New England Revolution vs. Columbus SC Prediction, Preview and Odds - 5/16/21
New England is coming off a draw and they host a Columbus club that is coming off a shutout loss. This is a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Final where the Crew beat the Revolution 1-0.
Defensing MLS champion Columbus is coming off a 2-0 loss in their last match while they won their previous game putting up three goals. That was their first win of the season and they are 1-2-1 after four matches.
New England played to a 1-1 draw in their last match facing Philadelphia. They are 2-2-1 so far on the young season and they are winless in their last two matches.
Columbus has had the Revolution’s number of the last few seasons winning their last four matches facing them. The defense has been the reason for that and in seven of their last nine matches facing New England they kept a clean sheet.
Not Quite the Same Attack
In their last match, Columbus FC lost to Toronto 2-0 while in their previous match their attack was spot on scoring three goals in a win. The last match was in Orlando since teams cannot play in Canada with the COVID-19 issue and they are winless on the road this season. They were not only blanked in their last match but in the one before their lone win in the CONCACAF Champions League they lost to Monterrey 3-0.
In the loss to Toronto in their last match the time of possession battle was pretty even and the Crew only had one fewer shot on goal. Columbus had a chance to clear the ball before both goals but one was poorly struck and the other was deflected by a Toronto player.
The Crew rank in the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference with five points after four matches. To say the attack for the club has struggled would be an understatement. They have only scored two goals on the season and two of them came on own goals. Ola Kamara is the only player that has scored and no player for Columbus has an assist. Eloy Room has started the last six matches and in all competitions, four MLS two CONCACAF Champions League, he has allowed six goals in his last three matches.
The Crew are banged up on the young season, as off-season addition FW Kevin Molino is out for six weeks with a hamstring injury and DF Josh Williams and MF Pedro Santos missed the last match and are doubtful.
Attack has Fallen Flat
After scoring five goals in their first three matches New England has only scored one in their last two matches. In their last match they played to a 1-1 draw against Philly and it looked as if they would get the win with Teal Bunbury scoring in the 85th minute but they gave up the equalizer only three minutes later. The Revolution had more shots on target (5-3) in the match where the time of possession was nearly even.
New England has scored six goals and given up six but are still tied with Montreal atop the Eastern Conference. Five different players have scored a goal for the club, one came on an own goal, and Carles Gil has two assists. Gustavo Bou has scored a goal and is back from injury and looks to help an attack that has looked out of sync in the last two matches. MF Luis Caicedo is still out recovering from injury and DF Christian Mafla is doubtful.
GK Matt Turner has started all five matches this season and he has given up four goals in his last three starts.
Side: New England -105
The Crew have beaten the Revolution in their last four matches but look for that streak to come to an end this Sunday. Columbus is a solid side that won the title last season but their two matches in CONCACAF Champions League midweek have had an effect on the MLS matches. They have only scored three goals in their four MLS matches and two of them came on own goals. New England almost beat a solid Philadelphia team in their last match settling for a draw and while their attack has struggled in their last two matches the club is still atop the East. They have won their last three home matches and I look for their attack to be solid in this match facing a Crew defense that has given up six goals in their last three matches. At home, New England will get the three points with a home win.
Total: Over 2.5
While the New England attack has only scored one goal in their last two matches I see them getting it done in this match. They will be facing a Columbus defense that has given up six goals in their last three matches and has looked spotty on the young season. The Revolution have failed to score in seven of their last nine matches facing Columbus SC, including losing 1-0 in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, but that will not happen in this match. They will score at least two goals and while the Crew have been less than stellar on the attack, I do not see them getting shut out. In this big Sunday match, the Over is the solid pick.