The New England Revolution are into the Eastern Conference final. MLS's hottest team followed up its 4-2 win in the first leg with a 3-1 home win on Sunday to beat the Columbus Crew, 7-3, on aggregate.
New England Revolution vs. Columbus Crew: Final score 3-1 (7-3), Revs move onto East final
New England was too good ... again.
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
The Revs were absolutely dominant from the start of the first leg and carried it right through the 90 minutes in New England. They brought it to the Crew early on and their midfield’s pressing gave Columbus fits.
It took until just before halftime for the Revs to break through, and it was Lee Nguyen who did it. Steve Clark made a meal of a through ball, failing to corral it like he should have, then the defense failed to clear a cross. Eventually, a cross made its way to Nguyen, who was somehow unmarked, and the MVP candidate easily slotted it home.
Jose Goncalves added to the Revs' lead not long after halftime and put the tie to bed. Things got even worse when Ethan Finlay was sent off in the 61st minute, really cutting out the Crew's hope. Trailing 6-2, they were pretty much done for anyways, but down to just 10 men, it was really over.
Tony Tchani pulled a goal back for the Crew, but Teal Bunbury answered it. Then, Justin Meram was sent off to leave Columbus with just nine men, but the tie was over anyway.
New England are now in the Eastern Conference final, where they will play the New York Red Bulls. The first leg will be in New York, with the second leg back at Gillette Stadium.
New England Revolution: Shuttleworth, Alston, Soares, Goncalves, Tierney, Jones, Caldwell, Bunbury, Nguyen, Rowe, Davis.
Goals: Nguyen 43’, Goncalves 55’, Bunbury 77’.
Columbus Crew: Clark, Gehrig, Parkhurst, Wahl, Francis, Tchani, Trapp, Finlay, Jimenez, Meram, Arrieta.
Goals: Tchani 69’.
Red Cards: Finlay 61’, Meram 85’.
3 things
1. New England is the best team in MLS - There is no debate right now: the Revs are the league’s best team. That’s not to say they cannot lose, but they will be favorites in every match they play this playoffs and deservedly so. Their midfield’s range and athleticism is overwhelming, they have two bonafide stars in Jermaine Jones and Lee Nguyen, and Jay Heaps has shown more tactical ingenuity this season than ever before. They are a monster.
2. The Revs’ defense is still shaky - No team in MLS is ever flawless. It’s tough to be well-rounded in leagues without a salary cap, so in MLS it is impossible. The Revs’ issue is in defense, where they can be slow and don’t have a dominant player. Jose Goncalves is good, but not otherworldly and the Crew had the Revs defense beat a couple times. New England’s midfield press makes up for their deficiencies at the back, but they can be exploited.
3. Columbus has a bright future - The Crew weren't atrocious in this tie. They weren't good, but the scoreline was more indicative of how well the Revs played than how poorly the Crew played. Wil Trapp is a centerpiece for the team to build around and Tony Tchani is just 25 years old. They have the central midfield taken care of, a great playmaker in Federico Higuain and a commitment from ownership that gives them the resources to build something great in Columbus. It's tough to see the Crew get smacked around, but they should have plenty more playoff opportunities coming.
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