Columbus Crew SC is on the road again this weekend, traveling to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution on Saturday. Last weekend, the Black & Gold traveled to Kansas City where they battled but fell short in a 3-2 loss at Children’s Mercy Park.
This Saturday will be the first of three matches between Columbus and New England during the 2016 regular season. The two Eastern Conference teams haven’t met since June 24, 2015, where Crew SC defeated the Revs 2-1 at MAPFRE Stadium. Columbus went unbeaten against the Revolution in 2015, recording a draw at Gillette Stadium on top of the win at home.
This match begins an eight-game stretch against Eastern Conference opponents for the Black & Gold. Captain and defender Michael Parkhurst says this is the opportunity Columbus needs to climb back above the red line.
“Gregg told us today that we have everything to play for, we’re four points out of a playoff spot, we control our own destiny. It’s good that we’ve got all these Eastern Conference teams to play, it’s the fastest way to move up the table. We’re still right in it, we still have every opportunity to make this a successful season and make a run at it and that’s what we plan on doing.”
The Revolution roster includes many talented players, especially on the attacking end, including Kei Kamara, Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe, Teal Bunbury and others. Midfielder Dilly Duka says this will be no simple task, but Crew SC knows what it has to do to get a result.
“It’s going to be a tough game. We just have to stay focused and just play our game and worry about our defense, our attacking and we should do well.”
With New England having conceded 32 goals in regular-season play in 2016, Crew SC looks to continue with its attacking style of play and keep the ball away from the Revolution's dangerous attacking players. Parkhurst says that his team’s attacking mindset does not change going into this match.
“Like every game, we are going to try and make them defend as much as possible, pin their wingers back, make them work defensively and hopefully keep them pinned in their half of the field as much as possible.”
Berhalter is aware of the talent that the Revolution brings on the field but is confident in his team to create chances of their own.
“Very good team, very good individual players. It’s going to be a tough game. We think we’ll be able to create some chances as well."
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. You can watch the match on The CW Columbus, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel and BCSN2, as well as hear it on the radio CD102.5 and LaMega 103.1. The English-language radio stream is also available right here on ColumbusCrewSC.com
