COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew SC is set to host the New England Revolution in the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Eastern Conference Final at MAPFRE Stadium on Sunday, December 6. The nationally televised match is set to air on ABC and ESPN Deportes at 3:00 p.m. ET. Sunday’s match also airs locally on the radio in English on 97.1 The Fan and streaming online via “Listen Live” at 971TheFan.com. The club’s official website, ColumbusCrewSC.com, is set to stream the Spanish-language audio broadcast.
HOW TO WATCH EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL
- DATE: Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. ET
- TV: ABC, ESPN Deportes
- RADIO: 97.1 FM The Fan (English), ColumbusCrewSC.com (Spanish)
This morning, individuals who previously purchased a Pay-As-We-Play postseason ticket package were provided additional ticketing and account information about the upcoming match, including an update that capacity at MAPFRE Stadium for Sunday will include a significantly reduced number of ticketed individuals in addition to friends and family of the team, and all individuals will be expected to follow guidelines outlined as part of the Club’s Responsible Restart Plan. No tailgating will be permitted in the MAPFRE Stadium parking lots. Supporters are also reminded that MAPFRE Stadium is a cashless environment for the remainder of the season and supporters should be prepared to use a payment card for all in-stadium purchases, with Cash2Card machines available at the stadium. Applicable ticket updates about a potential MLS Cup match at MAPFRE Stadium will be communicated at a later date. Earlier this year, Crew SC became the first professional sports team in the State of Ohio to safely host supporters through health and safety protocols put in place after Crew SC consulted government health officials, Populous – a leading sports architecture firm and venue reconfiguration expert – along with Major League Soccer and their experts during the creation and implementation of the Health and Safety Protocols.
This is the eighth time in Club history that Crew SC has reached the Conference Final and the third time in the last half-decade (2015, 2017, 2020), having also previously reached this stage from 1997-1999, 2002 and 2008. The last time the Club had an opportunity to advance to MLS Cup in a Conference Final-deciding match played in Columbus was in 2008 when the Club defeated the Chicago Fire before going on to capture its first MLS Cup trophy in the title match against the New York Red Bulls.
In 2020, Crew SC posted a regular-season home record of 9-1-0 when playing at MAPFRE Stadium, outscoring opponents 20-6 over that span. The Crew finished the 2020 regular season in third place in the Eastern Conference standings, as well as in fourth place in the Supporters’ Shield standings – the highest regular-season finish for the Black & Gold since 2015, when it finished second in the Eastern Conference and fourth in overall standings before reaching the 2015 MLS Cup.
Sunday’s match will mark the first 2020 meeting between Crew SC and the New England Revolution, as the two sides did not meet in the regular-season this year. Last season, the Crew defeated the Revolution home (March 9) and away (April 6) in regular-season action. The Revs advanced to the Eastern Conference Final by defeating Orlando City SC 3-1 in the other Eastern Conference Semifinal over the weekend. Prior to that, New England defeated the Montreal Impact 2-1 in the Play-In Round (November 20), before defeating the first-seeded Philadelphia Union 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Round One.
There are only five coaches in Major League Soccer’s 25-year history that have achieved a postseason winning percentage of 60 percent or greater while also possessing seven or more playoff victories. Two of the coaches on that list will be on the sidelines this Sunday as Crew SC Head Coach Caleb Porter and Revolution Sporting Director and Head Coach Bruce Arena lead their teams into the single-elimination contest.
