forward depth and Yow is a player who can play off the wing or even through the middle in attack. Yow also has some European experience, playing for First Division Belgian side Westerlo, making 17 appearances in the 2025/2026 season and scoring 3 goals. He is also another signing this off season who has experience under Marko Mitrović, playing under him in the 2024 Olympics where he played in 4 matches.

Yow is a very speedy attacker, something that the Revs lacked in moments of the season when it came to counter attacks last season. He provides a lot in the attack, creating chances from the wing with strong 1v1 abilities. He was an important piece to Westerlo in Belgium, along with being an important piece to the US Olympic team in 2024.

It will be interesting to see how Yow fits into this team as the attack currently includes Dor Turgeman, Luca Langoni, and Leonardo Campana, for current starting options. Yow plays primarily off the wing, a position that will be competitive this upcoming season. If he does not start right off the bat, he is almost sure to get some really solid minutes off of the bench.

JD Gunn, Goalkeeper, 26 yrs old. Signed to a first team contract. (2/5/26)

Signed to a first team contract for the 2026 MLS season, with additional club options for the 2027 and 2027/2028 seasons.

This move brings JD Gunn up to the first team to add depth to the Revs goalkeeping room. He was a pivotal piece with the Revolution II side, while also earning senior caps with the Panama Men's National Team.

Gunn is fighting for a spot on the Panama Men's National Team roster for the upcoming World Cup this summer, but he will unfortunately not start in front of US Men's National Team goalie Matt Turner who is also fighting for his starting spot in the World Cup.

Departures

This off season also saw a few departures for New England, with some players headed on loan and some permanently being transferred/traded within the league

Wyatt Omsberg, Retiring from professional soccer

Omsberg did not really get his chance with the Revs this past season, only logging 392 minutes this past season and starting 4 games. He was a solid veteran presence in the locker room for the Revs and will be missed in that aspect, but he served more as a depth piece when he was here.

Ignatius Ganago, Loan from FC Nantes expired at the end of the year

This departure was not too shocking as Ganago was super underwhelming for New England. In all fairness, it was definitely not all on him as he battled numerous injuries within the season, being limited to 20 appearances for the club scoring 3 goals and assisting 2. Even when he played, he was just very underwhelming for the club and never really broke through on the team. The expectations for Ganago were super high as he had looked promising coming from Europe, but in the end it was just unfortunate for Ganago.

Brandon Bye, Out of contract, signed by the Portland Timbers as a free agent (12/22/25)

This is one of the biggest losses for New England in this off season as Brandon Bye had been such an important piece to New England since being selected in the MLS SuperDraft in 2018. Despite only starting 12 matches in the 2025 season, he still logged 1,098 minutes played for the club.

This was due to the introduction of Ilay Feingold to the team, playing the right-back position that Bye had played the previous 6 years with the club. It stinks to see Bye go as he was a fan favorite within the club, and it's unfortunate that the Revs did not negotiate harder to keep him a New England Revolution player.

Tomás Chancalay, Cash-for-player trade with Minnesota United FC (12/26/25)

The Revs received $100,000 from Minnesota United FC. New England retains a percentage of any fees received for Chancalay

Losing a DP player is never ideal, but Chancalay had been rumored to leave in the off season so the move does not come as too much of a shock. Chancalay was not a consistent starter for New England, only starting 12 games in the MLS season, logging 1,169 minutes. He scored 4 goals along with registering 2 assists, an underwhelming yet understandable stat line for someone who never really got the chance to breakthrough in the starting 11 in the 2025 season. It's unfortunate to see someone who when he joined had so much potential, now gets traded for little to nothing in the off season.

The move does have its positives for the Revs as they are now in the 2 DP (designated player) and the 4 U-22 model with the players occupying those spots being:

2 DP - Carles Gil, Matt Turner

4 U-22 - Ilay Feingold, Luca Langoni, Brooklyn Raines, Dor Turgeman

This move allows New England to go and sign a DP at some point in this 2026 season as Chancalay opens up that DP spot, but only if New England go and buy down the contract of Matt Turner into a TAM contract. That move would allow the club to go and sign a DP.

