The second match of Columbus Crew SC's three-match home stand ushers the New England Revolution into MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday night for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. There are layers of history between the pair of Major League Soccer original Charter Members — ranging from the pair of USMNT veterans as head coaches, more than 68 head-to-head matches and more than 185 goals scored in the all-time series.
Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter acknowledges the challenge of the Week 10 matchup, specifically mentioning New England's dangerous front six.
"New England has a lot of threats — considerable threats," Berhalter, a U.S. Men's National Team member alongside New England head coach Ben Olsen from 1997-2007, said. "Lee Nguyen is a good player, a playmaker — one of the better playmakers in the league. They have Juan Agudelo firing on all cylinders. Kei Kamara is a handful in and around the penalty box. The then have those wingers that are all good and offer threats: Diego Fagundez, Kelyn Rowe, Teal Bunberry and a bunch of tricky wingers that add dimensions to their team.”
Out of New England's 14 goals scored in 2017, Agudelo (6), Nguyen (4) and Kamara (2) have combined to claim 12. The Revs offer a level of unpredictability as an opponent: their last match ended in a 3-3 draw when they allowed a three-goal lead to disappear against the Seattle Sounders. New England's last six matches (D-W-L-D-D-D) shows a similar theme — with New England silencing the potent Houston Dynamo attack before being blanked by the Chicago Fire and San Jose Earthquakes.
Crew SC's hosting of New England will start an eight-day stretch with three games and a month of May with six matches in 25 days. In that span, Crew SC will meet both the Revolution and Toronto FC twice — as four of the Black & Gold's next five matches.
“Every game is vital," Berhalter said. "Every game is difficult. We’ve had some tough opponents, but we have more coming up — against Eastern Conference opponents. It’s been tough, but we’ve done well so far and will look to continue doing well through a tough month of May. We play New England and Toronto four times in the next five games. It almost turns into a little playoff series where you are very familiar with a team in a short amount of time. After this, we won’t see Toronto or New England again until you maybe meet in the playoffs."
Having gone unbeaten in four of the five matches played at MAPFRE Stadium in 2017, Berhalter and Co. know the value of claiming maximum points at home. Following the quick turnaround of facing New England on Saturday and Toronto on Wednesday, Crew SC then will be away for three straight — at Montreal, New England and Toronto.
“With three games in seven or eight days, its about taking it day by day," Crew SC goalkeeper Zack Steffen said. "We have to be smart, and patient by recovering well, resting well and staying focused. For me, I play the game and look at the film for improvements. I know how important it is to make sure I get to prepare for whoever’s next in the right way.”
