Columbus Crew SC vs New England Revolution: Live Stream Online and Updates (1-0)

COLUMBUS HAVE KNOCKED OUT NEW ENGLAND AND ARE HOSTING MLS CUP FINAL! THEY ARE YOUR EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS! 

The fourth official has indicated a minimum of four minutes. 

Columbus now five minutes away from hosting MLS Cup Final

Luis Diaz is replaced by Boateng. 

No cards have been issued yet in this match. And there's corner kick for the Revolution

Quickly taken by the Revs but Nagbe clears the ball away from danger. 

Buchanan is replaced by Kelyn Rowe. Caldwell is replaced by McNamara. Two subs left in one window for New England. 

Crew SC have a corner kick. Nothing comes of it, and they will try again. 

ARTUR PUTS THE CREW AHEAD! IT'S 1-0!#CLBvNE // @Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/8z0p2KeAgK — Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 6, 2020

Teal Bunbury is replaced by Brandon Bye. 

Jonathan Mesah lays off the ball to Artur who finds the back of the net! 1-0 Columbus! 30 mins away from being crowned Eastern Conference Champs! 

Revs want a foul in the box. Armando Villareal says no. Columbus now flatfooted as New England is starting to find their groove. 

The Revolution have come out more physical this second half. And just as I say that, they concede a free kick just outside of the penalty area. Zelarayan to take here in the 53rd minute. 

Second half has begun here at MAPFRE Stadium. Score still 0-0. 

Halftime here at MAPFRE Stadium. Columbus and New England are scoreless. 

The Revs outstanding net minder makes a huge save on Santos! The ensuing corner for Columbus produces nothing. 

Columbus has shown good defense being able to shut down and minimize chances for Gustavo Bou so far. 

Columbus are awarded a free kick. 

Buksa clings a shot off the post! New England almost takes the lead, but it's a goal kick for Columbus. 

I'm not the only one that wanted an MLS original kit clash. 

#CLBvNE could've featured this lovely sartorial matchup but instead we get... black vs. off white. Sigh pic.twitter.com/2EtCQV9Cdi

— Charles Boehm (@cboehm) December 6, 2020

New England is possessing the ball more, creating opportunities.

New England earn a free kick in the area their first was. Nothing comes of it. 

Zardes almost opens the scoring for Columbus but his shot is just wide. Score still 0-0

Diaz is driving the game for Columbus. Just drew a foul in the 12th minute of play, and the reason Columbus has so many corner kicks. 

Another corner kick for Columbus. Their fifth in 10 minutes. 

The Crew have dominated the first five minutes of the match, controlling the ball and applying pressure. 

3' Columbus have a corner kick. Cleared by New England but Columbus regain possession. After a good ball in to Artur, Columbus have another corner. 

2' Foul early on gives the Revolution a free kick, but it's cleared by Columbus. 

1' Revolution kickoff and we're underway here at MAPFRE Stadium! 

It's cold. That's all. That's the update. 

We Ready!#NERevs pic.twitter.com/MXu0Tu1vRH — x-Mat | Wear a Mask! (@Marbies3762) December 6, 2020

#NERevs have not won at Columbus since the 2014 playoff series. — Julian Cardillo (@JulianCardillo) December 6, 2020

And now the home team, Columbus Crew SC has taken the field for pre-game warmups! Be sure to check out my poll on my Twitter (@MRTylerF) for who you think will win today's match! 

The visiting Revolution have taken the field for pre-game warmups.

I'm not sure an MLS commercial with Matthew McConaughey is something you want to show at MAPFRE Stadium, given what he is apart of now. 

Empty the tank.#NERevs | #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/zqFoHE75yp — New England Revolution (@NERevolution) December 6, 2020

Your #Crew96 Starting XI for the Eastern Conference Final:#To96ther | @MAPFREIns — x - Columbus Crew SC (@ColumbusCrewSC) December 6, 2020

The gates at MAPFRE Stadium have opened and fans are starting to pour in! Again, MAPFRE has allowed a maximum of 1,500 fans in attendance. During the Nashville match, Franklin County -- where Crew SC reside -- was on a Level 4 COVID-19 emergency. It has since been downgraded to level 3. 

Eastern Conference Final vs NE. Let’s go Columbus!!! #allglorytoGod pic.twitter.com/0fFnZmyMDJ — Gyasi Zardes (@gyasinho) December 6, 2020

The Crew SC frontman is stoked for the game!

The New England Revolution have arrived here in Columbus at MAPFRE Stadium! Picture to come next!

Good afternoon folks, Tyler Fisher coming to you LIVE from a bitter cold MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Any Crew SC or Revs fans out there, let me know how you're feeling about the game! Give me a shout on Twitter @MRTylerF and you're tweet could be featured here on VAVEL USA!

