Coming off their second 2-0 win against D.C. United in the 2023 MLS season, the Columbus Crew look ahead to Saturday’s match versus the New England Revolution, who sit 3 points above them in second place in the Eastern Conference.

New England comes into Columbus with a record of 5-1-1 (W-T-L) with their only defeat coming at the hands of LAFC, who currently sit third in the Western Conference. New England Revolution, like the Crew, haven’t played many teams above the playoff line, however, their wins have been consistent, shutting out opponents in four of the five wins they have. The New England Revolution has a relatively clean injury list coming into the game. Defender Henry Kessler joins the injury list, a big loss as he has started all seven of the team’s opening games.

Can the Black & Gold beat the New England Revolution home on Saturday? The Massive Report staff gives their predictions for the game against the New England Revolution.

Grant Miller

The Columbus Crew are coming off their first road win of the season last week. The win against D.C. makes 3 straight wins for the Black & Gold. Their reward is a home test against the 2nd place New England Revolution.

Both teams are in great form and getting a result won’t be easy. The power of Lower.com field and the Nordecke will propel the crew to victory Saturday night.

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Nathan Townsend

The Crew are on a three game tear, but face their toughest test yet in the New England Revolution. I expect this will be a contentious affair, and while the Crew has been on a goal-scoring bonanza, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is 0-0 going into halftime. However, the Crew’s home field advantage will bolster the team in the second half and with goals by Nagbe and Zelarayan, the Crew will eke out their fourth straight victory.

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Adam Miller

The Black & Gold look to stay hot at home as they welcome New England to Lower.com Field. New England is one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, so this match will be a great test for the Black & Gold. This will be one of the matches of the week as both teams present threats on the attack. This back-and-forth game will end even as the Crew will take the lead twice and give it up each time. Columbus will get goals from Christian Ramirez and Alex Matan.

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Collin Johnson

After a rough match one and a disappointing road loss to the Red Bulls, the Crew are really rolling and playing attractive soccer for the first time in the Lower.com Field era. Still, it’s been three wins in a row against teams that were either not at full strength or were near the bottom of the league. On the other hand, Columbus was without Cucho Hernandez for all of those matches and has still managed to see record-high goal totals. Much of the season so far has been about the team bedding in with Nancy’s system and taking care of business in matches that a good team should win. Saturday’s match will be their first real test, since Philadelphia on match one, in a match they would not be expected to win were it not at home. The Revolution are currently sitting at second in the east and looks to have found the Supporter’s Shield winning form they displayed in 2021.

Still, the Black & Gold’s performance is not an aberration. They’re a top 10 team, higher than New England, in the league in xG (expected goals) – xGa (expected goals against) which suggests the team is in good positions to score while not giving up good scoring opportunities. Even with all that it will be tough to beat a very good New England team at home and it will be tough to win four matches in a row. 

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Patrick Murphy

Things have been going well for the Crew, winners of three in a row. But Saturday night will be a test of how good this team actually is. The Black & Gold face a New England Revolution side that is equally as hot and certainly more experienced.

It would not surprise me if the Revs come to Lower.com Field and get a result. But I’m choosing to stay positive with a win, just not an easy one.

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Caleb Denorme

The Crew have won three straight games and conceded a grand total of one goal over that span. They’ve also scored twelve goals, making them arguably the hottest team in the league right now even with the absences of Cucho Hernandez, Kevin Molino, Josh WIlliams and Luis Diaz. That being said, New England is not a team to be taken lightly. The Revs are in second place in the East and have beaten some good teams along the way. I still believe the Crew can make it four straight, beating New England at home by a score of 2-1. Christian Ramirez is on fire right now, and Columbus’ young players are pulling their weight and then some. It’ll be another three points for the Black & Gold this weekend.

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Drew McDaniel

New England is the biggest test for Columbus Crew yet. Both teams come in with confidence and have had a couple weeks to install their game plans and tactics. How will Wilfried Nancy and the players handle a much better opponent than the previous weeks? Both teams will play well and find small chances to score. Neither team will be able to find a big advantage but the home field will give Columbus just the margin of advantage as they need and win 2-1. 

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Ryan Schmitt

New England is the toughest test for the Black & Gold so far. They are higher than the Crew in the table, but haven’t had a real test, just like the Crew. This will be a good test for both teams and specifically for the Crew, to see how the youthful teams react to a challenge. The game is at home and I think it’ll be a good win for Columbus. The openness of the field will be a challenge for New England, which will help in the later portion of the match when all the players are tired. I think the Crew win 3-1, but it will be a relatively close game.

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