Two days after being knocked out of the Leagues Cup by Club America, losing 2-0 in the quarterfinals, Columbus Crew return to ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in no condition to coast through a league fixture.
What’s at stake
New England sit fourth in the Eastern Conference on 34 points, two clear of Charlotte in fifth and three ahead of FC Cincinnati in sixth. The top nine in the East advance to the MLS playoffs, so Marko Mitrovic’s side is safely inside that bracket for now, but the gap between fourth and the playoff cut line is thin enough that a run of poor results could still see them slip. Nashville SC lead the conference on 49 points, with Inter Miami second on 39 and Chicago Fire third on 36, meaning the Revs are 15 points off top spot but only two clear of a team directly behind them.
For Columbus, the picture is starker. Fifteen in the East on 20 points, the Crew are four points below Atlanta United and Philadelphia Union in 12th and 13th respectively, with the playoff places a significant distance away. A win would at least slow the gap from widening further and give Courtois something to build on after a stretch that has produced four losses in a row across all competitions.
How they got here
Columbus have not won in four straight outings. Their last five results read as four losses and a draw: beaten 2-0 by Club America on Thursday, 3-2 by Nashville SC, 2-1 at home by CF Montreal, 3-1 at Charlotte, and a 1-1 draw with Pumas in the Leagues Cup group stage before that. The goals-against column tells the story, 36 conceded in 21 league games, and the defense has been consistently exposed in recent weeks. New England’s form over the same five games is more mixed: a 1-1 draw at home to New York City FC, a 3-0 win at DC United, a 1-2 loss at Toronto, a 0-2 home loss to Houston Dynamo, and a 2-2 draw at CF Montreal. That sequence, two losses and two draws in their last four, explains why the Revs have not been able to fully shake off the teams below them despite their overall points tally.
In the Eastern Conference standings heading into matchday 22, the Revs sit fourth on 34 points, while Columbus are 15th on 20, a gap of 14 points separating the two sides.
Key battle to watch
Carles Gil will be the central figure for New England. The Revs’ playmaker has been the engine of their best performances this season, and Columbus’s midfield, already stretched thin during their losing run, will need to close his space quickly and consistently. If Gil is allowed time on the ball in tight areas, he tends to find the passes that open defenses up. A depleted and confidence-low Columbus side, playing their third game in nine days, may not have the legs or the organization to contain him for a full 90 minutes.
Key Stats
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Our Prediction
Columbus are in a rough patch with four straight losses, a short turnaround after Thursday’s Leagues Cup exit, and a defense that has been giving up goals regularly. New England are not in blistering form themselves, but they carry a 14-point quality gap into this fixture and have enough individual quality, particularly through Carles Gil, to control large parts of the game. The Revs look the more likely side to come away with three points, though the hosts’ home record in this fixture historically has been solid.
Columbus Crew
New England Revolution
Carles Gil