New England Revolution II hit the road for the first time in 2026 as they look to shake the cobwebs off following their first loss of the new season. Catch up on everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s match!

Opponent: Columbus Crew 2

Date: Saturday, April 18th

Time: 3:00 PM ET

Venue: ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Columbus, Ohio

Broadcast: OneFootball TV & MLS YouTube Channel

Weather: It looks to be a warm one in Columbus as temps will hover in the low 80s with a slight breeze.

New England Revolution II:

Revolution II’s fiery hot start to the 2026 season simmered down last Sunday when the club suffered its first loss of the season after two mishaps led to reigning MLS NEXT Pro Cup champions Red Bull New York II walking out of Beirne Stadium with all three points following a 2-1 victory.

A big aspect of Revolution II’s success has been its ability to move the ball around the pitch. They come into Saturday’s match ranked eighth in completed passes per match (388.6), ninth in accurate long balls per match (26.2), tied for second in accurate crosses per match (5.4), and tied for fifth in touches in the opposition box (137).

One area needing work for Revs II is set-piece defending. They’re tied for 10th in set-piece goals conceded with three through the opening five matches. What makes it more alarming is that Revolution II has conceded ZERO penalties thus far.

The good news is Revolution II will have plenty of names back in the mix after names like Cristiano Oliveira, Malcolm Fry, Damario McIntosh, Eric Klein, Donovan Parisian, Jayden Da, and Allan Oyirwoth were with the first team for their U.S. Open Cup match against Rhode Island FC.

Columbus Crew 2:

2026 has gotten off to a solid start for Federico Higuain and his Crew 2 side as the club enters Saturday’s match in fourth place with 11 points on a 3-2-1 record with one shootout victory.

It’s sort of shocking to see Crew 2 where they are in the standings. Yes, they don’t rank toward the bottom in any offensive or defensive statistics, but they don’t excel in any either, as they sit in the middle of the pack.

It’s unlikely, as Columbus’ first team travels to Foxborough to face the Revs later on in the day, but if Chase Adams features, he’s a player to keep a watch for as he leads Crew 2 with four goals.

Former Vermont Green midfielder Zach Zengue comes into Saturday’s game feeling hot after bagging two goals in a 3-1 win over CT United FC last weekend. Zengue has three tallies in 2026.

Kevin Gamblé is another name to watch as he has two goals and two assists in 2026.

Previous Meetings:

Saturday will mark the 12th all-time meeting between New England and Columbus. It’s a series Revs II has tremendously struggled in.  New England holds a 2-7-2 record in the first 11 matches.

2022 saw Revs II suffer 4-1 and 4-0 victories in Crew 2’s path to a MLS NEXT Pro Cup Finals appearance.

New England started off 2023 with another shutout loss to Columbus following a 3-0 loss. Revs II turned the tables on May 25, 2023, as goals from Jordan Adebayo-Smith and Ben Awashie led to a 2-0 shutout victory for New England.

The most historic meeting between the two sides happened on October 14th, 2023, as both sides squared off inside Gillette Stadium in the Eastern Conference Final. It was a hard-fought battle, but Columbus Crew 2 were able to find the opening goal in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, which led to Crew 2 securing a 1-0 victory and a spot in the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Cup Final, in which they lost to Austin FC II.

2024 saw Revolution II suffer three more defeats.​ While New England has historically struggled against Columbus, things have gotten better recently. Revs II come into Saturday’s match unbeaten in their last three meetings. April 23, 2025, saw both sides split points following a 2-2 draw. New England walked away with the extra point following a 4-1 shootout victory. New England secured all three points on July 5, 2025, as goals from Malcolm Fry and Cristiano Oliveira led to a 2-1 victory.

The most recent meeting came on August 10, 2025, when both sides split points following a 2-2 draw. Revs II walked away with the additional point following a 5-4 shootout victory.