Mike Lapper ready to turn things around for The Boys In Blue

FOXBOROUGH — For the entirety of his 15-year coaching career, Mike Lapper has been in the background, the shadows. Having been an assistant coach for several teams, he hasn’t had to step in front of the cameras, sweat under the hot lights, and have microphones and cell phone recorders shoved within inches of his face. That was someone else’s job.

On Friday morning, the interim Revolution head coach did so for five minutes before heading out to the training pitch for his first session in charge.

Standing in front of the same backdrop that recently ousted manager Brad Friedel had since August, Lapper addressed the Boston soccer press corps for the first time and noted that things needed to change with The Boys In Blue.

“We are way better than the results,” Lapper said, “and for whatever reason, and football’s a funny game: a little bit of luck, making a penalty kick, one save that someone comes up with and turns the game on its head, and for whatever reason, things haven’t been going our way. The confidence hasn’t been where it needs to be, and the leadership hasn’t been where it needs to be.

“That’s going to be our job, to use this as a turning point to turn this season on its head. The good news is we have plenty of games to get the points. I’ve been in this league 17 years and you get two or three wins on the trot, and you’re right there.”

Lapper has been with Friedel — someone he has known since their playing days at UCLA in the late 1980’s — since the former Revs gaffer was at the head of the United States U-19 national team in 2016 and '17. Before that, Lapper was the assistant coach at West Virginia University’s men’s soccer program, and was also an assistant with the Columbus Crew before that.

But now he steps into the spotlight taking control of a team that has nowhere to go but up, starting with Saturday’s date with the resurgent San Jose Earthquakes here at Gillette Stadium.

“Any time there’s a change of the head guy, my hope — in locker rooms in the past — you see kind of an exhale, and everyone thinks they have a chance now, and it’s true: everyone has a chance. It’s a new beginning, a new start, and the fact we have a home game and it’s going to be a big crowd, and I think the energy levels will be picked up. I hope the players will use this as a catapult to just move forward and get the results and get the wins and get this club to where we need to be, and should be,” Lapper said.

He noted that defensively, “We get the right people in the positions, we get the right attitude, we get the right characters, and we get leaders out there. We have some injuries to deal with — Michael Mancienne, I got to see if he’s going to be available and OK, and it’s going to be a competition. You’ll see a little bit of it tomorrow, but I have to talk to Edgar (Castillo); he’s having three games on the trot again, and injuries and travel and whatnot, but we got to get the healthiest people on the field right now, and the guys that are going to be resilient and get a shutout.”

Lapper also scoffed at the notion that Friedel had lost the locker room.

“(Friedel) came from an environment where that is the status quo, and if you don’t make it, the next guy’s up,” he explained. “We may not have the depth here in the United States where they have it in the (Premier League). I don’t think he ever lost the locker room. He challenged guys in different ways, and some people respond differently to that, but for the most part, I don’t think we lost the locker room. I think there’s always times when you question yourself and you question the lineup, but the reality is unless you’re there every day and seeing who’s performing on a daily basis out on the training center, that’s where we make our decisions.”

He said that he was “disappointed” with the end of Friedel’s tenure.

“I’ve known him for 30-plus years, so (I’m) sad, but understanding — as was he,” he said. “We spoke for two hours in the office right before it happened and after it happened, and then I spoke to him last night and this morning, and unfortunately we’re in this business of results matter. We knew that something had to change, and you can’t change everyone in the locker room.

“He’s doing fine; he understands, he’s a big boy. He’s been in that cutthroat business in England and playing in the professional leagues. He gets it, and I’m sure when it sinks in, he’ll be disappointed, but we’re all adults and we’re going to move on and do what’s best for the club.”

And when asked if he’d be interested in the full gig instead of wearing the interim tag he now wears, Lapper smiled.

“Of course. That goes without saying. Like I told Brad yesterday, and I told Mike (Burns), ‘I didn’t sign up for this,’” he said with a laugh. “I’m going to embrace it. I’m going to do everything I can because my loyalty is to this club and to get us where everyone wants to be. And that’s, first of all, get in the playoffs: once you get in the playoffs, you’ve got a chance, and obviously, we want to win things here. We have a rich history of winning things and being in the finals and I think that’s where this team should be.

“And we can be there. We have to get the mentality right, the attitudes right, the leadership right. We’ve got the group, we’ve got to get the results now.”

And if he gets the job, he’ll have plenty more chances to be in the spotlight.