FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Revolution (0-1-1, 1 pt.) fell to Columbus Crew SC (1-0-1, 4 pts.), 2-0, at Gillette Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Crew SC forward Gyasi Zardes scored both goals for the visitors, first finishing a Pedro Santos cross with a header from the six-yard box in the 26^th minute, and later tallying with a right-footed shot in second-half stoppage time. New England's Wilfried Zahibo drew a penalty in the 57^th minute, but Diego Fagundez's bid from the spot was turned away by Crew SC goalkeeper Zack Steffen. 

Revolution Academy product Justin Rennicks, who signed with the Revolution as a Homegrown Player in January after more than four years in the club's academy and two additional seasons at Indiana University, made his MLS debut as a halftime substitute. The South Hamilton, Mass. native registered two shots and one chance created in 45 minutes of action.

Forward Tajon Buchanan, selected by the Revolution with the ninth-overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, also made his debut in today's contest. Buchanan replaced Scott Caldwell as a substitute in the 81^st minute and recorded two shots.

New England returns to action next Sunday, March 17, when it visits Toronto FC at BMO Field. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and in Portuguese on 1260 AM Nossa Radio.

New England Revolution 0, Columbus Crew SC 2
March 9, 2019 – Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Mass.)

Revs Fall to Columbus Crew SC, 2-0

·The Revolution fell to Crew SC, 2-0, on Saturday, setting the club’s record at 0-1-1 (1 pt.) through two games of the 2019 MLS season.

• New England's all-time record against Columbus moves to 23-37-13, including a 15-17-6 mark in regular season matches played in Foxborough. 

Homegrown Player Justin Rennicks Makes MLS Debut

·Homegrown Player Justin Rennicks made his MLS debut as a halftime substitute during today's match. Rennicks, 19, registered two shots, one chance created, 29 touches, one tackle, and one foul won in the second half.

·The forward, a native of South Hamilton, Mass., signed a Homegrown Player contract with the Revolution in January after more than four years with the club's academy, and two additional seasons at Indiana University.

·A two-time UnitedHealthcare Academy Player of the Year, Rennicks recorded 38 goals and 25 assists in more than 100 appearances across all levels of the Revolution Academy.

First-Round SuperDraft Selection Buchanan Debuts for Revs

·Forward Tajon Buchanan, who the Revolution selected with the ninth-overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, made his MLS debut as a second-half substitute.

·The former Syracuse University standout submitted two shots and eight touches after replacing Scott Caldwell in the 81^stminute.

·Buchanan, a two-year starter for the Orange, scored 12 goals with six assists in 33 appearances during his collegiate career.

Revolution Starting XI Sees One Change from 2019 Opener

·The Revolution's starting lineup saw one change from last weekend's regular season opener at Dallas, as defender Michael Mancienne replaced defender Jalil Anibaba.

·Mancienne was initially slated to start at center back against Dallas, but suffered an injury in warmups that forced him to miss the match. Anibaba filled in and played 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw.

·Defender Andrew Farrell and forward Juan Fernando Caicedo were ruled out for today's match with injuries.

GAME CAPSULE

Referee: Dave Gantar
Assistant Referees: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho (AR1), Logan Brown (AR2)
Fourth Official: Rubiel Vazquez
VAR: Alan Kelly
Weather: 42° and Clear
Attendance: 13,808

Scoring Summary:
CLB – Gyasi Zardes 1 (Pedro Santos 1) 26'
CLB – Gyasi Zardes 2 (Héctor Jiménez 1) 90'+6'

Misconduct Summary:
NE – Wilfried Zahibo (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 35'
CLB – Wil Trapp (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 36'
CLB – Pedro Santos (Yellow Card – Unsporting Behavior) 77'
NE – Brandon Bye (Yellow Card – Video Review) 86'

New England Revolution: Brad Knighton; Edgar Castillo, Michael Mancienne ©, Antonio Delamea, Brandon Bye; Wilfried Zahibo, Scott Caldwell (Tajon Buchanan 81'); Cristian Penilla (Diego Fagundez HT), Teal Bunbury; Carles Gil, Juan Agudelo (Justin Rennicks HT)

Substitutes Not Used: Cody Cropper, Jalil Anibaba, DeJuan Jones, Luis Caicedo

Columbus Crew SC: Zack Steffen; Waylon Francis, Gastón Sauro, Jonathan Mensah, Harrison Afful; Artur, Wil Trapp; Justin Meram (Robinho 74'), Federico Higuaín ©, Pedro Santos (Héctor Jiménez 90'+3'); Gyasi Zardes

Substitutes Not Used: Joe Bendik, Josh Williams, Ricardo Clark, Patrick Mullins, Jerome Williams