Revolution II Preview: 4/23 vs Columbus Crew 2
Revs II look to get back on track after suffering first defeat of the 2025 season
New England Revolution II returns home after their first road outing of the 2025 season didn’t go to plan. Catch up on everything you need to know ahead of Wednesday evening’s match.
Opponent: Columbus Crew 2
Date: Wednesday, April 23
Time: 5:00 PM ET
Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass - Apple TV
Weather: Wednesday should be a good one inside Gillette Stadium. Expect high 60s come kickoff as the temp drops to 65° throughout the match. Winds won’t be much of a factor with gusts maxing at 20 miles per hour.
New England Revolution II:
2025 has started tremendously for Richie Williams and Revolution II. The club enters Wednesday’s match in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with eight points on a 2-1-1 record and one shootout victory.
After securing a scoreless draw against Philadelphia Union II on March 9, Revs II secured a 2-0 win over FC Cincinnati 2 on March 13 and a 4-0 victory over Toronto FC II on March 28.
The month of April got off to a rocky start when the club traveled to Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida, to face Orlando City B. After keeping their opposition off the board for the first 350 minutes of the new season, things changed in the 81st minute when Shakur Mohammed found the back of the net to give Orlando a late lead and the eventual 1-0 victory to hand Revolution II their first loss of the new campaign.
Wednesday could see Marcos Dias’s legacy in New England grow. The club’s all-time leading goal scorer (26) has made 78 appearances since arriving in 2022. An appearance against Crew 2 would see Marcos Dias tie for the second-most appearances. Dias would tie former Revs II defender Pierre Cayet and midfielder Jake Rozhansky with 79 appearances.
An appearance for defender Victor Souza would see him reach the 50-appearance milestone for Revolution II.
Columbus Crew 2:
Former head coach Kelvin Jones departed the club following the 2024 season as he joined MLS expansion side San Diego as an assistant. Columbus filled the void on January 29 when they hired former Inter Miami II head coach Federico Higuaín.
Higuaín’s first season at the helm of Crew 2 has not gone well. The club finds itself at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table with one point on a 0-3-1 record.
After opening the 2025 season with three straight losses on the road, April 6 saw Crew 2 secure its first point of the season when they played to a 1-1 draw against Crown Legacy FC. Crew 2 suffered defeat in the penalty shootout.
Nico Rincón, Keesean Ferdinand, Chase Adams, and Tristan Brown have been the source of Crew 2’s offense so far this season. The quartet has notched one goal each to Columbus' four goals scored this season.
Previous Meetings:
Wednesday will mark the ninth meeting between New England and Columbus. Crew II has historically been a nail in Revolution II’s side. Crew 2 has walked away victorious in all but one meeting.
Revs II’s only win over Columbus came on May 25, 2023, when goals from Jordan Adebayo-Smith and Ben Awashie led New England to a 2-0 shutout victory.
Results aren’t the only thing lopsided in Columbus’ favor. The previous eight meetings have seen Crew 2 outscore Revs II 20 to six. Five of the seven losses to Columbus have been by two or more goals, and Columbus has found the net in seven of eight meetings with Revs II.