New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter pointed out that a good defense is what wins the league as they prepare to travel to high-flying Charlotte FC in MLS.

New England are 11th in the Eastern Conference, with 10 points, having won just three of their eight games so far.

However, they boast one of the best defensive records in MLS, conceding just seven times this season, with only Inter Miami (six) letting in fewer goals.

The Revs have won their last two games, keeping clean sheets in both, and Porter highlighted how having a strong defensive base will help them going forward.

"It's [defensive stability] what it takes to win in this league," Porter said, as quoted by the Blazing Musket substack.

"The margins are very tight. It takes that mentality. In the boxes, it takes bravery.

"They [Charlotte] are a team that has not lost at home. They are sitting top of the league, and they are in form.

"I like where we're at, and it will be a great opportunity for us to go and try to get a result in a very difficult environment against a very good team."

Charlotte are joint-top of the East, level on 19 points with FC Cincinnati, having lost just twice this season.

They have won all five of their matches at Bank of America Stadium and are on a three-game winning streak heading into their clash with New England.

Head coach Dean Smith believes his players can still find another level, and midfielder Brandt Bronico says that kind of thinking urges the team to push on further.

"As players, we want to hold our standards high," he said. "Hearing the gaffer say that [we can get to another level], it drives us a lot.

"It raises everybody's standards. That's what we need to have if we want to be a top club that's winning trophies. It makes us want to raise our standards."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Charlotte FC – Pep Biel

Pep Biel has recorded a goal contribution in all five of Charlotte's home matches this season.

This is the longest run of home games with a goal contribution by any player in the club's MLS history.

New England Revolution – Leonardo Campana

Leonardo Campana's 43rd-minute goal for New England on Saturday was the first open-play goal scored by the Revs this season (excluding own goals).

Every other MLS team has at least three open-play goals this season.

MATCH PREDICTION: CHARLOTTE FC WIN

Charlotte's 4-0 win over New England last September ended a four-match losing streak for the team against the Revs. Charlotte have scored seven goals in their two wins over New England but have totaled only two goals in the other four matches, all defeats.

They are in good form coming into this one. Charlotte have won eight straight regular-season home matches dating back to last September, the longest streak by an MLS team since Cincinnati's 10-match home winning run in 2023.

Charlotte have scored multiple goals in all eight wins during that streak.

After collecting four points from their first six matches this season, New England have won two in a row, keeping clean sheets in both wins. This is New England's first set of consecutive clean sheets in league play since the first two matches of the 2023 season.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Charlotte FC – 60.5%

Draw – 20.7%

New England Revolution – 18.7%