TONIGHT'S STARTING XI
LAST REGULAR-SEASON MEETING
The two sides did not meet during the 2020 regular season, and last met twice during the 2019 regular season. In the first meeting, Columbus SC traveled to Foxborough, Massachusetts on March 9. Forward Gyasi Zardes scored twice and goalkeeper Zack Steffen stopped a Diego Fagundez penalty kick as The Crew took a 2-0 victory at Gillette Stadium. Columbus SC then hosted the Revolution on April 6 at Historic Crew Stadium. Defender Josh Williams scored the lone goal in the 42nd minute in a 1-0 victory for the Black & Gold.
CONTINUING THE STREAK VS. NEW ENGLAND
The Crew is undefeated in its last four regular-season matches against the New England Revolution with a record of 3-0-1, dating back to a 2-2 draw in 2018 (April 21).
200 CAREER STARTS FOR GYASI ZARDES
With his start in tonight’s match, Gyasi Zardes will reach 200 MLS regular-season starts (217 appearances) since joining the League in the 2013 season. Of his 200 starts, 83 have come with the Black & Gold.
DARLINGTON NAGBE: A LEAGUE-LEADING PASSER
Through three matches in the 2020 MLS regular season, midfielder Darlington Nagbe leads the League in passing accuracy among players who have attempted 50 or more passes. The midfielder has made three starts while completing 128 of his 132 attempted passes for a passing accuracy percentage of 96.97%. Nagbe joined The Crew ahead of the 2020 MLS season and has made 18 regular-season appearances (17 starts) while scoring one goal and providing one assist. For a list of MLS players with the highest passing accuracy this season, please see the table on the next page.
MATAN STARTS FIRST MATCH IN MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Midfielder Alex Matan started in Wednesday's road contest against Toronto FC, marking his first MLS regular-season start. Matan signed with The Crew from Romanian side FC Viitorul Constanta on March 8, 2021. This season, Matan has made six appearances (one start) for The Crew across all competitions. Matan played 73 minutes on Wednesday, registering one shot and one cross while making two tackles and three interceptions.
MENSAH RECORDS 100TH START FOR THE CREW
Defender Jonathan Mensah made his 100th Columbus SC start during Wednesday’s match against Toronto FC. Mensah joined the Black & Gold in January 2017 and has added three goals and one assist across all competitions. Mensah made 23 appearances last season at center-back (all starts) and was named to MLS Team of the Week in Round 2 of the MLS is Back Tournament. In the 2020 post-season, Mensah made the game-winning assist against the New England Revolution on December 6 to help The Crew advance to the MLS Cup.
