Caleb Porter has praised the New England Revolution’s fighting spirit as they aim to turn their luck around against New York City FC on Saturday.
New England currently sit bottom of the Eastern Conference with seven points after winning just two of their opening 12 matches in the league.
After losing back-to-back games, the pressure is increasing on Porter, though he does not shy away from the hard work needed to move them up the table.
"This team is united," Porter said. "They're fighting. We're all committed to this club and this season.
"This team is on board. They're fighting. They're not happy with the results, but the locker room is together. The key is to win the next game.
"The other thing is, I'm not going anywhere; I'm committed to this club. I know where we're going to get to. I'm not backing down. I'm not wavering. I'm not flinching."
NYCFC sit in third, eight points behind leaders Inter Miami, after losing just one of their last nine MLS matches.
They made it three wins on the bounce with a win over local rivals Red Bulls last weekend, but Nick Cushing is reluctant to get too excited about their current run.
"We've won some football games, that's all we've won," he said.
"We're in a solid position in the league, but in four weeks’ time, I could be saying 'we haven't won that' or 'we should've won that'.
"It's about taking every game as it comes and just keep winning football games. We enjoy our wins, but we focus on the next games. Now, I want to win [against New England]."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New England Revolution – Carles Gil
Gil has been directly involved in New England’s last two goals scored at home, scoring their most recent and assisting the other.
Overall, he is the club’s top scorer this season with four goals, twice as many as their next most prolific players, Tomas Chancalay and Giacomo Vrioni.
NYCFC – Santiago Rodriguez
Rodriguez assisted one of NYCFC’s two goals in their win over the Red Bulls last Saturday. The Uruguayan (five goals, four assists) has been involved in half of the 18 goals NYCFC have scored this season.
MATCH PREDICTION – NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION WIN
Dating back to the end of last season, New England have lost 14 of their last 18 MLS matches (three wins, one draw incl. playoffs), including losing nine of 12 to start this season (two wins, one draw). The Revs’ seven points are their fewest after 12 matches of a season in club history.
NYCFC recorded a 2-0 home win over New England on April 13. However, they have never defeated the Revs twice in a single regular season before.
NYCFC have won six of their last seven matches (one defeat) including each of the last three in a row. They have won consecutive games away from home but won just one of their previous 24 on the road in all competitions (nine draws, 14 defeats).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New England Revolution – 41.2%
Draw – 30.3%
NYCFC – 28.5%