Caleb Porter insists the New England Revolution will work hard to improve in the final third against the Philadelphia Union as they look for a first win, and goal, in MLS this season.

The Revs are winless in MLS this season; having drawn their opener 0-0 against Nashville SC, they were then beaten 1-0 by Columbus Crew last time out.

They are one of seven teams still searching for a win in the Eastern Conference, currently sitting 11th in the early standings, with Nashville the only other side in the division yet to hit the back of the net.

While Porter says they will look to improve in the final third, he also highlighted how well the team had begun in defense.

"We're not going to hang our heads," Porter said, as quoted in The Blazing Musket substack. "We focus back on the process, and we're back at home against Philadelphia, and we're going to keep working, keep improving.

"A part of that improvement, yeah, will be the attack. But I think there's a lot of positives with our defending right now, especially.

"If you have a really good defensive team, you're always going to be competitive in every game, which we will."

Philadelphia, meanwhile, are the early leaders in the East, sitting top of the table alongside the Crew, having won their opening two games.

The Union have scored eight goals so far, netting four goals in both matches as they beat Orlando City (4-2) and FC Cincinnati (4-1).

Head coach Bradley Carnell is delighted with his start to life in Philadelphia and is thrilled with how his players have embraced the competition for places since his arrival.

"The players are embracing the competition," said Carnell.

"Everybody will win at the end of the day, if we carry on pushing each other, carry on training the way that we do… That is just part of what we are trying to create around here."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New England Revolution – Leonardo Campana

The Revs failed to score in their first two matches of the season for the first time since 2015 and have managed just four shots on target in that time.

Leonardo Campana is responsible for three of those attempts on target, accumulating 0.33 expected goals (xG) from his four shots overall. Against Columbus Crew, he also had five touches in the opposition box, a team-high.

Philadelphia Union – Tai Baribo

Tai Baribo is the fourth player in MLS history to score five goals in his first two appearances of a season and the first since Javier Hernandez in 2021.

The only player in MLS history to score six goals in his first three games of a season was Ante Razov with the Chicago Fire in 1999.

MATCH PREDICTION: PHILADELPHIA UNION WIN

Philadelphia have won four straight meetings with New England in all competitions, outscoring the Revs 12-2 in those matches. This equals the longest winning streak by either team over the other (Union – 4 straight wins in 2018-19).

The Union followed up their 4-2 win over Orlando in their season opener with a 4-1 win over FC Cincinnati on Saturday. Philadelphia are the second team in MLS history to score at least four goals in each of their first two matches of a season, along with Austin FC in 2022.

Meanwhile, New England have managed just one win in their last 12 matches dating back to the end of last season (D3 L8). The Revs have lost five of their last six matches, with their lone result a scoreless draw at Nashville to open the 2025 season.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

New England Revolution – 29.4%

Draw – 24.7%

Philadelphia Union – 45.9%