COLUMBUS, Ohio – It’s finally here.
After a rollercoaster 34-game regular season, playoff soccer has arrived for the New England Revolution, which begins an Eastern Conference Semifinal series with the Columbus Crew on Saturday afternoon in Ohio.
The Revs (17-13-4, 55 pts.), seeded second in the East, will visit the third-seeded Crew (14-10-10, 52 pts.) for the first leg at Crew Stadium this weekend, while New England will host the return leg next Sunday, Nov. 9, at Gillette Stadium. The series will be decided by aggregate goals through the two legs.
Kickoff for Saturday’s first leg is set for 4 p.m. ET, with local coverage available on Comcast SportsNet and 98.5 The Sports Hub. CSN will also air Revs Post Game Live immediately after the final whistle.
WATCH PARTY: Make your #STAND with fellow Revs fans at the Banshee
Current Form: Two hottest teams in Major League Soccer set to clash in East semis
It’s early yet in the postseason, but the Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup between the Revs and Crew pits the hottest teams in MLS against each other right out of the gate.
New England closed the regular season on a tear – buoyed by the arrival of Jermaine Jones in late August – going 9-1-1 through their last 11 games to rise from sixth all the way up to second in the conference. The Revolution’s form was equally strong both at home and on the road during that stretch – the Revs have won six straight in Foxborough, while they’re 3-1-1 in their last five road games.
That recent form has the Revs believing that they can improve upon last year’s playoff performance, when they fell to eventual champions Sporting Kansas City at this stage of the postseason.
“I think we want more than last year,” said captain Jose Goncalves. “I think the team is coming together very well and we showed a lot of good stuff … We believe, I think, a little bit more than last year that we can win it.”
On their quest for a title the Revs will first have to advance past a Crew side which has been just as strong in recent months, going 8-2-1 down the stretch to solidify third place in the East. The Crew – like the Revs – has won six straight home games, outscoring opponents 15-2 in the process.
“They’re a really good team,” said Jay Heaps. “They’ve got a pretty good team of players and they added good players this offseason. All the way around, they’re a complete team and they’re difficult to break down.”
Past Meetings: In trio of one-goal games, Crew edged Revs in season series
Three regular-season meetings between the Revs and Crew were all decided by a single goal, with Columbus edging New England out in the first two matchups before the Revs triumphed in the most recent meeting.
Jones featured in two of those matches – as a second-half substitute in the 1-0 loss at Crew Stadium, and as a starter in the 2-1 win over Columbus in Foxborough. He scored the game winner at Gillette Stadium.
That setback in Columbus is the only game the Revs have lost since Jones arrived, and it’s a game the U.S. National Team midfielder says the Revs can learn from heading into this series.
“One game showed us that if we aren’t 100 percent focused on the game, we can lose it,” Jones said. “The second game at home I think everybody was focused that we can beat them and can give them a lot of trouble. Everybody was focused that week and we’ll go into Columbus and try to get something.”
Injury Report: Both sides near full health heading into the postseason
There’s only one name to be found on the Revolution’s injury report ahead of the playoff opener – midfielder Shalrie Joseph is listed as out with a strained groin.
That’s good news for Teal Bunbury, who has returned to full health after missing the final two games of the regular season with hamstring tightness, and a boon for Heaps and the Revs’ coaching staff.
“We have a lot of healthy guys right now, but we assess that every day,” said Heaps. “I don’t like to look too far ahead on the injuries because at any moment, anything can happen.
“We’re healthy right now and hopefully we’ll go into the game the same, and be able to make mindful moves out of tactics … I think it’s really good when you have that depth of your roster.”
Columbus is also as healthy as could be expected given the club’s long-term injury concerns – Matt Wiet, Kingsley “Fifi” Baiden and Daniel Paladini are all listed on either the season-ending IR or the disabled list, but otherwise the Crew’s injury report is free and clear.
Final Thoughts: Playoff-tested Revs prepared for the battle ahead
“It’s a two-leg series and it’s do or die,” said MVP candidate Lee Nguyen, who finished the season with 18 goals, half of which were game winners. “You have to go out there and win. You don’t have 34 games to make up points, so these two games are must-get-results games.
“It’s going to be a grind. You can’t go out there and expect to play pretty football for 90 minutes. The first 15 minutes, the two teams are probably going to be a little nervous, a little chippy, so we’re going to have to grind it out. After that, get into our game and just focus on our game plan and execute.”
