Crew-Revolution Preview
The New England Revolution entered the MLS record books while ousting the Columbus Crew from the playoffs last fall.
The stakes aren't nearly as high Saturday at Gillette Stadium, but the Revolution are expecting to face a Crew team in search of retribution.
New England (2-2-1) set a league record for goals over two legs of a playoff series, beating Columbus 7-3 on aggregate in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Revolution, who eventually lost the MLS Cup final to Los Angeles, expect the Crew to have extra motivation in the first matchup since New England's 3-1 home victory in the second leg.
"I don't think you forget anything like that," defender Darrius Barnes told the Revolution's official website. "When you go out of the playoffs that way, it kind of stings and burns a little bit. I'm sure they'll come out with a little extra chip on their shoulder."
The Crew (1-2-1) also have a new addition in Kei Kamara, who has nine goals and three assists in 15 career meetings with the Revs. He scored twice in a win with Kansas City in his most recent matchup against them on Aug. 10, 2013.
The forward, who spent last season with Middlesbrough in England, has netted three of Columbus' five goals this season, getting two in Wednesday's 2-all tie at Vancouver.
"It's my job, it's what I do, obviously it's good to do it at the right time for the team and putting us in a good position," Kamara said. "I still could've been better."
Having Federico Higuain back in the lineup should help Kamara and the Crew. The playmaking forward was suspended Wednesday after being issued a red card in a 2-1 loss to New York on March 28.
Higuain hasn't figured in the scoring through three games after leading the team with 12 goals and seven assists last year. He scored on a penalty in a 4-2 home loss to New England in the first leg of the playoffs, but a calf injury forced him to miss the following matchup.
Higuain has five goals in seven matchups with the Revolution, but just one in three at New England.
The Revs have only allowed one goal during a three-game unbeaten run (2-0-1) after giving up five and losing their first two contests. They're trying to build on Saturday's 2-0 win at Colorado after beating San Jose 2-1 a week earlier.
"They definitely want to come here and prove themselves," midfielder Lee Nguyen said of the Crew. "We've got to be wary of that. We can't take our feet off the pedal."
That's certainly true for Nguyen, who got his first goal of the season Saturday after collecting 20 with eight assists in 2014. The midfielder has found the net once in each of the last three meetings with Columbus, including the playoffs.
Charlie Davies has four goals in six career games against the Crew, but the forward has yet to score this season and has only managed one shot on goal while starting the last two games.