The New England Revolution and Columbus Crew were supposed to put on the most entertaining conference semifinal of the MLS Cup Playoffs. They were the league's two hottest teams down the stretch and played great, attacking soccer, highlighted by some brilliant stars.
New England Revolution vs. Columbus Crew, 2014 MLS Playoffs: Revs look unstoppable
The Revolution are going home with a 4-2 aggregate lead. The Crew look done for.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
And then the Revolution ruined it.
New England went to Columbus in the first leg and throttled the Crew. It ended 4-2, but it could have been so much worse and now the tie looks over heading to the second leg. It’s not even fair to blame the Crew for it all going to pieces either. They didn’t play well, sure, but the Revolution were so good that it might not have mattered anyway.
With Jermaine Jones leading the way in a hyper-athletic midfield that presses as well as any in MLS, as well as the brilliance of Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe's skill and the reclamation project that are Charlie Davies and Teal Bunbury, the Revolution look too good right now. They have issues at the back, but it's not like they're terrible in defense and they mask it well.
The Crew will certainly give it a chance at Gillette Stadium, but they’ll have to open up in search of goals and it’s tough to imagine them doing so and keeping the Revs out. Not only does New England lead by two goals, but they have four away goals. Columbus needs a three-goal win, and they need it away to the hottest team in MLS. Good luck with that.
Team news
Neither team has any major injuries. The Crew may drastically change their team after the way the first leg went, but that would be reactionary. They have a perfectly fine team, they just ran into a buzz saw.
Projected lineups
New England Revolution: Bobby Shuttleworth; Andrew Farrell, A.J. Soares, Jose Goncalves, Chris Tierney; Jermaine Jones, Scott Caldwell; Teal Bunbury, Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowel Charlie Davies.
Columbus Crew: Steve Clark; Hector Jimenez, Michael Parkhurst, Tyson Wahl, Waylon Francis; Wil Trapp, Tony Tchani; Ethan Finlay, Federico Higuain, Justin Meram; Jairo Arrieta.
Key questions
1. What do the Crew have left? The way they got stomped in the first leg had to be dispiriting for the Crew. A lot of teams would pack it in for the second leg, and Columbus may do just that. Sure, they will come out firing, but can they maintain 90 minutes of energy in a tie they look destined to lose. That’s a big ask of any team.
2. Will Lee Nguyen dominate? Lee Nguyen is never going to get on the ball and control the match with the amount of time he spends dictating things, but he can dominate by making the most of his handful of opportunities. That could mean scoring, that could mean assisting, that could mean making the play that leaves the defense for dead. He did that a couple times in the first leg and with the Crew needing to push for goals in the second leg, it’s even more likely to happen.
3. Can the Crew handle the Revs’ press? Columbus crumbled under New England’s midfield pressure in the first leg. That doesn’t make them unique -- it’s something most teams have been doing against the Revolution for months -- but it’s something they have to change if they want a chance to make a comeback. The Revs are going to run at them with every chance they get and take away space, and the Crew need to move the ball around that and catch New England out when they beat it.
Prediction
The Revolution are the best team in MLS right now and they’re coming home against a team that is going to have to take chances. They can win without playing great and that’s what they will do. New England will come away 3-1 winners.
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