FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – After overcoming Mazatlán F.C. in their first match of the Leagues Cup 2024 group stage, the New England Revolution squad had a few extra days to rest before their next match. Off the field, however, the front office was hard at work on what could prove to be a monumental attacking signing for the club.
As the players were arriving back in Foxborough for training on Friday, news broke that the Revs had landed 22-year-old winger Luca Langoni from Argentinian giants Boca Juniors in a club-record transfer. Once training wrapped up for the day, head coach Caleb Porter detailed what he liked about La Langosta (“The Lobster”) and what he hoped to see from the young talent both this season and beyond.
“He’s dynamic,” Porter said to start. “You know, we need to get more service into the box; I feel like Giacomo [Vrioni], when he gets service, can score and finish. There are times we get in the half-spaces and we need a little bit more precision. He’ll bring that. I really love that he’s a hard-working player on both sides of the ball. That’s important in our game model. He comes from a very historic club. He’s been under massive pressure to perform, so his mentality’s going to be excellent. Everything about him, we liked.
“We need to score more goals,” Porter added. “We feel like he’s a very talented young player that will come in and help us score more goals.”
Porter had been saying in the run-up to the transfer window that the club intended to make multiple additions, and the announcement of Langoni marks one major move for the Revs. Swooping in for a player from such a historic organization as Boca Juniors is always significant, and Porter said that this move was a statement of intent for what was still to come for the Revolution, both on the field and in the transfer market.
“We’re an ambitious club,” Porter said. “I’ve said it for the last several months, we’ve not performed like we need to, in terms of results and production, on both sides of the ball. So, we need to add players, but also we need assets to be able to do that. Obviously, we had a couple U22 Initiative spots open, and Luca Langoni will fill one of those spots, and we’re really excited about him for the short term and long term. That’s also really important: He’ll help us now, for our push for the playoffs in the last 11 games, and hopefully Leagues Cup, but he’ll also be a key player for us in the future.”
The coach also liked the profile that Langoni fit, saying he would add a new dimension to the team’s attack.
“He’s different than what we have,” Porter added. “We have a good stable of wingers that we’re creating and developing, but he’s different than what we have – he’s a right-footed, very direct right winger who will get service.”
As can be the case with international signings, some uncertainty remains about exactly when Langoni will arrive in Foxborough. Nevertheless, Porter was confident that the Argentinian would be ready to go by the time MLS play resumes at the end of the month.
“We’re hoping as soon as possible,” Porter said. “We’re optimistic in the next several weeks. It just all depends on the paperwork and the visa and immigration, that process. But we’re definitely hoping to get him by Montréal at the latest.”
