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MLS New England Revolution

Revolution Media Assets & Transcript: Curt Onalfo & Carles Gil

July 7, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
New England Revolution News Release


FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Revolution (6-5-7; 25 pts.) visit New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, July 9. The match kicks off at 1:00 p.m. ET and airs nationally on Univision in Spanish and streaming via Twitter in English. Saturday's contest also airs locally on the radio via 98.5 The Sports Hub and 1260 AM Nossa Radio in Portuguese.

Following Thursday's training session, Revolution captain and midfielder Carles Gil addressed the media in a virtual press conference to preview the upcoming match. Additionally, Technical Director Curt Onalfo met with the media to discuss the Revolution Academy's recent 2022 MLS NEXT Cup Championship in the Under-19 age division. View the links below to access footage of today's interviews in addition to a complete transcript, game notes, and additional media assets.

On the Revolution Academy Under-19 team winning the 2022 MLS NEXT Cup national title:

Onalfo: "It was a huge accomplishment for our organization. We are very grateful to Bruce Arena, our sporting director, our president Brian Bilello, and our owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft for the support that they've given us and the resources that they've given us to be successful. It was a great moment for our players, for our fans, and for our staff that has worked extremely hard over a whole bunch of years to achieve something like this. It's very, very difficult to win a championship at any level, to be the last team standing at the end of a very long year, and we were thrilled with the championship, and we look for it to propel us to even better things in the future."

On what he and Bruce Arena have changed in the Revolution Academy since arriving in New England in 2020:

Onalfo: "Well, first of all, everything in our organization starts with Bruce Arena. Obviously, we came in together, we've worked together for a long time, and we have certain principles and pillars that we tried to establish for the organization, and it all starts with the tone that Bruce sets for our organization. So, first and foremost, we wanted to bring that winning mentality not only to the first team but to the second team and also to our academy. So, I think it really was kind of implementing a culture and a mentality from day one. Then we always talk about how we try to get a little bit better every day and if you do that over a period of time, and you look back at that time, all of a sudden you realize how far you've come. While we're very pleased with having won a championship, we feel like we still have a long way to go in terms of making sure that our pro pathway gets stronger. We feel like it's an important part of our club and we're going to continue with that."

On selling the Revolution brand in the region:

Onalfo: "When we first got in, we didn't necessarily get the best players in the community into our program and to me, that was a little bit of a warning sign that we had to get better. But keep in mind, as we arrived, this beautiful facility that we sit in, this $35 million training facility, helped tremendously in that. It brought a sense of professionalism that is incredible for us. I want to comment on the addition of [Director of Youth Development] Rob Becerra, our academy director. He was somebody that I know dearly. I've worked with him for four or five years. He understands exactly what Bruce and I want from our academy, so he was the perfect choice to bring in and really kind of spearhead this culture that we wanted to start at the Academy level. He also helped tremendously in the recruitment process of getting the best players and so did our staff. So, we implemented a program where we felt we just had to get better each day. We wanted to improve our coaching, which we did. We have two residential homes where we bring players that can't get here regularly because of transportation issues or players that are just outside the area that we can bring in to enhance our program. So, we implemented a lot of things and we felt like if our attitude is, 'Can we be the best we can every single day?', and then eventually, we'll beat the competition. That's kind of our mentality and it's helped us. Like I said, we have a long way still to go. We are pleased with the progress, but we want to continually try to be the best and win more championships, and in the process, obviously, develop players, which is our number one goal with the project."

On how the goal of developing talent is implemented across the organization:

Onalfo: "If you look at a player like Damian Rivera, who is a Homegrown Player for our first team, at his age [19], if he is from Uruguay or Argentina, he's a player that would be purchased in our league for three-to-five million dollars. That's just the reality of how it is and he's somebody that has come through our system. So, we just want to keep pushing the bar so that there's more of those type of players that can break into the first team, be successful, and help our team win games. And in the process, if players get sold, they get sold, but we want to make sure that we're robust enough that when that does happen, we have the next player that's here, because anytime you sell a player you have to replace that player and that is not always an easy task. We have a very good system. Our first team has done a tremendous job of not only being successful on the field, but creating an environment each day where we're kind of working on all cylinders, where all of our coaches spend a lot of time helping better each player every single day just a little bit, and in the process, you make everybody better and you're developing players. So, when you have younger players, they continue to get better, and our first team has done a great job with that. We've tried really hard with our pro pathway, which is our second team and our academy, to do the same and it's just kind of following suit. We're just mimicking what we're doing with the first team all the way through organization, and hopefully we can continue with it."

