Nashville SC kick off their 2025 season at Geodis Park on Saturday, taking on the New England Revolution. To get the latest on the new-look Revs, we caught up with Seth Macomber of The Blazing Musket.
The Blazing Musket is one of the absolute best independent soccer outlets in North America, covering not just the Revolution but all of soccer in New England. They're a must-follow, and we can't recommend subscribing enough.
Ben Wright (SixOneFive Soccer): The Revs overhauled almost the entire team in the winter, with only a couple starters remaining. What have you made of the changes so far, and what do you think of their direction heading into 2025?
Seth Macomber (The Blazing Musket): After finishing 2024 with 37 goals scored, 74 goals conceded, and 31 points, something needed to change. The Revs decided to be bold in the off-season, bringing in 14 new players and returning 13. Head coach Caleb Porter reflected on this by saying, "We had good players here... they just didn't happen to be the right players, once we got in here. They're still good players, but now we have the right players. Now this is my team. These are, these are my players. I've picked them, and I'm confident in the blueprint that I have."
The roster has a good mix of profiles. There are young players with potential (Damario McIntosh and Allan Oyirwoth), young players looking to contribute now (Luca Langoni and Ilay Feingold), foreign players in their prime (Alhassan Yusuf, Ignatius Ganago, Mamadou Fofana, and Brayan Cebellos), MLS players in their prime (Jackson Yueill and Leo Campana), and MLS veterans (Carles Gil, Brandon Bye, Aljaz Ivacic, and Matt Polster).
I like that the club went younger, as the roster's average age is 25. The big question is, how will it all come together? The Revs went 4-1-1 during preseason, which is promising, but now comes the actual test.
BW: Leo Campana looks (on paper, at least) like the best No. 9 the Revs have had in a minute. What have you seen of him in preseason, how does his connection with Carles Gil look, and what do you expect from him this year?
SM: Campana is eager to be the starting No. 9 after playing behind Luis Suárez last year. He has looked good so far, scoring two goals during preseason. His chemistry with Gil is growing, as evidenced by a pair of backheels during the game against Hartford Athletic. The hope is that the chemistry will continue to grow over time.
One thing to watch during Saturday's game is that Gil will play closer to Campana, with Yueill and Yusuf dropping deep to connect the back and front lines. Ganago's presence on the left also gives Campana some freedom to roam, as the former Ligue 1 player sometimes comes inside to act as a second striker.
BW: It's a bold strategy to bring in two starting center backs from outside MLS. What do you think of Fofana and Ceballos, and do you think they'll improve what was a historically awful backline in 2024?
SM: Like you said, the backline wasn't good in 2024, so something had to be done. Porter has said that Fofana and Ceballos fit his game model well.
"They are both good on the ball," Porter explained. "It’s natural for them because they see passes. A good player finds the right pass, and they naturally find the right pass. Then defensively, they’re athletic. So, when we have a high line, they’re going to be in duels and they’re winning those duels. That’s the key. When you have guys who are athletic and good on the ball, then our game model comes to life quite a bit, because we play out from the back, and they are the last line of defense. If they’re not able to play out, then it’s difficult for us, and if they’re not able to put out fires defensively, then it’s going to be difficult. So, we feel like the chemistry between those two will continue to build. But individually, you can see their quality and talent.”
It's early days, but both defenders seem comfortable dribbling and passing and are athletic enough to make big tackles.
BW: What's this teams floor and ceiling?
SM: This is Major League Soccer, so anything can happen. The new-look Revs will likely need some time to fully come together, but this roster has some good talent, especially when Tomas Chancalay returns in April/May.
Could they host a home playoff game? Sure. Could they fail to make the playoffs again? Sure.
If we want to be super optimistic, we could mention that the last three MLS Cup winners missed the previous year's playoffs. That said, I think playoffs are a reasonable expectation for the 2025 Revs.
BW: Do you have a lineup and score prediction for Saturday?
SM: Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ivačić; Sands, Ceballos, Fofana, Bye; Yuiell, Yusuf; Ganago, Gil, Langoni; Campana
In terms of a result, a 1-0 win for the Revs would be a good result for them.
