The longer the New England Revolution delayed hiring a new head coach, the greater the speculation that their person of interest was overseas.

Newly-minted sporting director Curt Onalfo ended up choosing a man with an extended and successful MLS portfolio.

The club announced on Tuesday morning, the same day of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, that Caleb Porter has been hired as the Revolution’s ninth head coach. Porter was the 2013 MLS Coach of the Year who compiled a record of 113-93-89 in nine MLS regular seasons and a 9-3-4 mark in the playoffs.

“Caleb is a gifted and respected coach with more than two decades of coaching experience who has delivered MLS Cup championships to both of his previous clubs,” said Onalfo.

“Caleb has consistently demonstrated leadership and tactical acumen needed to build a winning team in our league. We know he is the right person to lead our team, which we believe is already well positioned to compete for trophies.”

Porter, 48, is a two-time MLS Cup winner with the Portland Timbers (2015) and the Columbus Crew (2020). Landing a field manager with Porter’s MLS track record was an eye-opening coup for  Revolution President Brian Bilello and Onalfo, who has been on the job full time for about three weeks.

“I am honored to be named as the head coach of the New England Revolution,” said Porter. “Throughout the interview process, it was clear the character, passion, and ambition that the people in this club possess and I immediately felt connected and aligned with their strategy and values.

“The Revolution have a rich history and I am driven to build off that strong foundation and help the players add to their legacy with this club.”

Porter will have to muster all his motivational experience and soccer knowhow for this unique challenge. The Revolution are a team in desperate need of a stable figure running the operation who has the complete backing of team management.

The Revolution were a talented but underachieving collection of individuals that floundered in the tumultuous final months of the 2023 season. The sorry saga began on Aug. 1 when Revolution head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena, the winningest coach in MLS history, was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation by MLS for making “insensitive and inappropriate remarks.”

The club stumbled in the final three months of the season as interim coaches Richie Williams and Clint Peay failed to get the Revolution back on track. The Revolution were swept by the Philadelphia Union in a best-of-three in Round One of the MLS Cup playoffs.

Despite the Revolution’s setbacks, Porter is in a very good position to achieve immediate success. The Revolution were one of 10 MLS franchises in a North America-based field of 27 that qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup tournament.

The Revolution are led by midfielder Carles Gil, the 2021 league MVP. The nucleus of the club is solid and the Revolution will have two key players, forward Dylan Borrero and right back Brandon Bye, back from season-ending injuries. The only questionable position at this point is goalkeeper.