New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter wants to make a favorable connection with the club’s supporters in Sunday’s MLS home opener against Toronto FC at 2 p.m. at Gillette Stadium.

Revolution sporting director Curt Onalfo created a buzz of excitement among the Revolution’s base when he hired Porter on Dec. 19. The noise it generated has not waned and there are strong indications that a record opening day crowd is the works.

Porter enjoyed a dress rehearsal of sorts with the Revolution’s 3-0 battering of CA Independiente in leg 2 of their Concacaf Champions Cup match on a cold and blustery Thursday night before a sparse crowd at Gillette.

Porter has experienced opening days during his MLS tenures with Portland and Columbus so he understands the value of a satisfactory first impression. Porter said he is determined to deliver a positive result for the New England faithful.

“I think it is very important that the team, the players and the coaches make a connection with the supporters,” said Porter. “I do care about the supporters and I do want them to believe in our team and our players and us as coaches.

“It’s a results-based business, it’s a bottom-line business so at end of the day we are going to be judged on results whether or not we deliver.

“But I also think you can pay respect to the supporters and it very important there is a mutual respect. I want them to understand we respect them and play for them. The supporters are the soul of the club and the lifeblood and they are everything to us. We are playing for them and there is no club without them.”

Porter needs to reshuffle his Starting XI to overcome several impediments to a successful home opener against the Revolution’s rivals from the north.

The Toronto FC franchise has been revitalized by first-year head coach John Herdman and they opened the 2024 campaign with a scoreless draw with FC Cincinnati, last season’s Supporter’s Shield winners.

“I think they (Toronto) have more belief and they are organized and I think they bought in to what the coach is doing,” said Porter. “They obviously got a good result in their first game and that will give them more confidence.

“Those are things I see and they have quality as well even though they lost a lot of games last year. It unraveled for them at the end and there was a lot of change and a lot of transition but they have a lot of quality.”

The Revolution will be without striker Giacomo Vrioni, who picked up two first half yellow cards in their 3-1 loss to D.C. United in the MLS opener at Audi Field on Feb. 24. Vrioni was eligible to play against CA Independiente and he registered two quality helpers on goals by Nacho Gil and Mark-Anthony Kaye.

Citing “competitive advantage,” Porter would not disclose who will be the point man in his 4-2-3-1 formation against Toronto FC. The natural choice would be striker Bobby Wood, who is currently dealing with a minor knee issue. Wood played in 29 games with 19 starts last season and finished with seven goals and five assists.

“Potentially Bobby Wood could be available,” said Porter.

Porter would not say if midfielder Carles Gil would be available against Toronto. Gil and center back Henry Kessler were substituted out at halftime against CA Independiente. Gil because he had experienced a tight Achilles tendon and Kessler, who is dealing with an Adductor groin issue, for maintenance purposes. Kessler is expected to start alongside Dave Romney against Toronto FC.

“Again, we are still evaluating that,” said Porter. “The fact he came out because he was tight, it is probably unlikely he will play. But we are still evaluating the situation.”