Similarly-Styled Revs, Crew Look to Rebound on Saturday

Columbus Crew versus the New England Revolution 

4/21, 7:30pm EST, ESPN +

Two clubs coming off narrow losses will look to rebound on Saturday when Columbus Crew SC hosts the New England Revolution at MAPFRE Stadium.

Last weekend, the Revolution fell 1-0 to FC Dallas while Crew SC dropped a 1-0 defeat to DC United. Interestingly, New England and Columbus enter the match tied for third on 10 points, but that isn’t the only similarity the MLS originals share.

“We like to get the ball down and play, they like to get the ball down and play,” Revolution coach Brad Friedel said. “We both like the physical side of the game, and we also like the technical quality.”

While Friedel’s squad may be rounding into form on the physical side as they continue to develop their high press approach, their technical quality has been evident this season.

That quality has been bolstered by the emergence of newcomer Cristian Penilla, who’s collected three assists and scored one goal through the first six games. Penilla has combined well with another technically proficient playmaker in Diego Fagundez, who’s taken over the #10 shirt this season with three goals to his credit.

Indeed, the Revolution have used their strengths to great effect so far, reeling off a 3-2-1 record, their best start in seven years.

But early season form doesn’t mean a win awaits them in Columbus.

Despite a recent three-game slide, Crew SC still has the pieces to pull the rug from under a quality side. Just ask defending champion Toronto FC, who dropped a 2-0 loss at Columbus to open the season.

True, the acquisition of Gyasi Zardes has helped the Buckeye State selection get some early results. Ditto for club stalwart Federico Higuain. But the team prides itself on getting offense from other areas of the field.

“A large part of our game is getting our fullbacks forward,” Crew SC coach Gregg Berhalter told the media earlier this week. “It’s nice to also have central midfielders who can contribute, so the burden isn’t on the four attacking guys.”

Wil Trapp and Artur have both remained key pieces of the Columbus attack, which have given New England fits during recent encounters. To wit, Crew SC have won four straight against the Revolution going into Saturday.

“There’s a number of different ways for us to go about it,” Berhalter said. “We just have to be aggressive and we have to make sure we reach our level.”

Meanwhile, Friedel, an Ohio native who once suited up for Columbus (1996-97), is hoping for a happy homecoming in what could be the Revolution’s final match at MAPFRE Stadium with Crew SC exploring a move to San Antonio next year.

“We’re going to their stadium, my old club, as well,” said Friedel. “It’ll be nice to go there and coach against them, and I think it’ll be a fun evening for everyone to watch.”