New England Revolution vs. Columbus Crew: Preview and How to Watch

A MLS Eastern Conference battle, as the red-hot Justin Meram leads the Columbus Crew into Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution.

After you’ve watch the EPL wrap up their 16/17 season on Sunday morning, the MLS has three matches to conclude your weekend. That trio starts with the Columbus Crew vs. the New England Revolution. Columbus travel to the northeast sitting third in the Eastern Conference and feeling confident after their 3-2 road victory over Montreal last weekend.

Meanwhile, the Revolution trounced Real Salt Lake 4-0 their last time out. They currently sit in eighth place in the East, still three points below the playoff line. But having failed to lose at home in 2017, and almost fully healthy, they’ll like their chances to revenge a loss to the Crew a few weeks back.

New England Revolution

• Current Record: 3W-4L-4D
• Last Time Out: 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake at home.
• Player To Watch For: Kei Kamara. As long as the big man is playing in MLS, when the Revs play the Crew his history will be brought back up. Kei only has three goals so far in 2017, but all of them have come at home. Against his former club, expect Kamara to be lively throughout the entire match, looking to get one over on his former club.
• Why They Win: They are at home, where they haven’t lost all season. Last weekend they put four past Real Salt Lake, with each goal coming from a different player. The Crew’s backline hasn’t been their strength, posting only one shut out while on the road. Kamara and Nguyen take another three points as New England pushes for the playoffs.
• Why They Won’t: If they fail to dominate possession. When the Revs control the game, they’ve been able to post three or more goals three times already in 2017. While the Crew have explosive attackers as well, an open game favors New England at home. They will need to avoid letting Columbus strike first and then sit back in defense looking for the counter.
• Predicted Starting XI:

Columbus Crew

• Current Record: 6W-5-L-1D
• Last Time Out: 3-2 victory over the Montreal Impact on the road.
• Player To Watch For: Justin Meram. All eyes will already be on the star midfielder, who has been in rich form since the start of the season. After his hat-trick, he leads the club in goals with seven and is tied for first place on the Crew’s assist list with four. Only 12 games into the campaign and Meram is only two goals away from his career best (including playoffs). The Revs will have to give Meram extra attention on Sunday, leaving more opportunities for Ola Kamara and Federico Higuain.
• Why They Win: They’ve beaten New England already once this season, in Columbus. In fact, that was the Crew’s only shutout since April 1st. The attention goes to Meram, who still manages to shine, while Ola Kamara gets the advantage on the Revolution’s backline. Columbus is clincial on the counter, and outscore New England.
• Why They Won’t: Winning on the road is difficult in MLS, and the Crew have only managed it twice so far this year. The Revs will be full of confidence after a 4-0 win at home. New England hasn’t lost there all year, and their attack is much stronger playing in Gillette Stadium. The Crew can score, but their backline may not be able to keep up with the NE attack.
• Predicted Starting XI:

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How to Watch

Where: Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, Kansas
When: 2:30 pm ET
How to Watch: MLS LIVE, CSN-NE, CW Columbus, Spectrum Sports OH, BCSN2