The Columbus Crew and New England Revolution meet Saturday knowing playoff position is not the most pressing concern.
Neither has played well for long stretches and their postseason aspirations, while different, are becoming harder to envision.
The Crew (12-5-9, 45 points) sought to win the Supporters’ Shield after a 7-1-3 start that put them two points behind Vancouver for the overall lead.
Since then, a 5-4-6 mark puts Columbus sixth in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Orlando City for the fourth and the final spot for home field in the first round of the playoffs with eight matches left.
“You don’t want to peak too early then drop off,” Crew midfielder Max Arfsten said. “I think the best is yet to come in terms of our team form and that’s what we’re searching for.”
New England (7-12-7, 28 points) was 10th, one point below the playoff line, after the first weekend in May but are now 11 points back.
The Revolution are 1-6-1 in the past eight matches with the win coming two matches ago in the return of U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper Matt Turner for the 2-0 result over D.C. United on Aug. 9.
He played seven seasons for the Revolution before leaving for Europe in 2022 and is the club’s all-time leader in winning percentage (.587).
“He’s a very good goalkeeper. He gives us confidence,” Revolution defender Mamadou Fofana said. “I hope he continues to play like this to help the team.”
The Crew are also looking for a boost from the possible debut of Palestinian national team forward Wessam Abou Ali after being acquired from Egyptian Premier League champion Al Ahly Sporting Club on July 26.
He had been hampered by a hamstring injury but said Tuesday he believes he will be available Saturday. The 26-year-old scored 38 goals in 60 matches in all competitions for his former club.
“I felt like I had an opportunity to come here and help the team,” he said. “They were maybe missing out on a striker in that position.”
— Field Level Media
