Campana And Ganago Score As Revs Defeat Crew For First Time Since 2021
“It takes a team to win, and we looked like a team today."
Leo Campana and Ignatius Ganago scored as the New England Revolution defeated the Columbus Crew 2-1 on Saturday night.
The Crew had a pair of chances in the 14th and 18th minutes, but the first went wide while Matt Turner pushed away the second.
Campana made good on his opportunity, as he redirected Luca Langoni’s cross to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 25th minute.
The Revs got a second in the 39th minute when Ganago got hold of Mamadou Fofana’s long ball and beat Patrick Schulte.
Langoni and Ilay Feingold both had looks before the halftime whistle blew.
Overall, it was a solid first half for the Revolution, who led in expected goals (1.62 to .46), shots on target (5 to 1), and big chances (4 to 1).
“In my opinion, that’s our lineup,” head coach Caleb Porter said. “That’s a strong group. Good defensively, good enough with the ball, enough athleticism and pace.
“It’s an honest group. It looked like a team. I thought it looked that way against LAFC. Unfortunately, we haven’t had that group all together. Leo was out, then Ganago was out. It’s chopping and adding, and there’s no continuity.”
The Crew came out of the break hungry, but the Revs weathered the storm through committed defense.
Schulte found himself well outside his box in the 70th minute when he unsuccessfully looked to take the ball from Campana. This set up a long-range chip attempt by Carles Gil that sailed over the net.
One minute later, the Crew cut the deficit in half via Daniel Gazdag’s second tally of the year.
While Columbus led the second 45 in expected goals (.75 to .2), shots (12 to 2), and shots on target (5 to 0), they didn’t have a single big chance.
“One of the main things I told the group in the locker room after the game was that I was really proud of them at 2-1, because they didn’t shrink,” Porter said. “They stayed strong, and they dug in. I think going into the five [man backline] helped. The personnel we subbed in really helped.
“It takes a team to win, and we looked like a team today. I thought we looked like a team last week [against LAFC], so that’s why I stuck with the lineup.”
It’s been a trying year for the Revolution, who had a nine-game unbeaten run (5-0-4) followed by nine games without a win (0-7-2). The club experienced a roster overhaul, bringing in 18 new faces.
Porter noted that he told his staff this week that it’s “starting to look like the vision I had.”
“I think we have always been confident about the players we have,” Campana said. “We just couldn’t find what we were capable of earlier, but I think the last games have been good.”
The Revs are still 11th in the Eastern Conference, eight points below the playoff line. They have seven games to try to secure a spot; otherwise, they’ll miss the postseason for the second consecutive year.
If they are to make a late push, they will need to win at home, as four of their remaining games are at Gillette Stadium.
“We’ve been good on the road, now we have to go win at home,” Porter said. “Usually, it’s the opposite. We have to go win against Charlotte.”