Columbus Crew host New England Revolution in an Eastern Conference clash that pits two heavily-rotated sides against each other. Both lineups show five regular starters missing, making this a test of squad depth rather than first-choice quality. The Revolution arrive higher in th…
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Sign inColumbus Crew welcome New England Revolution on Saturday evening for an MLS Eastern Conference clash as Round 22 of the 2026 regular season unfolds. Both sides are navigating significant absentees, but the Crew’s attacking crisis and the Revolution’s improving form set the backdrop for a contest that could reshape the conference table.
Columbus are missing all three of their top scorers from the season. Wessam Abou Ali is out with a campaign-ending injury, while Diego Rossi (six goals) and Max Arfsten (four) have been transferred, leaving the Crew without the players responsible for 15 of their 28 goals. Sekou Tidiany Bangoura and Jamal Thiare are also ruled out through injury. In better news, midfielder Andre Gomes scored his first MLS goal — a long-range free-kick — in the 3-2 defeat to Nashville SC, and Steven Moreira, Brais Mendez and Mohamed Farsi combined for a well-worked equaliser in that same match.
New England Revolution will be without Luca Daniel Langoni, Ilay Feingold and Leonardo Campana, all sidelined through injury. Alhassan Yusuf (five goals, two assists) and Carles Gil, who has four goals and one assist in his last 10 appearances, remain the visitors’ main attacking threats.
A 3-2 stoppage-time collapse at Nashville SC extended a miserable run for Wilfried Nancy’s side. They have now conceded the opening goal in six consecutive matches and sit 10-10-10 through 30 games, having lost key attacking pieces during the summer window. Just days earlier, a 2-1 loss at home to CF Montréal compounded the slide, and the Crew also came off a midweek Leagues Cup quarterfinal appearance that further stretched their thin squad. The defence, anchored by Sean Zawadzki, has struggled to keep clean sheets, allowing six goals in the last two MLS outings.
Caleb Porter’s Revolution arrive with greater stability. A 2-0 victory at D.C. United, courtesy of an Alhassan Yusuf strike, and a 1-1 draw with New York City FC where James Sands found the net, kept them competitive. Carles Gil has been in creative form, and the team’s 4-1 win over Atlanta United earlier in August underlined their attacking capabilities when the Spanish playmaker clicks. The Revs are eager to tighten their grip on a playoff spot, and taking points away from home against a wounded Crew side would be a strong statement.
The creative fulcrum of New England, Carles Gil, drifts into pockets between the lines to unlock defences. Columbus will task holding midfielder Sean Zawadzki with disrupting those spaces. Zawadzki’s defensive positioning was tested severely in the defeats to Nashville and Montréal, and if Gil is given time on the ball, he can feed Yusuf and the wide forwards. The duel between Gil’s vision and Zawadzki’s screen in front of the back four could decide which side controls the tempo.
With Columbus in dire need of a turnaround to stay in the playoff conversation and New England looking to build on a solid recent run, the result could have a significant say in the Eastern Conference’s congested mid-table race.
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