On the qualities coaches and staff look for in Revolution Academy players who are still developing as players:

Onalfo: "Well, in a lot of ways, the most talented players and the high potential players, it's pretty evident of their quality. Usually, they're exceptional in something. A lot of the times it's athleticism, and basically the way the game is trending you have to be exceptional athletically, but you have to be exceptional tactically as well. So then, in order to be exceptional technically, you have to be somebody that touches the ball a lot. Obviously, in our training programs, we emphasize technical ability, but then you also you also have to help them tactically as well, and that's through coaching and then competition. Kudos to MLS NEXT, it's been excellent. We spend a lot of resources on traveling around the country, we play a ton of MLS opponents, and there's never an easy game, especially in the region that we're in, which makes us better. So, between the competition, the coaching, and just obviously the raw talent of the players that we're trying to bring into our program, we feel like it's a good formula to try to create those high potential players that can move up through our system."

On the decision three years ago to join the Revolution and why he and Bruce Arena believed in this project:

Onalfo: "First of all, Bruce [Arena] doesn't take jobs that he doesn't believe in. I've worked with him forever. Obviously, it starts with Brian Bilello and the Krafts. The Krafts obviously are who they are, and they've created a winning organization with the New England Patriots. I think Bruce was really excited about the opportunity, and when he brought it to me, I was as well. We try to just come every day with enormous enthusiasm, we try to strive for excellence every day, and we try to do things with integrity. If you do that on a consistent basis and you surround yourself with really good people, because you cannot do it alone, this is a huge organization. And we have some good processes in place, again, all from Bruce and all the way down through that we tried to implement. And then we have fun, you know, we're enthusiastic, we love what we do. I mean, it's a privilege to make a living in soccer, at least that's the way I look at it. So, I think when you combine all those things together, and then you have ownership and a president that backs you up when you present a project or anything that requires resources and they give you those resources to do it, then it's very much appreciated. We have support all the way through, and that makes us work real hard and try to continue to strive for excellence."

On his long-term view of what the New England region can become as a hotbed for soccer talent:

Onalfo: "I just want to do more of what we just did this past Sunday. I mean, it was euphoria. You set a task, that's the goal, right? You want to develop players, but you also want to develop this winning culture. And I want to share a story that, for me, gives me goosebumps and makes all this stuff worthwhile. But once we won the championship, all the players and staff run out to the field, everybody's embracing each other, they're kind of taking in the moment. And, you know, I'm 52 years old, I'm a little bit older and I have a lot of life experience, so for me it was great to see the joy of the kids, it was great to see how the staff was reacting. But then, I looked at a bunch of players that were jumping up and down together and then I look to my right, and I saw our athletic trainer, Matt Zaremba, who basically had worked tirelessly to help these athletes perform, and he was just bawling. And it just showed how much it meant to him. But for me, it meant that's the culture, that's what we wanted to create. He's a young employee for us that's in our academy, someday he could move on to our second team and eventually on to our first team, and he understood what it took to be a champion. That's the culture we're trying to implement, that's the culture Bruce Arena has brought to this organization, and I'm doing my best to implement it all the way through his organization. And those are the moments where you're like, 'Wow, that that's something special, look how much it meant to him, and how much he contributed to helping our organization.' Not only with the coaches, but the support staff. And that's what we're aiming for, so hopefully we can continue with it."

Revolution Midfielder Carles Gil

On the mindset of the group as they prepare for NYCFC:

Gil: "Of course, I think we are in a good moment like you said with 10 games without a loss. Obviously, we want to have more wins that what we have. But, yeah, we are in a good moment. And now we go to New York, a very good team, one of the best teams, of course, in the league. [It will be] a really difficult game, but for sure we will have our chances to get the three points."

On preparing for the field at Yankee Stadium:

Gil: "Yes, it's a difficult stadium. It's a little be different. So yeah, we try to train, to do some things like stretch a little bit the pitch, and on Saturday in the warmup to try to be ready for this."

On if last year's playoff loss to NYCFC makes them feel like they have something to prove:

Gil: "No, nothing to show because we've showed that in the past. We've beat them sometimes, but of course we don't forget that game. It was a difficult moment for us after the big season. But yes, that can happen against this team because they are a top team in this league with very good player, top players. So, it'll be a big challenge for us."

On his impressions of goalkeeper Djordje Petrović and midfielder Dylan Borrero:

Gil: "Obviously they've had a very good impact on our team- Dylan and Djordje. It's not easy for Djordje [Petrović] after Matt [Turner] had many years here and he's shown what type of goalkeeper he is. He's very young and for sure he will improve, but he's a very good talent. Also, Dylan [Borrero] too. I think he's a very good player. He can do many things and he's helping us a lot."

On recently-acquired Designated Player Giacomo Vrioni:

Gil: "Yes, obviously we miss Adam [Buksa]. He did a great job with us. I think it's very important for us to have another player, another striker. It will be good for us, for the team, for the players in the attack, to have more competition there. Hopefully he will have very good games with us and we will help him to be happy here and to have good games."

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