Charlotte coach clapped back at Revs’ Caleb Porter for ‘promising’ win

"He shouldn’t make promises he might not be able to keep."

Caleb Porter's team delivered its best performance of the season in Nashville. Barry Chin/Globe Staff

April 5, 2024

3 minutes to read

Caleb Porter’s “promise” drew a response in Charlotte: On Thursday, Revolution head coach Caleb Porter gave his weekly interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand,” discussing how the team can bounce back from an ugly 4-0 loss to Club América in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Right at the end of the interview, however, Porter made a bold statement that raised some eyebrows.

“We’re going to get a win Saturday. I promise that,” he told the show’s hosts of the upcoming home matchup with Charlotte FC.

What was already an unusually important regular season game in April for the Revolution suddenly took on increased expectations (the game kicks off at Gillette Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday evening).

New England is yet to win a league game in 2024, having started the season 0-4-1. And with a two-week roadtrip coming up (followed by a home matchup against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami), Saturday’s game against Charlotte FC is a vital opportunity to finally get three points.

Shortly after Porter’s “promise” in the radio interview, Charlotte FC head coach Dean Smith was asked about it.

“He shouldn’t make promises he might not be able to keep,” Smith countered. The 54-year-old Englishman (who has no relation to legendary University of North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith) is a former Premier League manager. He’s currently in his first season with Charlotte, and has led the team to a decent 2-2-2 start to 2024.

“Not a great statement to make if that’s down to your team and not something that you can actually keep,” Smith added.

Porter, a two-time MLS Cup winner, has had to navigate multiple competitions to start the season (MLS and Champions Cup) despite a roster limited by MLS salary rules. Still, New England has underperformed even when rested, so Porter’s task for Saturday remains an uphill climb.

Dean Smith's response to New England Revolution's coach Caleb Porter's comments promising a win against Charlotte FC this weekend pic.twitter.com/HtdYbKaDIe
— TopBin90 (@Topbin90) April 4, 2024

Trivia: Caleb Porter won a national championship coaching the University of Akron in 2010. What future Revolution player was on that team?

(Answer at the bottom).

Hint: He was signed by the Revolution as the second Homegrown Player in club history and went on to make 229 MLS league appearances for New England.

Scores and schedules:

The Bruins defeated the Hurricanes 4-1 on Thursday night. Boston will host the Panthers tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

Tonight, the Celtics play the Kings at TD Garden at 7:30 p.m.

Also tonight, the Final Four of the women’s NCAA basketball tournament gets underway:

NC State vs. South Caroline at 7 p.m.
UConn vs. Iowa at 9:30 p.m.

On Saturday, the men’s Final Four will be held:

NC State vs. Purdue at 6:09 p.m.
Alabama vs. UConn at 8:49 p.m.

And, as noted in today’s intro, the Revolution host Charlotte FC on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

More from Boston.com:

Jackie Bradley Jr. signed with the Long Island Ducks:

🚨 PLAYER SIGNING! 🚨

2018 World Series champion and @RawlingsSports Gold Glove Award winner Jackie Bradley Jr. is a Long Island Duck!

The 2016 American League All-Star spent 11 seasons in @MLB with the @RedSox, @Brewers, @BlueJays and @Royals.

📰: https://t.co/rtObhjjFbU pic.twitter.com/UfasgpYIop
— Long Island Ducks (@LIDucks) April 4, 2024

On this day: The Celtics defeated the Lakers 128-108 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Boston was led—as usual—by Bob Cousy and Bill Russell. Cousy notched a triple-double (21 points, 15 assists, 11 rebounds) while Russell fiercely defended the rim (9 points, 30 rebounds). Bill Sharman (28 points) and Tommy Heinsohn (24 points, 10 rebounds) also paced the Celtics in what would become a 4-0 series sweep to win the title.