Do not miss a detail of the match with live updates and commentary from yours truly! Follow along with us as I provide details, commentary, analysis and lineups for this Columbus Crew SC vs New England Revolution MLS Cup Eastern Conference Final match!

It’s hard to pick a winner in regulation, but I’m thinking Columbus will take this win 2-1 after penalty kicks.

Now that I’ve given you a preview of the Eastern Conference Final, it’s time for the hard part. Both teams certainly have a strong squad and are coached by two of the best managers in the league. Columbus is bed-ridden with positive COVID-19 tests, something that the Revs can use to their advantage. However, Columbus have battled through it in their last match, and with a good portion of the squad coming back to the roster this Sunday, that gives the home team a slight edge; Not mentioning that they are playing in front of the maximum fans allowed at the stadium in 1,500.

It’s the same lineup against Nashville, but who knows. If it stays the same, Columbus have a strong lineup.

Now let’s take a look at the shuffled up Crew SC. 

Columbus is managed by Caleb Porter. They are projected to lineup in a 4-2-3-1 formation. 

Tarbell; Afful--Williams--Mensah--Valenzuela; Artur--Nagbe; Santos--Zelarayan--Diaz; Zardes.

Look for the Revs to lineup the same as they did against Orlando City. Although they have a reported two players out due to having positive COVID-19 tests, it really doesn’t affect the starting lineup much.

New England is managed by Bruce Arena and will most likely line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. 

Turner; Jones--Kessler--Farrell--Buchanan; Caldwell--Polster; Bunbury--Bou--Gil; Buksa.

Looking at both of these teams, this could be a game that could be very good no matter who comes out on top. But, we’ll get to my prediction at the end. Right now, let’s take a look at who could start for both teams. Because Columbus is a mystery, we’ll start with the visiting Revolution.

Looking back, Columbus Crew hosted the MLS Cup Final against the Portland Timbers who was coached by…. You guessed it. Caleb Porter. On the other hand, Bruce Arena was the head coach at the Los Angeles Galaxy when they hosted MLS Cup Final in 2014 and played, none other than the New England Revolution.

Fun fact: Bruce Arena has eliminated 15 teams in the postseason? Could Columbus be the 16th, and could the Revolution be in their second MLS Cup Final in the last six years? Or will Columbus host the final for the second time in five years?

There have been reports that the league could move the MLS Cup Final to a neutral site, should the top seed to host not be able to due to COVID-19. All four cities where the Conference Finalists play (Washington state, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Ohio) all have some sort of restrictions in place. First reported by Jeff Carlisle of ESPN, he mentions that Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida has been mentioned.

Columbus is certainly behind the eight-ball, but if they can perform well against Nashville, there is no reason to worry or hit the panic button against the New England Revolution.

Columbus has been a victim of the coronavirus pandemic, with eight players testing positive this week. Looking at who all was deemed medically not cleared, the list isn’t as bad as Crew fans thought. The team has had three rounds of negative tests, with the fourth coming yesterday on Saturday.

Now here we are today. Columbus has never made it past the New England Revolution before in the playoffs, with their most recent meeting coming in 2014 when the Crew were outplayed at home, eventually getting knocked out of the playoffs when the playoff format had two-legs instead of the single elimination format which took front seat in 2018.

The Black & Gold took on the New York Red Bulls in the first round, winning that match 3-2. That would send them through to take on newcomers Nashville SC. With Nashville coming to town, lots of talk brewed on social media between the two fan-bases. Nashville was able to hold on with Columbus, but it was Pedro Santos and Gyasi Zardes who paved the way for Columbus to make it to the Eastern Conference final, winning 2-0 after extra time.

Now let’s look at the home side, Columbus Crew SC.

New England took on Orlando City SC, a clear favorite to be the Eastern Conference representative in MLS Cup Final this year. However, Bruce Arena coached the team perfectly, as the MLS original from Boston, Massachusetts dethroned Manchester United legend Nani and the Lions 3-1, with striker Gustavo Bou netting a brace in that match to send them to the Eastern Conference Final.

The Revs then took on Supporter’s Shield Winners Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park, where Tajon Buchanon helped lead the way to a massive win over the Union to knock out the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference. That lead to yet another tough match, down in Orlando, Florida.

The New England Revolution have not had an easy path, but they showed no opponent can stand in their way. The Revs took down the Montreal Impact in the Eastern Conference play-in match at Gillette Stadium, defeating Thierry Henry and company at the death of the regulation time with a goal by Adam Buksa.

Hello, and welcome to VAVEL USA’s LIVE coverage of the 2020 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Final between the New England Revolution and Columbus Crew SC. My name is Tyler Fisher and I will be your host tonight coming to you live from MAPFRE Stadium in a bitter cold Columbus, Ohio. Kick off is starting soon, so how about a little look on how we got here.