Revolution II Preview: 8/10 vs Columbus Crew 2
Revs II looks to get back on track after having its unbeaten and winning streaks snapped on the road.
Richie Williams and New England Revolution II will look to get back on track when they return to Gillette, looking to avenge a loss suffered in their last outing. Catch up on everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s match.
Opponent: Columbus Crew 2
Date: Sunday, August 10th
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Broadcast: MLS Season Pass - Apple TV
Weather: Sunday night’s kickoff will see temps sit in the low 60’s with winds gusting at 20 miles per hour. Clouds are expected to hover throughout the evening, but precipitation will not be an issue.
New England Revolution II:
After an incredible run that saw Revs II go undefeated in five games, while tying the club’s all-time winning streak with four consecutive games, it all came to an end on August 2nd when the club visited Truist Point to face independent side Carolina Core FC.
Despite a strong start to the game, Zion Scarlett’s 74th-minute strike was the deciding factor as it propelled Carolina to a 1-0 victory.
Following last week’s loss to Carolina, New England sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 33 points on an 8-5-5 record with four shootout victories.
A big factor in New England's success this season has been the offensive efforts from Liam Butts. The 24-year-old currently leads the club with eight goals along with two assists across 16 appearances this season. Butts will look to become the second player in club history to reach double-digit goals.
Speaking of history, Marcos Dias has the chance to etch his name into the Revolution II history book. July 30th’s meeting with Atlanta United 2 saw Marcos Dias assist on Liam Butts’ 25th-minute goal to notch his 15th assist for the club. An assist that saw Dias tie the club record set by former midfielder Jake Rozhansky.
Sunday’s meeting gives Dias the chance to notch his 16th assist to take sole control of the record. It will also allow him to add to his league-leading 60 chances created.
Another factor in 2025’s success has been the defense. Revs II have conceded 22 goals, which is the third-fewest in the East. They’re also tied for the third-most clean sheets with six.
Speaking of goalkeeping, Sunday could see the return of J.D. Gunn in between the pipes. The Panama international has not featured in the matchday squad since being on the bench for July 20th’s victory over Orlando City B, with Donovan Parisian starting the last three matches.
Whether it’s Gunn or Parisian, expect either keeper plus the 10 players in front of them to put on another spectacular display of defense.
Columbus Crew 2:
2025 has been an incredibly tough season for Federico Higuaín and Crew 2. The club comes into Sunday’s match at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings with 13 points on a 3-13-3 record with one shootout victory. On top of their horrid record, Crew 2 has also amassed a 0-8-1 record on the road.
On top of the poor record, Crew 2 also has the third-fewest goals for (20), fifth-most goals conceded (41), and the second-worst goal differential (-21).
It’s been incredibly tough sledding for the club as of late. Since picking up their third and most recent win on June 28th, the club has lost all six matches since, being outscored 17 -7.
Looking at the stats, it's clear to see Crew 2 has been inefficient on both sides of the ball. Their 1.1 goals per match is the third-fewest in MLS NEXT Pro. They also conceded the fourth-most goals per match (2.2), took the fewest shots on target per match (3.7), completed the seventh-fewest accurate long balls per match (20.3), completed the second-fewest crosses per match (2.5), and have seen the second-most red cards (4).
Despite the lack of success as a collective, 2025 has seen some decent individual seasons from some players that New England will have to keep an eye on Sunday.
Forward Chase Adams leads the Capybaras in scoring with five goals over 14 appearances. Another dangerous threat is midfielder Nico Rincón, who has two goals and three assists in 18 appearances.
Previous Meetings:
Sunday will mark the 11th all-time meeting between New England and Columbus. Crew 2 firmly holds control over the series with a 7-2-1 record in the first 10 meetings.
Their inaugural meeting saw Columbus take home all three points following a 4-0 win on May 8, 2022. Their final meeting that year saw Marcos Dias’ 41st-minute strike stave off another shutout loss as Crew 2 yet again took home all three points following a 4-1 victory.
Their first meeting of 2023 resulted in another Crew 2 victory as goals from Isaiah Parente, Jacen Russell-Rowe, and Marco Micaletto led Columbus to a 3-0 victory.
Tides changed on May 25, 2023, as a pair of goals from Jordan Adebayo-Smith and Ben Awashie led Revs II to a 2-0 victory and their first win over Columbus. Things swung back in Columbus’s favor as they closed out 2023 with a 1-0 win, followed by a 3-1, 2-1, and 3-1 wins during their three meetings in 2024.
2025 has seen momentum swing in New England’s favor as they’ve gone undefeated in their first two meetings this season. It started with both sides exchanging goals on April 23, which resulted in both sides taking home a point following a 2-2 draw. Revs II took home the additional point up for grabs following a 4-1 shootout victory. Their most recent meeting came on July 5, when a pair of goals from Malcolm Fry and Cristiano Oliveira propelled New England to its second-ever win over Columbus as Revs II took home the 2-1 win!