Revolution II Preview: 6/6 @ Columbus Crew 2
Revolution II Preview: 6/6 @ Columbus Crew 2
Richie Williams and Revs II return to action looking to get back in the win column.
It’s a quick turnaround for head coach Richie Williams and New England Revolution II as the club looks to get back into the win column Thursday night after suffering a crushing loss on Saturday. Catch up on everything you need to know ahead of Thursday’s match.
Date: Thursday, June 6th
Opponent: Columbus Crew 2
Time: 6:00 PM ET
Venue: Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass - Apple TV
Weather: Things will get off to a hot start as the temperature will remain in the high 70s before dropping to the mid 70s throughout the evening. Most of the day’s rain will fall before kickoff, but the chance of precipitation will still be in the mid 30s and slowly descend throughout the match.
New England Revolution II:
Revolution II is looking to get back into the win column following a disappointing 1-0 loss on the road against MLS NEXT Pro newcomers Chattanooga FC on Saturday.
A depleted Revs II side held their own against a more experienced Chattanooga side for most of the match. That was until the 72nd minute when defender Tiago Suarez fouled Alex McGrath. Suarez received a second yellow card and was ejected. Revolution II attempted to stay strong, but the numbers disadvantage was too much. Mehdi Ouamri drove the nail into the coffin in the 80th minute when he booked his spot at number 2 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 list with a bicycle kick goal to give Chattanooga the lead and eventual victory.
Following the loss, Revs II enters Thursday’s match in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with 13 points on a 3-6-2 record with two shootout victories.
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Revolution II as they enter Thursday amidst a four-game winless run, with their last win coming on May 4th.
A more alarming statistic relates to Revs II’s defense and goalkeeping. Revs II will look to notch their first clean sheet in 17 matches. Revs II’s last clean sheet dates back to September 1st, 2023’s 3-0 victory over Huntsville. More alarming is that they’ve conceded 30 goals in the 16-game span since their most recent shutout.
Like Saturday, Revolution II will be without some big names. All-time goal scorer Marcos Dias missed Revs II’s previous match as the broadcast stated Dias was out with an undisclosed injury. There hasn't been an update on his status, but it’s worth noting Dias was pictured training. Hopefully, that means Dias is ready to return to action and give a boost to the Revs II offense.
Additionally, Alex Monis (Philippines), Colby Quiñones (Puerto Rico), Olger Escobar (Guatemala), and Jaime Kabuusu (Grenada) are still on international duty with their respective national teams.
Columbus Crew 2:
It’s been a rocky season for Kelvin Jones and Crew 2. The inaugural MLS NEXT Pro Cup champions enter Thursday in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with 15 points on a 4-5-2 record with one shootout victory.
Like Revs II, it’s been a rough couple of weeks for Crew 2. They come into the match amidst a two-game skid that’s seen them be outscored 5-2.
Their latest outing saw them suffer a 3-1 loss on the road against Eastern Conference powerhouse Philadelphia Union II.
Despite the record, Crew 2’s success has come from forwards Brent Adu-Gyamfi and Chase Adams, as the duo each have three goals and an assist in 2024. Revs II must watch for midfielder Cole Mrowka and forward Mohammed Saad, as the duo have two goals each.
It won’t be an easy outing for Revs II as Crew II’s goalkeeping and passing rank toward the top across MLS NEXT Pro. While they’ve conceded the seventh-most goals across the league (21), Crew 2 average 4.5 saves per match, which ranks number one according to FotMob. Crew 2’s passing is also elite, as they average 475.5 accurate passes per match, which ranks third across MLS NEXT Pro.
Previous Meetings:
Saturday marks the sixth all-time meeting between Columbus and New England. Crew 2 holds a firm advantage in the series as they’ve secured regular-time victories in four of the previous five meetings.
Their first came on May 8th, 2022, when current Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrović made his debut after completing a move to New England in April 2022. Marcos Dias’ 41st-minute goal prevented the shutout for Revs II on July 24th, 2022, as they suffered a 4-1 loss.
Revolution II’s woes continued on April 16th, 2023 when they suffered a 3-0 loss but fortune changed on May 25th, 2023, when goals from Jordan Adebayo-Smith in the 34th and Ben Awashie in the 67th minute led Revs II to secure a 2-0 win and their first victory over Columbus Crew 2.
Their most recent meeting was the most pivotal as both sides squared off in the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference Final. It looked as if this Conference Final was heading to a shootout as neither side found the back of the net. That was until Gilbran Rayo broke through the Revs II backline and slotted the ball past Nico Campuzano and in to give Columbus the lead in stoppage time.
It won’t be an easy outing for Revs II as Crew II’s goalkeeping and passing rank toward the top across MLS NEXT Pro. While they’ve conceded the seventh-most goals across the league (21), Crew 2 average 4.5 saves per match, which ranks number one according to FotMob. Crew 2’s passing is also elite, as they average 475.5 accurate passes per match, which ranks third across MLS NEXT Pro.