Recap: Revolution II 1 - Crew 2 2
Revolution II's road woes continue as they suffer their winless streak extends to eight matches.
Richie Williams and New England Revolution II hit the road on Sunday as they traveled to Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, to square off against two-time MLS NEXT Pro Cup finalist Columbus Crew 2 in search of their first win since June 14 and their first on the road in 2024.
Williams made two changes from their August 7 draw against Cincinnati 2. Max Weinstein got a second-consecutive start in net behind the back line of Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi, Tiago Suarez, Eric Klein, and Colby QuiƱones. Javaun Mussenden made his first start for Revs II after debuting against Cincinnati, as he joined Luka Borovic and Patrick Leal in the midfield. Joshua Bolma, Marcos Dias, and Alex Monis comprised the attack.
Revs II's offense nearly got rolling just three minutes in when Suarez lobbed a ball forward from the defensive half. Monis turned on the jets, darted past the Crew 2 defense, and got onto the ball. He attempted to slot the ball past Stanislav Lapkes but mishit it as it sailed out for a goal kick.
Mussendenās clearance nearly paid dividends in the 10th minute when Dias darted to the ball and drove at the keeper. Lapkes saved the initial shot but didnāt maintain a grip on the ball as it rebounded into the box. Monis darted to the loose ball and looked to capitalize, but his shot from an acute angle smashed into the side netting.
Crew 2 wasted no time getting their offense rolling when Tristan Brown found himself with the ball on the left flank. Brown crossed the ball into the box, where Cole Mrowka chested it down and proceeded to drill it past Weinstein and into the bottom-left corner.
Despite the setback, Revs II stayed determined which paid off in the 19th minute. After driving down the left flank and beating out Jacob Greene, Bolma sent a perfect cross into the center of the box that Dias leaped at and struck home to level the match at one apiece.
Williams made one change before the second half started as Olger Escobar came on to replace Borovic.
Controversy arose in the 60th minute when the referee pointed to the spot after it was deemed Moshtaba Al-Hasnawi fouled Cole Mrowka inside the box. Mrowka stepped to the spot, looking to give Columbus the lead after the questionable call as he attempted to send it centrally. Weinstein made the huge save to keep Revolution IIās hopes alive!
Another change came in the 63rd minute when Gevork Diarbain replaced Monis.
Things took a turn for the worse in the 76th minute when Giorgia De Libreaās cross along the touchline deflected off Patrick Leal and into the net to give Columbus the lead.
Mussenden entered the book in the 77th minute when he saw yellow after fouling Jacob Green. His first start came to an end following the card as Damario McIntosh made his return to the pitch.
Despite generating some chances to level the game, Revolution II fell short as they suffered a 2-1 loss. Sundayās loss sees their road record extend to 0-10-1. Theyāll look to get back into the win column on Saturday, August 24, when they face MLS NEXT Pro newcomers Carolina Core FC.