Caleb Porter hails Esmir Bajraktarevic's performance in Revs' 4-0 Champions Cup triumph

New England Revolution boss Caleb Porter was full of praise for winger Esmir Bajraktarevic after his performance off the bench against Independiente de la Chorrera in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Supporters of the Revs may have expected Bajraktarevic to come off the bench at some point in the game, but not right after the second half began. A small knock to midfielder Carles Gil saw his night end at the interval, and Porter Bajraktarevic the chance to show what he can do with his side holding a 2-0 lead on aggregate.

The 18-year-old, who's now made 22 appearances for the first team in New England, provided an instant impact off the bench to to assist Tomas Chancalay and put the Revs up 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate.

"Yeah, Carles [Gil] had to come out at halftime. We don’t think it’s anything serious, but his achilles
was tight, probably because of the cold, and just maybe adjusting to the turf – new surface," Porter said after the game.

"So, we thought we needed to be careful with it and we knew we had the kid Esmir [Bajraktarevic] to put in. So, you know, I think everybody sees his talent. He's a special player and very dynamic. Case in point was kind of that goal he created when he first came on. He's just dynamic. He can run behind the line and individually, very gifted. Huge potential."

Porter wasn't the only one with high praise for Bajraktarevic, as longtime Revs defender Andrew Farrell explains how important it was for the young winger to show his quality in a high-stakes, competitive contest.

"He's [Bajraktarevic] been doing it since he's been here. It's great to see he's getting his
opportunities and he's taking it. Obviously getting the call up with the [United States Men's] National Team. We all know how talented of a player he is, so it's just so fun to see him out there enjoying the game and doing it at a high level," Farrell said.

"He does that against us in practice, but obviously seeing it in a competitive match, helping us seal out the win. I think he had a couple assists, I think one assist, and he should have had two because they took it back. So just seeing him get the end product as well is important, not just the beating guys off the ball, but finding the end product is important."

The Revs would go on to win 3-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate are now set to take on Costa Rican side LD Alajuelense in the Round of 16 first leg on March 6. The Eastern Conference team returns to action this Sunday to play host to Toronto FC at Gillette Stadium, searching for their first win of the 2024 MLS season.

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