It's the final matchup between the Columbus Crew and the New England Revolution. Both teams vowing for a playoff spot. A must win game is at stakes. No team can afford a draw, or a loss. The last time these two teams faced each other, the Columbus Crew won on a Federico Higuain costless kick in the 48th minute at home. Will Jay Heaps and New England rise to the occasion, or will Gregg Berhalter keep his win streak alive?
New England Revolution currently sit in third place, with 45 points. Their recent outing, a come from behind victory over second place Sporting Kansas City, lifted the Revs two points above Columbus. Jermaine Jones scored his first goal in Major League Soccer since joining the team. A notable key to victory is just to score goals. If New England wants to stay in the talks of being in the playoffs, they need to stay level-headed and score goals. A player that's on the fans' lips is Jermaine Jones. After being shutout last time, where he couldn't find the back of the net, he will be waiting for the right time to score a goal.
The Columbus Crew are behind New England in fourth place with 43 points. In the last match, Columbus won their fifth match at home, with a 2-0 win over the Montreal Impact. Goals from Ethan Finlay and Federico Higuain helped seal the three points for the Black and Gold. With the form Columbus is in, it's hard to tell who can be a star player. A toss up between Ethan Finlay, Tony Tchani, and Federico Higuain are the first three names that come to mind. A good passing sequence between these three can do damage to the New England backline.
Projected Lineup: Columbus Crew
Clark;
Francis--Wahl--Parkhurst--Gehrig
Tchani--Trapp
Meram--Higuain--Finlay
Schoenfeld
Projected Lineup: New England Revolution
Shuttleworth;
Tierney--Goncalves--Farrell--Alston
Jones
Rowe--Nguyen--Kobayashi--Bunbury
Davies
Time: 7:30
Venue: Gillette Stadium; Boston, Massachusetts
Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero
Projection: A playoff spot is at hand. Both teams will need to bring their all, and play their hardest. If the game goes right, Columbus will win this game.
New England 1-2 Columbus Crew