After snagging a point in the final moments of last week’s matchup with NYCFC, Columbus Crew SC travels to Foxborough for the second time in 2016 for an Eastern Conference clash against the New England Revolution.
The last matchup between the clubs came on July 9 in a 3-1 victory for the Revs on a rainy night at Gillette Stadium. The Black & Gold had their opportunities to find the back of the net that night — racking up 16 shots and 60 percent possession — but a combination of four saves by Brad Knighton and difficulty in the final third left Crew SC with just one goal and zero points.
This time there are some new faces for the Black & Gold, including defender Nicolai Naess, who made his Crew SC debut last week. Naess says that his first match was fun and exciting, and that he can’t wait to play more games — starting with this Saturday against former Black & Gold striker Kei Kamara and New England.
“I have to be on my toes and be ready to compete every ball. I hear that Kei Kamara played here before — a big striker — so that will be another challenge for me,” Naess says. “So I’m looking forward to the game, and we have to be ready for anything.”
“I just try to play my game, and if we have the ball, then I don’t have to compete in the air. So if I get some duels with him, I’ll try to do my best, be strong, and be hard on him; we’ll see, it’ll be fun.”
Another player that missed the first meeting with the Revs was Federico Higuain, who made his return to the lineup on July 23 against Orlando after missing over a month recovering from hernia surgery. Pipa is a key part of the Crew SC attack in the No. 10 role, but says that his offensive contributions are assisted by his outside wings — which will be a major factor against New England.
“Ethan (Finlay), Cedrick (Mabwati), Justin (Meram), and Ola (Kamara) are important because they make movements behind the line that open up the defense. So for Tony (Tchani), Wil (Trapp), and I, it’s much easier when you play with players like them,” Pipa says. “We believe in this soccer — in this idea of how to play the game — but the next step is to keep working hard, and see what happens in the next games.”
Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter says that the poor defensive movement of the Revs will require patience from the Black & Gold — and that when the chance to be on the attack occurs, it must be a whole team effort in order to find that finishing touch and three points.
“I think we have to be patient, I think we have to wait for the openings; they will arise. We just need to be patient and move the ball around, and wait for that moment to attack. And when we attack, it has to be with numbers,” Berhalter says. “We’re looking at the tactics of it, what they do versus what we do, and have it can be effective. We know it’s going to be a tough game, we know it’s going to be a physical game, but we’ll be ready.”
The match will be televised on The CW Columbus, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, and BCSN2. Audio streams will be available on CD102.5 FM and La Mega 103.1 FM—as well as an English radio stream available on ColumbusCrewSC.com. Kickoff from Gillette Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m.
