Photo courtesy: Columbus Crew Social Media

Just like Willie Nelson, the Columbus Crew were on the road again to take on the New England Revolution in an MLS original matchup. With 40 wins through the series between both teams, Columbus looked to add to their extensive record against former boss Caleb Porter and company, who enter the match riding a four-game win streak. Columbus entered after a 4-0 win over Sporting Kansas City last weekend.

The New England Revolution got rolling in the ninth minute when Ema Boating would dispossess Steven Moreira and drive towards goal, chipping the ball over Patrick Schulte and into the net. This came off of a heavy press on defense for the home side, pinning Columbus in their defensive half for a good portion of the first 15 minutes.

Cucho Hernandez had an opportunity in the 13th minute off of a corner kick, but the attempt would go just wide of the net. However, the Colombian forward would get his goal just four minutes later, when Christian Ramirez sent a long ball forward to start an attack. Hernandez took the touch off his body to get around Xavier Arreaga and sped toward goal before placing it behind Revolution netminder Aljaz Ivacic.

Columbus would finally settle into the match, gaining chance after chance and maintaining possession. New England, trying to respond from the Hernandez equalizer had slim opportunities to regain the lead, but nothing would come of them.

In the latter stages of the first half, Max Arfsten collected his third goal of the season when Hernandez found Arfsten at the top of the 18-yard box. He dribbled to his right and dispatched his shot into the top corner, keeping Ivacic frozen in his spot to give the Crew a 2-1 lead.

Schulte was called into action on a Revolution set piece when Arreaga got his head on a free kick. Schulte made a point-blank kick save, but it wouldn’t matter as Arreaga was the victim of the offside flag.

Columbus ended the half on a high note as Diego Rossi gave the Crew a two-goal lead in first-half stoppage time, making the score 3-1 as both teams entered their respective dressing rooms.

New England had a promising chance in the 51st minute when Boateng found Giacomo Vrioni at the opposite side of the 18-yard box. The ensuing shot from the Revolution striker would find itself in the stands amongst the crowd, giving Columbus a goal kick.

The Crew would extend their lead in the 72nd minute when Rossi’s corner kick found Rudy Camacho who headed it past Ivacic giving Columbus a 4-1 lead. The goal would be his first for the Crew and eighth of his career. Rossi would also earn his seventh assist of the season.

However, the Crew were not done there, with Steven Moreira getting his name on the scoresheet in the 79th minute to make the score 5-1.

A successful road outing would end with Columbus gaining all three points from five different goal-scorers.

Moving on from Morris

With Aidan Morris officially joining Middlesbrough this past week, it was the first match without the Ft. Lauderdale native. The Crew saw Sean Zawadzki enter the midfield vacancy, but nothing will ever be the same without the Indiana Hoosier alum.

Masterclass performance

With the Crew scoring five goals, they have tied a Club record for most goals on the road. The last time they accomplished this was in the inaugural season when the Crew put five past the Wizards (now Sporting KC).

What’s next?

The Crew is back on home soil on Wednesday, July 3 to take on Nashville SC. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. EDT from Lower.com Field. You can watch the match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.