Columbus Crew-New England Revolution: Everything You Need Know

Chances are that many of you have pre-gamed before a match and were stuck in that awkward situation where you were with people who clearly know more about a team than you. Don’t worry, your friends at MLS Multiplex are here to provide you with all of the information that you need to know before the match. In the words of Thomas Hobbes “Knowledge is Power.”

Two MLS originals will face off on Saturday night as the Columbus Crew will host the New England Revolution.

When: 7:30PM EST 

TV: The match is the MLS Free Stream of the Week.

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts. New England is 9-4-2 at home this season (Wins-Losses-Draws,) while Columbus is 3-4-6 on the road.

Head-to-Head in 2014: In their two previous meetings this season, Columbus were able to score late in the second-half to get six points off of their Eastern Conference rivals. In their first match, New England took the early advantage off a strike by defender A.J. Soares. However, the always dangerous of combination of midfielder Federico Higuain and forward Ethan Finlay contributed two goals late to give the Crew the 2-1 victory.

In their second match two weeks ago, the Crew and Revolution would exchange fouls and heated words throughout a very tense 90 minutes. But it would be Higuain once again who prove to be the Revolution’s foil, hitting a beauty of a free kick past Revolution goalkeeper Bobby Shuttlesworth to give the Crew the victory. All-time, the Crew 31 wins while the Revolution have 20 wins. There have also been 11 draws.

Outlook: Both sides are hitting their peak form at exactly the right point of the season. With Columbus gaining points in eight of their last ten matches (6-2-2) and the Revolution coming off of a statement victory over Sporting Kansas City, both sides will look at this match as a chance to enhance their playoff opportunities.

In their match two weeks ago, the Crew were able to exploit the Revolution’s penchant for making unnecessary fouls (391, eighth highest in the league) by using a set piece to get the game’s lone goal. One of New England’s biggest criticisms this season is that their defense can be at times a bit disciplined. Soares foul late in the match two weeks ago nearly put New England two behind and was only bailed out by a diving save on a penalty by Shuttlesworth.

If New England wants to win this match they will need to find a way to contain the duo of Higuain and Finlay. Higuain is the maestro of the Columbus attack, moving the ball around to midfielders Tony Tchani and Eric Gehrig with relative ease and can almost always find Finlay (eight goals) in between defenders. He can also score when he needs to, leading the team with eleven goals. New England midfielder Jermaine Jones will need to keep his cool and clog up Higuain’s lanes to keep this match close.

Meanwhile the Crew have had their own difficulties with a speedy South American midfielder in New England. Midfielder-forward Diego Fagundez has been the team’s catalyst this season against the Crew, making dangerous runs both flanks and nearly evening up the score in their last match. Although Columbus have a very strong defense, they lack speed. Crew midfielder Wil Trapp may need to hang back more than he is used to reelp contain Fagundez.

Fun stat to show off to your friends: Columbus has lost just once this season when either Higuain or Finlay were able to score (7-1-6). What is interesting is that in the match that Columbus did lose, a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Toronto F.C., is that the club only lost in the 84th minute. New England needs to contain these two if they have any hope of getting three points tonight.