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‘He’s the guy that makes it go’: Carles Gil remains the Revolution’s indispensable figure
"He makes this formation that we're playing right now work, in all honesty."
Caleb Porter, like almost every head coach across the world of sports, is loath to single out individual players, preferring to keep the focus on the collective. But in the case of Revolution captain and playmaker-in-chief Carles Gil, he’s compelled by a simple acknowledgement of reality to make an allowance.
“He’s the guy that makes it go for us in the attack,” Porter said simply after a recent training session. “We wouldn’t be the same team without him.”
Gil, 32, is the straw that stirs the drink for the Revolution. It’s a mantle he’s held without question since arriving in 2019 following a landmark transfer from Deportivo La Coruña in his native Spain.
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In that time, he’s become the team’s all-time MLS assist leader, and is climbing the top-10 list in career goals. On a more basic level, he’s the connective hub at the center of New England’s midfield. Gil has twice the number of progressive passes, progressive carries, and key passes (all statistics indicative of incisive possession) as anyone else on the roster, according to FBref.
Gil’s capacity to be soccer’s version of a quarterback helped give Porter the confidence to switch formations partway through the season from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-1-2. The “1” in the now-preferred three-back setup is, naturally, Gil operating as a roaming playmaker (his favored role). With the defensive balance added by the third center-back, the Revolution have gone on an eight-game unbeaten run and reignited hopes for a playoff push.
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“He makes this formation that we’re playing right now work, in all honesty,” Porter explained. “I know there are a lot of good playmaker No. 10s in the league, but we feel like we have one of the best, if not the best.”
Seeming to realize he’d maybe just labeled Gil a better player than That Other Guy Who Wears No. 10 In MLS (Lionel Messi), the New England coach acknowledged his hometown opinion.
“I’m biased of course,” Porter added, “but I think [Gil’s] numbers have shown [his quality] this year. I think he’s on track for a career year in terms of goals.”
Gil is indeed on a personal best goalscoring pace. He’s averaging 0.40 goals per game, above the level he set in 2023 when he totaled 11 in 32 appearances.
The context of Gil’s achievements come as he somehow sits outside the top-five in the MLS All-Star voting category for attacking midfielder (voting runs through June 11). Porter wants to see his captain included.
“He deserves to be in that team,” the New England coach said of Gil’s All-Star chances.
For his efforts as the Revolution’s central figure, Gil is often subjected to harsh fouling from the opposing team. He’s the most-fouled player in team history, and is currently second in MLS in that painful stat in 2025.
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But as has been a theme for Gil during his tenure in New England, he continues to push even in difficult times. He was signed in 2019 during a previous era of Revolution soccer. Signing “Designated Players” (players whose contract totals are allowed to exceed the MLS salary cap) was not a necessarily common practice for New England prior to him joining the club.
But when ex-head coach Brad Friedel sought a game-changing talent still in his prime, Gil rose to the top of his list.
“Carles is a guy that can fit into anybody’s system,” said Friedel in a recent interview. “Didn’t matter if it was mine, didn’t matter if it was Bruce [Arena’s], didn’t matter if it’s Caleb’s now. He’s just a really good pro and a really good guy. He’s got a great left foot as you’ve seen all the time.”
Friedel was fired by the Revolution only months after Gil signed in 2019 in the middle of a rebuilding effort, replaced by Arena. The ex-U.S. national team coach built his entire squad around Gil, signing additional Designated Players. It led to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2020, and the team’s record-setting regular season in 2021, when the club won the Supporters’ Shield for the first time in its history. It culminated with Gil being named league MVP.
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“Really happy that he’s found a home there,” Friedel said of Gil in New England. “He was really hesitant about coming at first, because he could have obviously stayed in Spain. He rolled the dice on moving over, but I know he’s really happy. Obviously he signed a couple of new contracts since.”
Recent seasons have proven more trying, testing Gil’s leadership as captain. Arena left amid mystery and controversy midseason in 2023 after an MLS investigation into “insensitive and inappropriate remarks” that he’d made.
Porter’s first season was a disaster, ending with 21 losses (tied for the most in Revolution history). Yet Gil has persevered, and even after a difficult start in 2025—New England opened the year 1-4-1 prior to the recent unbeaten run—he kept his patience.
“You have the opportunity to watch him in games, but we see him every day, not only on the training ground, but in the locker room too,” said goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic. “It’s great to have him. He’s a great guy, a true professional, and brings a great energy. He’s a real leader.”
An unspoken part of Gil’s enduring importance to New England is that any time he might miss due to injury would likely be devastating for the club. He’s proven to be remarkably durable in MLS over the years. The only time he missed a significant portion of a regular season came in 2020, and nearly resulted in New England missing the playoffs.
The other pressing issue is that despite revamping the team’s selection of forwards in the offseason, New England has yet to get anyone other than Gil going on a consistent basis.
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Leo Campana and Ignatius Ganago, both brought in to help shore up the attack, have so far combined for only three goals (half of Gil’s personal tally). In fact the team’s second-leading scorer after Gil is a defender: right back Ilay Feingold, who now has three goals in 2025.
Yet the current lack of production from New England’s other attackers ultimately just highlights the ongoing centrality of Gil in the Revolution orbit.
Regardless of the coaching staff, the players around him, or whatever idiosyncratic MLS demands are placed in front of him, Gil continues to find a way past them. He remains New England’s man for all seasons (even if he still really hates playing in the snow).
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