3 Questions about the Revs with The Blazing Musket’s Sam Lattof

After a 2-0 loss to Nashville SC, Atlanta United goes again on Wednesday against a New England Revolution team led by former U.S. youth international head coach Marko Mitrovic and looking leaps and bounds better than it did under Caleb Porter. If we’re being honest, considering the state of the team right now — and that the match is on a weeknight — it might be another light evening at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (even lighter than it was on Saturday).

For more on the Revs, I connected with Sam Lattof (X, Bsky) from The Blazing Musket (X, Bsky).

The Revs are 4-0-3 in their first seven matches of the Marko Mitrovic era as they’ve already shown significant progress from when Caleb Porter was head coach. How has Mitrovic been able to affect the culture in such a short time?

As the kids say, the vibes are immaculate. (insert how do you do fellow kids meme)

The difference between Marko Mitrovic and Caleb Porter is belief. When New England went down a goal, it seemed like it was impossible for New England to come back. As we saw against Columbus, the Revolution were able to come back and secure three points.

Mitrovic and the players postgame talked about how the message was simply to believe they could come back… and they did. When players know that the coach has their back, it gives them freedom and we are seeing that play out with the Revs.

The culture shift is beyond the field. Walking into the locker room feels completely different, and all members of the club seem to be behind one another.

Luca Langoni has 1g/6a through seven matches and is starting to finally look like the player that Revs fans hoped he’d be when the club signed him for just under $7 million in 2024. What has the secret been to him starting to come good for New England?

Langoni is actually being used properly and, with the departure of Tomas Chancalay, is the clear top winger on the roster. Under Caleb Porter, Langoni was relegated to the bench, and there were times when he even played as an outside back. That also highlights how important belief is to the roster.

The Argentine is also taking set pieces and has Dor Turgeman to target. Langoni revealed that he had never taken set pieces until this year, even dating back to his days at Boca. New England had been missing a real No.9, and Turgeman is showing signs he could be that guy.

Langoni is also being paired on the same side as Ilay Feingold, who is a great attacking outside back. If you look at New England’s passing maps, you will notice that it goes up the right side where Langoni and Feingold are (Gil frequents there as well).

What is New England’s ceiling? They’ve missed the postseason in three of the past four years, including both seasons of Porter’s tenure. What can Revs fans realistically expect from their club by the time the season comes to an end? (In other words, can they sustain the run of form they’re on right now?)

I mean, technically, the top of the Eastern Conference and Marko Mitrovic’s overall culture shift are almost making me a believer, but we have to be realistic.

New England’s absolute ceiling is likely competing for a top 4 spot in the Eastern Conference. After the season opener, I would have called myself crazy for saying that, but when they are playing to their potential, there is no reason that the Revs shouldn’t be an Eastern Conference contender.

But for Revolution fans, the expectation should just be making the playoffs. Missing the postseason in MLS for multiple seasons in a row, considering more than half the team makes it, is unacceptable.

Even if the form drops off a little bit, New England should be able to bounce back. There shouldn’t be long spells of dropping points and poor play like fans have seen in recent years. Fans should expect to be back in the playoffs, and if the Revs aren’t, there are major problems.