The Warm-up: #CLBvNE
- Updated: October 31, 2014
Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz
Columbus, Ohio — The first round of the 2014 MLS Playoffs kick off Saturday afternoon when the New England Revolution travel to Columbus to face the Crew in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Location: Crew Stadium, Columbus
Scheduled kick-off: 4:00 pm
TV/Radio: Comcast Sportsnet; 98.5 FM The Sports Hub.
Season series: Fourth match between the teams this season; Last met at Gillette Stadium on October 4th with the Revolution winning 2-1, with Jermaine Jones scoring the winning goal in the 67th minute off a Chris Tierney free kick; The other two matchups on the season were both won by Columbus, who won 2-1 on July 26th at Gillette Stadium and 1-0 on September 20th in Columbus.
Revolution update: 17-13-4 overall, 55 points through 34 games (1.62 points per game), with 51 goals scored and 46 goals against….Finished the regular season in second place in the Eastern Conference, only behind D.C. United by 4 points ….On the road, the Revolution went 6-9-2, with 20 points in 17 games (1.18 points per game), with 23 goals and 32 goals against….The Revolution finished the regular season unbeaten in their last five matches and won nine of their last eleven matches….The Revolution are 3-1-1 in their last five road matches, with their one loss coming to Saturday’s opponent, Columbus….The Revolution have scored at least twice in eight of their last ten games, and have only been shutout once, which also was at the hands of the Columbus Crew….The Revolution only have one player listed on the injury report: Shalrie Joesph, who is listed as out with a left groin strain.
Columbus Crew update: 14-10-10 overall, 52 points through 34 games (1.53 points per game), with 52 goals scored and 42 goals against….Finished the regular season in third place in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Revolution….In home games, the Crew went 9-4-4, with 31 points in 17 games (1.82 points per game), with 27 goals scored and 15 goals conceded….The Crew have gone 5-1-1 in their last seven matches, with their only loss coming to New England on the road….Columbus has won their last six home matches going back to August 16th and have outscored opponents 15-2 in those matches…Columbus have scored six times in their last eight matches, with the Revolution being the only team to hold them under two goals in that span….Federico Higuain was named Columbus’ most valuable player on the season, tied for the team lead with Ethan Finley in goals (11) and assists (7). Both Finley and Higuain have scored twice this season against the Revolution…Columbus leads the all-time regular season series between the two teams with a 32-20-11 record, including a 17-8-6 record in Columbus.
Next for Revolution: Second leg vs. Columbus Crew Saturday, November 8th, at 5:00 PM at Gillette Stadium
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