COLUMBUS, Ohio. (June 6, 2024) – New England Revolution II (3-7-2; 13 pts.) fell to Columbus Crew 2 (5-5-2; 18 pts.), 3-1, on Thursday night at Lower.com Field. Newton, Mass. native Patrick Leal tallied his second goal of the season, with U-19 Academy forward Gabriel Chavez recording his first assist in his professional debut. Tonight’s match also featured the first professional start for U-19 Academy forward Braedon Smith, while 16-year-old Grant Emerhi made his first MLS NEXT Pro appearance as a second-half substitute.
New England recorded four shots on goal in the opening half, with two coming from Smith. However, Columbus found the scoresheet first with a header following a corner kick in the 41st minute by Jayden Da, sending the home side into halftime with a 1-0 advantage. Crew 2 extended their lead with goals in the 48th and 65th minutes.
Revolution II got on the board with Leal’s second goal of 2024. Chavez tapped the ball to the middle of the field, where Leal would run up and take a strike from just above the 18-yard box straight into the top left corner of the net to prevent the shutout in the 81st minute. Thursday marked Leal’s 10th start of the season, as he now owns two goals and three assists on the year.
Chavez and Emerhi are two of 12 Revolution Academy products that featured in tonight’s roster. Alongside the U-19 and U-17 forwards who appeared as substitutes, Smith, Malcolm Fry, Gevork Diarbian, Eric Klein, and Damario McIntosh all earned starts, while Max Weinstein, Mason Sullivan, Steban Lopera, Alex Parvu, and Robert Nichols were available off the bench.
New England continues the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season on Friday, June 14, hosting New York Red Bulls II at Ouellette Stadium on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University. The 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff streams live on MLSNEXTPro.com with Phillip Galati calling the action.
New England Revolution II 1, Columbus Crew 2 3
June 6, 2024 – Lower.com Field (Columbus, Ohio)
- Academy forward Braedon Smith logged 59 minutes and recorded two shots on target in his first professional start on Thursday.
- JD Gunn made two saves in his sixth start of 2024.
- Patrick Leal tallied his second goal of the season, logging the full 90 and leading the team with four shots, two on target in his 10th start of the year.
- Gabriel Chavez entered the match in the 60th minute to mark his first MLS NEXT Pro appearance and recorded his first professional assist on Leal’s 80th-minute tally.
- 16-year-old Grant Emerhi entered the match in the 78th minute to become the 35th Revolution Academy player to make his professional debut with New England’s second team since 2020.
- 12 Revolution Academy products featured in tonight’s roster with Smith, Malcolm Fry, Gevork Diarbian, Eric Klein, and Damario McIntosh earning starts, while Chavez, Emerhi, Max Weinstein, Mason Sullivan, Steban Lopera, Alex Parvu, and Robert Nichols were available off the bench.
GAME CAPSULE
Referee: Shawn Tehini
Assistant Referees: Eric Del Rosario, Audra Fullen
Fourth Official: Atahan Yaya
Weather: 81 degrees and partly cloudy
Scoring Summary:
CLB – Jayden Da (Owen Presthus) 41’
CLB – Chase Adams (Jayden Da) 48’
CLB – JD Gunn (Own Goal) 65’
NE – Patrick Leal 2 (Gabriel Chavez 1) 81’
Misconduct Summary:
NE – Luka Borovic (Yellow Card) 50’
NE – Maciel (Yellow Card) 53’
NE – Gabriel Chavez (Yellow Card) 86’
CLB – Gibran Rayo (Yellow Card) 87’
New England Revolution II: JD Gunn; Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi (Gabriel Chavez 60’), Hesron Barry, Eric Klein, Damario McIntosh; Maciel, Patrick Leal, Luka Borovic (Alex Parvu 59’); Gevork Diarbian (Grant Emerhi 78’), Malcolm Fry (Joshua Bolma 59’) Braedon Smith (Andrej Bjelajac 59’).
Substitutes Not Used: Steban Lopera, Robert Nichols, Mason Sullivan, Max Weinstein.
Columbus Crew 2: Stanislav Lapkes; Christopher Pearson, Cristopher Rogers, Diego Crespo; Jacob Greene, Adrian Gonzalez, Nicolas Jacobo (Giorgio DeLibera 46’), Owen Presthus (Tristan Brown 79’); Brent Adu-Gyamfi (Anthony Alaouieh 46’), Jayden Da (Gibran Rayo 67’), Chase Adams (Joshua Veycheck 89’).
Substitutes Not Used: Terron Williams, Coleman Catlett.
