Revolution II vs Columbus Crew 2: Three Thoughts
Three thoughts following Wednesday's meeting with Crew 2.
Despite a rough start that saw them concede 42 seconds into the match, Wednesday saw Revolution II lock in to secure two points after picking up a 2-2 draw in regulation, followed by a dominant 4-1 shootout victory.
Here are three thoughts!
1 - Wasted Chances
While it was good seeing Revs II generating a ton of good looks, their inability to create off it was their Achilles heel in this one. The second team put up 26 shots against Crew 2, but only put five on target. Additionally, nine of the 26 were blocked by Columbus.
According to FotMob, Revs II missed four of its five big chances. Considering the age and experience of this Revs II side, that’s something that can’t happen on a regular basis.
It’s great to see this Revs II attack be ambitious, but a little more calculation and build-up will lead to better results for the club.
2 - Working on the Wing
A big factor in Revolution II’s ability to create good chances was the work out wide.
Revs II put up a combined eight crosses in the first four matches in 2025. Additionally the club managed to send 12 against Columbus Crew 2 thanks to efforts from Gevork Diarbian and Eric Klein.
Their work out wide resulted in Revs II’s game-tying goal in the 78th minute. After getting the ball on the right flank, Klein lobbed a ball to Cristiano Oliveira, who leaped over his defender and curled a header to the far side of goal and in to level the game at two apiece.
It’s a shame it didn’t lead to more, but Revolution II’s efforts from the wing got them numerous good looks against Columbus. Hopefully, we see the wing utilized more going forward.
3 - Questionable Calls
One thing that stood out from this game was the number of questionable calls from the referees.
First and foremost, the fact this game only had two yellow cards was wild. Especially considering both yellows were shown to Columbus in stoppage time for time wasting and the fact that New England and Columbus committed a combined 22 fouls on the day.
The lack of yellows for both sides was alarming, but not as much as the two missed calls that could have secured Revs II all three points.
The most notable came in the 34th minute. After breaking away with the ball, Marcos Dias found himself one-on-one with Stav Lapkes. Dias attempted to maneuver around Lapkes, but the keeper made contact with the advancing forward to end the dangerous chance.
Despite the jeers from the Gillette crowd, the refereeing crew deemed it to be clean. Unfortunately, MLS Season Pass does not keep a catalog of previous MLS NEXT Pro matches, but from my view, it appeared Dias deliberately attempted to maneuver around Lapkes, but was still the victim of contact that should have resulted in a penalty kick.
There was also a strong shout for a handball inside the box in the second half that was also missed by the refereeing crew.
Missed calls weren’t the sole reason Revs II walked away with two points, but it’s truly frustrating when two big opportunities to walk away with three points are missed in the manner they were on Wednesday.