Tomas Chancalay did not have a DP caliber tenure whilst in New England, unfortunately dealing with some injuries that ultimately derailed him as a Revolution player. He is definitely a loss, for far too cheap, but it seemed like a move that had to happen and was bound to happen for the Argentinian forward.

Santiago Suarez, Loaned to San Antonio FC for the 2026 USL Championship season (1/23/26)

There is not much to say about this move as Suarez has not broken into the first team for New England and spent the 2025 season on loan to Birmingham Legion where he made 19 appearances. Hopefully this move allows Suarez to continue to get solid minutes where maybe eventually he will get the breakthrough into the first team in the coming years.

Alex Bono, Acquired by D.C. United in a trade

The Revs received $50,000 in 2026 GAM from D.C United. An additional $75,000 in 2027 GAM will be received if Alex Bono re-signs with D.C.

This move comes as no surprise as Bono only made 2 appearances with New England last season, both in the US Open Cup. He served as the backup all season with New England, so it's good that they were able to get some GAM for him for the upcoming season and more in the future.

This move also allows the younger guys in the Revs pipeline like Donovan Parisian and JD Gunn to serve as the backups on lower contracts for the club.

Jack Panayotou, Loaned to Loudoun United FC for the 2026 USL Championship season (2/2/26)

This is yet another loan move for Jack Panayotou, another Revs homegrown player who just has not been able to fully break into the first team and stay consistent within the first team roster. He has been sent on loan to 2 other teams in Rhode Island FC and Hartford Athletic where he played solid for both teams. But he just cannot find his way into the Revs first team roster, with loan moves being the solution for the young player.

Marko's Arrival

Marko Mitrović and his arrival to New England opens the door for many new opportunities with the club. Marko has lots of experience with the US Youth National Team systems, showing that he is good with coaching those younger guys on the rosters. It's most likely the reason that the Revs went and targeted these youth guys in the offseason.

Not only that, but Marko is a manager that is big when it comes to motivation. When preseason began for New England, one of the first videos posted on the Revolution social media platforms was a video of Mitrović giving a team talk in the locker room.

"Every action is maximized", "If I eat, I eat proper. If I sleep, I sleep proper. When I have fun, I have fun proper.", "That's how we are going to create high standards.", "Everybody has responsibility for our environment." "It's all of us."

Those are some words that get you fired up for an MLS campaign from both a fan and player perspective. They are words and statements that install confidence and belief into a player, ultimately leading to success for the club.

Now this is the first MLS head coach job for Marko Mitrović, so he does not have the resume within the league that other candidates for New England had like Peter Vermes and Josh Wolff, but he is a guy who has success with the National Teams as previously mentioned along with some experience within the league as an assistant coach where he was truly appreciated by many of his players. Former goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm, who played under Mitrović whilst he was an assistant coach with the Chicago Fire said: "I truly believe he has what it takes to succeed."

Tactics wise, Marko plays a game where he constantly attacks, whether it's attacking the midfield or attacking on the counter attack, he always has his teams attacking.

He plays a 4-3-3 formation primarily, as seen with his USYNT teams in the past. Now with this Revs team, that may look a little different with the players on hand. In retrospect, here is what the roster could look like in a 4-3-3 formation with everyone healthy.

Now of course there are some interchangeable players like maybe Luca Langoni for Griffin Yow for example, but all healthy this is what a Revs roster could look like in a 4-3-3 formation.

Now as previously mentioned, the USYNT would often sit in that medium block in a 4-2-2-2 formation, which if that is the case would look something like this

To me - this is what I expect Mitrović to do with the roster at hand. This formation allows New England to have a super strong defensive double pivot in the midfield with Brooklyn Raines and Alhassan Yusuf, while letting Carles Gil roam free and join the attack.

Not only that, but it allows the Revs to have 2 strong strikers in Dor Turgeman and Leonardo Campana, providing more options within the attack.

It also allows the wingbacks to easily push up more as the double pivot midfield is held back providing help for the defense.

Now of course I could be completely off and wrong about this, but based on the options at hand I could see this absolutely being the case for a majority of the game. We will officially find that answer as the season progresses.

I am super excited for this season and what is to come in a new era for the Revolution. Marko Mitrović truly gets me excited about this season, and I am excited to hopefully see a team with some true structure and tactics, something that was lacking in the Caleb Porter era.