Columbus Crew SC and the New England Revolution faced off in an Eastern Conference matchup Saturday night at Gillette Stadium. Ola Kamara scored for the third straight match, but the Black & Gold fell 3-1 to the Revolution.
Early in the match, New England midfielder Lee Nguyen found the ball at the top of the box and put it away in the top corner to give his team a 1-0 lead. Ethan Finlay used his speed on the right side to squeeze behind the Revolution defense on multiple occasions in the match, with the first coming in the 14th minute. Justin Meram played a wonderful ball between two New England defenders which found the feet of Finlay, but the Marshfield, Wisconsin native was unable to get the ball past the 'keeper from a tight angle.
In the 34th minute, New England doubled their lead on a ball that deflected off a sliding Wil Trapp's feet and into the goal. However, the half was not over, as Crew SC was able to halve the deficit before the break. Tony Tchani found a cutting Ola Kamara, who slid behind a New England defender and finished a left-footed shot to bring the score to 2-1 in the 42nd minute. The assist gave Tchani his 20th in his MLS career.
A high-pressure Crew SC side came out of the locker room looking to bring the score level quickly. Captain Michael Parkhurst and goalkeeper Steve Clark held down the defense, making huge saves in the 54th and 56th minutes of the match. Post-match, Parkhurst commented that the team had good defensive moments throughout the match: "I thought defensively we did well for periods of the game, as far as dealing with Kei [Kamara], dealing with crosses."
Cedrick Mabwati and Dilly Duka entered the match in the 65th and 66th minutes, both looking to help level the scoring. This was Mabwati's first match back after returning from an illness. Duka made his second straight appearance since joining the club in June. However, New England's Kei Kamara scored from inside the box to make it 3-1 in the 71st minute.
Crew SC pushed for goals late in the match. Homegrown Player Wil Trapp put one on target late in the match, lacing one from outside the box, forcing a save from the Revolution keeper. The save then ricocheted off the post but stayed out of the back of the net.
Crew SC now returns to Columbus for three straight home matches, where it plans on capitalizing from the energy of the home crowd. Kamara says it's now crucial to win now that the team stands six points back of the playoffs: "It's urgent to get some points now. We really have to get points."
Parkhurst added, "We're at a period, we've got to put some pressure on ourselves. We need wins. At home, it's got to happen. Very, very important rest of the week for us."
Back in action on Wednesday, July 13, the Black & Gold are back home at MAPFRE Stadium hosting Toronto FC. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
