Caleb Porter returns to Columbus as the head coach of a struggling New England Revolution side in desperate need of a win on Saturday. The Crew on the other hand have 2nd place in the East secured. However, the Crew need to win this match in order to stay alive with a chance to finish second in the league as they trail the LA Galaxy by four points with a game in hand. If the Crew are to win, they’ll need big performances from some of their back ups as Patrick Schulte, Cucho Hernandez, Mo Farsi, Taha Habroune and Nico Hagen are out on international duty. Furthermore, Sean Zawadski and Steven Moreira are out with injury. Despite their absence riddled lineup, the Crew are heavy favorites and will feel confident in their ability to take three points from this match. 

New England Revolution at a Glance:

Record: 9-4-19, 31 points

League Form: L-L,W-L,D

Leading Scorer: Giacomo Vironi (9)

Assist Leader: Carles Gil (5)

Player to Watch: Carles Gil 

Gil is one of the most underrated players in the MLS. Granted, there are some huge names in the league now, but Gil more than holds his own in terms of talent and impact on the field. The 2021 MLS MVP stil has the ability to take over any match, even at 31 years of age. Simply put, Gil is a production machine for the Revs. With 44 goals and 58 assists 180 matches, Gil’s production in front of goal is some of the best in the league. Gil has the perfect combination of technical ability with his ball striking and passing ability, coupled with his vision and understanding of the game. Gil is given the freedom to float in the half spaces looking to hurt opposition every time the Revs have the ball. Look for the Crew to be marking Gil closely on Saturday. 

How the New England Revolution play: 

This Revs team will look very similar tactically to the Columbus Crew from 2019-2022. Of course there are a few changes and tweaks, but the same pillars of play are there. It’s easy for Crew fans to think of how this style may have been frustrating over his time in Columbus, but it’s the same style that won the league in 2020 and 2015. 

Caleb Porter loves to set his sides up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. It’s a safe bet that this is the formation the Crew will see on paper Saturday. However there are lots of different rotations and interchanges that the Revolution will use when in possession of the ball. Most notably, the Revs will look to push their outside backs high and wide whenever possible. Similar to how the Crew uses their wingback, this give them Revs width and height in their in possession shape. When the outside backs move up, the wingers will usually move inside into the half spaces on either side of the midfield channel. At times, the wingers will push up against the backline as well. The Revs wingers did this quite a bit last week against a back three, so it’s something the Crew should be aware of. While the outside backs, strikers and wingers look to take up higher positions, the Revs central midfielders have the freedom to drop into pockets of space to get on the ball and try and break down they’re opponents. It should be notated that the principles of play are very similar to what Porter did in Columbus, but the attacking movement appears to be much more fluid. 

Defensively, Caleb Porter almost always defended in a 4-4-2 in Columbus, and he certainly seems to prefer that shape whenever possible. However, previously against a back three, the Revs held true to a 4-2-3-1 shape. This allows the Revs to use their wingers to apply pressure to the back three while maintaining solid numbers in central midfield. This is something to watch for the Crew Saturday. Another thing to look out for if you’re a Columbus fan is how high the Revs defensive line of pressure is. In the past, Porter has preferred to defend in more of a mid-block, however Porter had his side press the Crew very high early on in the last matchup. Will Porter look to apply pressure to the Crew backline again? Or does playing on the road entice him to drop a bit deeper? It will be interesting to find out Saturday.

How the Crew can win:

The Crew can really put the pressure on the Galaxy with a win on Saturday to bring them within one point of second in the league. Finishing second in the league would also ensure that they would host MLS Cup, if they’re fortunate enough to make it. Here’s how the Crew can get 3 more points Saturday.  

1. Find the Free Man in Build Up: No matter what shape the Revs defend in, the Crew will likely either have a natural numerical advantage or rotate players positionally to create a numerical advantage. Simply put, the Crew need to find these free players quickly and often when building their attacks. These players also need to recognize that they are the free players and kickstart attacks when they receive the ball.
2. Finish Opportunities: The Revs have a bit of a leaky defense and the Crew exploited it last match. Look for more of the same in this one. 
3. Handle the Press: The Crew gifted the Revs a goal from a turnover in their previous meeting. Doing so in this match would surely see the Revs drop into a tough to beat low block. The Crew need to take care of the ball as they build out of the back.