New England Revolution
A pair of first half goals proved to be just enough in a Revolution road win.
The Revolution defeated the Columbus Crew 2-1 on Saturday as Caleb Porter’s team remained within (distant) striking distance of a playoff spot.
Goals from Leo Campana and Ignatius Ganago gave New England an unexpected 2-0 lead on the road. A bevy of second half chances for the home side brought Columbus a 71st minute lifeline via a Dániel Gazdag goal, but the Revolution’s massed defensive effort proved just enough.
With the win, the Revolution moved to eight points of the current playoff line. As continues to be the case, New England remains in 11th place in the Eastern Conference.
Here are a few takeaways:
Timely finishing
A dynamic that has been missing for most of the year for the Revolution was present in the first half in Columbus. Namely, that the team’s plethora of forwards added in the previous offseason actually found the back of the net.
Campana’s opening goal was far from his most impressive (a clever sequence from attacking midfielder Carles Gil and winger Luca Langoni resulted in a low cross that found the Ecuadorian striker’s feet at the goal mouth for a simple tap-in), but his positioning and capacity to convert were a satisfying sight for New England fans.
Approximately 15 minutes later, the Crew’s inability to press resulted in New England center back Mamadou Fofana picking out Ganago’s vertical run between Columbus defenders. Ganago skillfully tucked his finish into the corner to double the visitors’ lead.
The two goals represented what was, by far, to that point, the Revolution’s two best chances in front of goal. That Campana and Ganago — a pair of forwards who have struggled in 2025 to consistently find the net — each converted their chances was obviously enormous for New England.
A tale of two halves
Part of the reason why the Revolution has struggled to consistently earn results in close games is that the team has tended to create far less on offense in the second half than what generally happened in the first half.
This trend continued on Saturday. Equipped with a 2-0 lead at halftime, New England — whether by choice or necessity — reverted to a defensively-oriented approach. The Revolution notched five shots on target in the opening 45 minutes (a 1.62 xG, according to FotMob). In the second half, that tally fell off a cliff, with the Revolution managing only two shots (none on target), and an xG of just 0.20.
In the end, the two-goal margin proved just large enough. Gazdag’s goal ensured that the final 20 minutes were a stressful finale for New England. Thanks to a few timely saves from Matt Turner (who already appears to be back to his old, excellent form) and some backs-to-the-wall defending, Porter’s team held out.
Looking at the bigger picture
The win reduced the deficit New England faced to reach the playoff line by three points, from 11 down to eight. The team that the Revolution are currently chasing for that spot, the New York Red Bulls, play Charlotte FC on Sunday evening.
Charlotte will draw New England’s attention again next Saturday, when the Revolution return to Gillette Stadium for the next matchup with an Eastern Conference foe. Porter’s team understands that each game until the end of the year is effectively a one-game playoff. Riding that level of intensity will be a tough road, but may have helped provide a boost in Columbus.
Whether or not the Revolution can close the gap at all in the ensuing weeks remains to be seen — if New York wins on Sunday night, the progress achieved with Saturday’s win will be nullified — but New England can only run their own race. If the Revolution is to have any chance of converting a miraculous late-season comeback to make the postseason, it will require winning most (if not all) of the team’s remaining seven games.
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