3 Questions with The Blazing Musket

Getting acquainted with the opposition ahead of the Five Stripes' home opener.

Bye weeks are the absolute worst, huh? After what seems like ages, Atlanta United finally return to action on Saturday as they host the New England Revolution for their 2024 home opener.

Looking to wash the taste of their disappointing 1-0 opening day loss to the Crew away, Gonzalo Pineda’s side should be fresh and ready to go in front of the Atlanta faithful.

I spoke with Sam Minton, Managing Editor of The Blazing Musket, to get some insight on how the Revs have started the season and what the expectations are from their perspective. Make sure to give them a look if you have any interest in reading more about the upcoming opponent.

Note: This chat occurred before the Revs’ 4-0 thrashing of Alajuelense in the Concacaf Champions Cup on Wednesday.

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Rob: What are the vibes around the Revs right now after an 0-2 start?

Sam: The vibes are weird man. First off it is weird to have a head coach that speaks in more than 10-word-increments and discusses tactics and analytics.

Caleb Porter has a completely different approach to the game than Bruce Arena and it seems like the team is still finding itself under him. There’s hope that water will find its level as New England has the talent but CCC seems to be draining the Revolution. I thought U.S. Open Cup was causing too much fixture congestion!?

Tomas Chancalay has brought some new life to the club and looks like he could be the next star in New England. Carles Gil is continuing to make magic and Henrich Ravas actually played unlike Tomas Vaclik.

So while it is weird getting used to the post Bruce Arena era, there is hope that the Revolution will start to succeed in MLS play.

Rob: How has the team’s style and mentality changed under Caleb Porter compared to Bruce Arena?

Sam: As I mentioned above there is a big emphasis on tactics and analytics. Henry Kessler who dealt with an injury give some insight into the analytical approach that Porter has when it comes to handling injuries and overall player load.

“[Porter] looks a lot at the player load. So, like the numbers and he’s very analytical like that,” he said. “How much we ran, how much we sprinted, what all that distance was. He takes that all into account and tries to get it down to a science. We fill out questionnaires as well, about how we’re feeling, where we’re sore, stuff like that. So, there is a lot taken into account.”

Porter also has discussed the analytics of rotating a certain number of players and also his overall tactical vision when he was introduced. The formation hasn’t changed much as New England already played a 4-2-3-1 but ball movement and pressing has increased under the new head coach.

Rob: With how similar our clubs are (NFL ownership), how do Revs fans view Atlanta United from an outside perspective in relation to their own experiences?

Sam: I do think that there is some linked history as 28-3 will always be fondly remembered by fans in New England. There’s of course the 2019 playoff game where Atlanta bested the Revs but also Nick Firmino spent some time up here and has found his form down in ATL.

I do think there’s some envy as the Revolution could desperately use a striker such as Giorgos Giakoumakis. He is an absolute beast and seems like he would work well with Carles Gil. New England was also linked to Josh Cohen and it would have been nice to have a USMNT goalkeeper in a Revolution uniform.

Oh and obviously we are extremely jealous of you winning an MLS Cup. Some people have to wait quite a long time for those and Atlanta just won one in the blink of an eye.

Starting XI Prediction: Caleb Porter said prior to Wednesday’s match to expect some rotation on Wednesday in CCC. He could be playing mind games so if I am completely off please forgive me.

4-2-3-1 Henrich Ravas, DeJuan Jones, Dave Romney, Henry Kessler, Andrew Farrell, Matt Polster, Noel Buck, Tomas Chancalay, Carles Gil, Esmir Bajraktarevic, Giacomo Vrioni

Score prediction: 2-1 ATL