FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – This past weekend’s 4-2 win over the Columbus Crew put the New England Revolution in great position heading into the second leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series, set for a 5 p.m. kickoff on Sunday, November 9 at Gillette Stadium.
Not only do the Revs return home with a two-goal lead in a series decided by aggregate goals, but they also boast four precious away goals, a valuable commodity with the away-goals rule now in effect.
But what exactly does that mean with regards to Sunday’s second leg?
We know this – either the Revs or Crew will advance to the Eastern Conference Championship this weekend. But there are a variety of different scenarios which could play out to determine exactly who’ll win the series and keep their hopes of lifting MLS Cup alive.
Here are the scenarios you’ll need to know ahead of Sunday’s match.
New England advances to the Eastern Conference Championship with …
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A win, draw or one-goal loss (0-1, 1-2, 2-3, etc.)
- Revs would advance based on aggregate goals
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A two-goal loss, provided Columbus doesn’t score four or more goals (0-2 or 1-3)
- Revs would advance based on the away-goals tiebreaker
Columbus advances to the Eastern Conference Championship with …
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A win by three or more goals
- Crew would advance based on aggregate goals
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A two-goal win, provided Columbus scores five or more goals (5-3, 6-4, 7-5, etc.)
- Crew would advance based on the away-goals tiebreaker
The series will require extra time if and only if …
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Columbus defeats New England by a score of 4-2
- Extra time consists of two 15-minute halves, followed by penalty kicks if the series remains tied on aggregate goals
It may seem complicated, but from a Revolution perspective, it’s actually pretty straightforward – win or draw on Sunday and you’re through to the Eastern Conference Championship for the first time since 2007. As for the rest of the scenarios – those involving Revolution losses – let’s hope we don’t have to worry about them.
After all, nobody wants to do math at a sporting event.
