FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – They’ll be visitors on Saturday night, but two members of the New England Revolution coaching staff will feel right at home when the Revs take the field at MAPFRE Stadium for a meeting with Columbus Crew SC.

Revs head coach Brad Friedel and assistant Mike Lapper both have long histories with the Crew SC organization and the state of Ohio, including a brief stint as teammates with Columbus in 1997.

Friedel, who was born in Ohio and grew up outside Cleveland, made 45 appearances for Crew SC – then known as the Crew – between 1996 and 1997, earning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year honors in his second season before moving to Liverpool to begin his long European adventure.

Lapper has even deeper roots with Columbus, having made 121 appearances for the club between 1997 and 2002 before working for three years in the front office (2002-05) and nine years (2005-13) as an assistant coach with Crew SC, winning an MLS Cup title under head coach Sigi Schmid in 2008.

Adding an extra layer to Saturday night’s homecoming, both Friedel and Lapper spent time in the U.S. Men’s National Team system with current Crew SC head coach Gregg Berhalter, so there will be a pervasive sense of familiarity with regards to every aspect of the trip.

“Gregg’s done a really good job with Columbus since he took over (in 2013),” said Friedel. “They have a distinct style of play, and the word entertaining is going to come to mind. We like to get the ball down and play, they like to get the ball down and play. We both like the physical side of the game, and we also like the technical quality.”

Friedel noted that he has “some family roots” in Columbus as his mother was born and raised in the area and still lives in Ohio, and he’s very much looking forward to the weekend’s trip.

“We’re going to their stadium, my old club,” Friedel said. “It’ll be nice to go there and coach against them, and I think it’ll be a fun evening for everyone to watch.”