Where does the New England Revolution go from here?

Three years ago the New England Revolution were as close to the top as they ve ever been The club broke the MLS points record as Supporters Shield winners had the winningest professional coach in U S soccer history on their sideline and created a steady pipeline of proven players to replace talent being sold to European clubs for millions in transfer fees Much has changed since starting with the obvious Bruce Arena resigned as head coach and sporting director in September following a lengthy study into alleged unprofessional conduct leaving a void the club has yet to successfully fill The Revolution had high expectations when they named Caleb Porter one of just four coaches to win MLS Cup with more than one group as Arena s successor Yet Porter was unable to pick up where Arena left off and was dismissed earlier this fall after less than two seasons when the Revolution failed to reach the playoffs for the second consecutive year The season came to a close last Saturday as the Revs - - finished th in the Eastern Conference That the Revolution have so much quality on their roster and were so in recent days among the best teams in MLS makes them a club to watch going into next year But whether they return to their prior more dominant form any time soon will depend on how they answer a few major questions this offseason Who will be the next head coach Revolution sporting director Curt Onalfo noted on Sept he expected an eight-week timeline to find the club s next head coach That means Porter s replacement could be named before the new year Porter s longtime assistant Pablo Moreira guided the Revolution as interim coach for the final games It s unlikely he s a candidate for the job after his - - record in charge and his long association with Porter with whom he also coached at the Columbus Crew Portland Timbers and the University of Akron Little has come out about the candidate pool Earlier this fall former Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin reportedly withdrew from consideration The Revolution could go in any direction though ownership has not installed a permanent head coach without at least specific prior playing or coaching experience in MLS since naming Frank Stapleton as inaugural head coach in What marquee players will return Onalfo and the front office believe they have a solid roster A natural prerequisite for the next coach could be having the tactical acumen to get the greater part from the current players New England turned over the roster with acquisitions and departures last offseason and supposedly don t want to go through a similar process so soon That commented there s inevitably room for movement via trades and participant sales Andrew Farrell who signed a one-year contract last year to serve as a player-coach may retire Loaned-in winger Ignatius Ganago who at present commands a million salary may return to Nantes after battling injuries for large patches of the season New England may look at its Designated Players as well Captain Carles Gil is under contract in with two additional option years so he ll be back unless he s sold Goalkeeper Matt Turner is on loan from Olympique Lyonnais but will be back next season with the front office confident he can shed his DP tag through the use of targeted allocation money That leaves Tomas Chancalay who has spent much of the year coming off the bench as a substitute despite holding a valuable DP slot Chancalay was linked to Argentina s Estudiates in the summer but those rumors faded fast His future with the club seems the least secure of the three DPs Another member to watch is central midfielder Jackson Yueill He s on a guaranteed contract worth north of million annually despite appearing in just games If the Revolution wished to move Yueill they d either have to arrange a sale a transaction or buy out his contract The bottom line The Revolution have flexibility especially if they shed a high-earning performer or two What are the club s biggest weaknesses The Revolution suffered from lapses throughout the season though an experienced tactician could get the players back on track The glaring weakness last year was giving up untimely goals so the Revolution may choose to bolster the back line and defensive midfield The company could also benefit from more attacking reinforcements After spending the fall and summer calling up talent from Revolution II on short-term agreements the front office may see fit to add strikers or wingers to the senior association How will fans respond in A primary cause for the Revolution missing the playoffs was their putrid - - home record For the majority part fans were treated to a litany of matches where the Revolution were undone by their own lack of concentration Despite this the front office explained the Boston Herald earlier in the season that attendance has been trending upward year-over-year With Gillette Stadium set to host seven matches at the FIFA World Cup next summer a once-in-a-generation level of attention will descend on Foxboro next year which the Revolution will work hard to capture That revealed fans haven t been silent Earlier this season both of the club s official supporter groups the Midnight Riders and the Rebellion protested at games and called for changes to the front office Who from the Revs will play in the FIFA World Cup Speaking of the World Cup the Revolution have a lengthy list of international competitors Barring injury Turner seems like a lock for the U S national squad though he may have lost his starting spot to New York City FC s Matt Freese Striker Leo Campana is now in the participant pool for Ecuador who officially qualified Midfielder Alhassan Yusuf is also in the player pool of Nigeria which remains eligible to qualify Israel remains technically in contention but striker Dor Turgeman and defender Ilay Feingold face an uphill battle to make the World Cup Revolution II goalkeeper JD Gunn is one to watch as well He s in the sportsman pool with Panama which has a strong path to qualifying