FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Coming off a disappointing midweek loss to New York City FC, head coach Jay Heaps asked for more from the New England Revolution on Saturday night against Columbus Crew SC.

He got it.

New England showed a fighting spirit from the opening whistle and dug deep to grind out a 3-1 win over Columbus, snapping a three-game losing streak and vaulting them into sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, just three points back of the third-place Montreal Impact.

“I think there was just a little bit more commitment, just a little bit more presence for 90 minutes,” Heaps said of the difference between the win over Columbus and the loss to NYCFC. “In this league, that little difference makes all the difference.”

The first half of the Revolution’s regular season was a rollercoaster. New England’s class was often apparent for long stretches of matches, but they regularly failed to put together a complete, 90-minute performance. That led to dropped points and a string of frustrating results.

But performances like Saturday night’s have the Revolution convinced that the talent is there to be a top side in this league; it’s just the commitment that needs to be ever-present through the summer months and into the stretch run of the regular season.

“It’s all about the fight,” said Kelyn Rowe. “We have the skill, we have the talent, we have the guys who can put the ball in the back of the net, and we’ve got the guys who can bite down and defend well.

“It’s all about just putting it together and fighting for the guy next to you.”

If the Revs can consistently play with that grit and match teams toe-to-toe, they’re confident that their ability will carry them to the results necessary to make a strong second-half push.

“We have to continue to do that; the mentality, the urgency, the fight, the will – all those things,” said Heaps. “We’re a good enough team to beat teams, but we have to bring that first, and then the play comes second.”