Last week, we talked about the Revolution passing tests against non-playoff teams in the East, and in a pass/fail format that is MLS, getting three points is a pass.
But now New England faces a stiffer test, albeit from the currently 11th-place Columbus Crew tonight from Gillette Stadium (7:30 pm EDT, Apple TV). The Revs have proven they can win at home, but carrying their winning ways over to the house of horrors that is MBS in Atlanta and Inter Miami's new Nu Stadium is another thing altogether. We'll deal with that problem in the coming weeks.
While the Revs passed that aforementioned test against D.C. last weekend, they did not do so with flying colors...though MLS dot com generously gave D.C. a full xG for two swing and misses at close range, did skew the stats fairly significantly. Regardless, the Revs were far from a dominant force against a team without their starting striker.
Thomas Pinzone
In front of them today again is a struggling team below the playoff line without it's star striker, so if we're giving New England a retake on last week's test, hopefully there are some improvements this week. I do not know if Columbus is bad, but D.C. United probably is because, at the very least, I know they can't score, but the hard hat guys are essentially in the same situation the black and red were in last week.
Trying to go on the road without your regular striker and figure out a way to get a result.
D.C. to its credit played well and were it not for the allergic reactions to everything in front of goal it might have gotten a result. Columbus lost striker Wessam Abou Ali in the first half against Orlando last weekend and managed to salvage a late point at home with an 80th-minute goal from Diego Rossi.
Seth Macomber
The Crew's attacking output probably now falls largely on Rossi with supporting help from wideman Max Arfsten and centermid Dylan Chambost, both with two assists so far this year, likely to have to take on more of the chance creation output. Though I think the Crew's issues are largely because Wilfried Nancy isn't walking through that door but losing an attacker with 8G/2A in 12 total games and less than 900 minutes in MLS dating back to the end of last year is a real bummer.
However, the Revs can only play who is in front of them, and taking a far more solid performance than the one they had against DC, and another three points, on the road to Atlanta midweek, maybe can do something to quell the nightmares that place holds.
New England has had good moments and stretches, and there are a lot of very positive trends the Revs have been doing; early goals, closing out matches with goals, etc. But defensively they've been giving up a lot of chances, set pieces in particular seemed to be a problem against D.C. Hopefully an extra week to stabilize the formation without Matt Polster in the middle will allow the attacking group to continue to generate and finish good chances but Jackson Yueillright-hand is on the latest injury report as questionable.
Seth Macomber
I have really enjoyed the variety of the ways the Revs have generated chances at home - set pieces, big diagonal switches and counters, and that right-hand side overload with Gil-Langoni-Feingold is a lot of fun. New England being a work in progress still is fine early in Marko Mitrovic's tenure and I do think the team is trending in the right direction.
We should still hold a very high amount of respect for Columbus though, even without Abou Ali up top. Even on their worst day, the Crew will usually make everyone earn their points off them and tonight should be no different.
As always, a massive thanks to Tyler Fisher of Massive Report for taking the time to answer questions with us again. Be sure to give him and MR a follow and check out their site for my answers to their questions as well as their half of the game coverage.
Sam Lattof
TBM: We're going to pour one out for Wessam Abou Ali after his season ending injury last week, how great has he been in his first twelve games going back to last year? How does this affect the Crew lineup in the short term and is there a chance a replacement gets signed to the roster?
TF: Wessam Abou Ali has shown what he's capable of. The guy scores goals no matter where he goes. It sucks that he hasn't been given a full tenure to show what he can do because of injuries, but from what we both have seen, he's very dangerous. As for the lineup, it affects it a lot. Abou Ali is a true No. 9, and Columbus only have one – possibly two – on their roster. Who takes the spot? Maybe Jamal Thiaré. If we were to get a replacement, we'd have to look at free agency or look within the league, but my money is on Columbus not signing another striker and just rolling with what we have.
TBM: I'm not sure a salvaging a late 1-1 draw at home with Orlando is the best result but what has been working for the Crew on the field this year? Is there a glaring negative or weakness you've seen in the early weeks of the season?
TF: What has been working? Nothing quite honestly. Maybe Patrick Schulte, if I'm gonna stick my neck out there. He's been really solid. But honestly, nothing is working. We turn the ball over too many times, we don't shoot enough; It's just not the same. The glaring negative/weakness, is that when we panic, we revert back to old ways, and those old ways are what got us knocked out of the first round of the playoffs the last two years. Credit to Henrik Rydstöm for trying, but the team just doesn't get it.
TBM: No wins at home and only six points through seven games isn't where we're used to seeing Columbus, what were the preseason expectations for this team and should be still expect a playoff appearance or do we need to assess that after the World Cup break?
TF: The preseason expectations were that we would be sitting above the playoff line within these first few games, but we all can't get what we want. Playoffs should still be the goal. Home field advantage? Probably out of the window at this moment, but hey... even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. To get a better judgement, we'd have to wait until after the World Cup break. Circle back with me then, and I'll probably say the same thing.
Lineup/Injuries/Predictions/Etc.
GK: Schulte DEF: Amundsen--Camacho--Zawadzki (c)--Moreira MID: Arfsten--Chambost--Picard FWD: Rossi--Thiaré--Habroune* (*-Questionable, Illness)
-Injuries: Wessam Abou Ali (ACL) - OUT, Mohamed Farsi (Hernia) - OUT (Worth noting these are what I know so far, as our injury report gets sent about 5 p.m. EDT)
Prediction: Revolution 2-1 Crew
