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Revolution 3-2 Crew: Rapid Reaction

The Revolution kept their playoff hopes alive with a big 3-2 win over Columbus. They did it in dramatic, heart-attack-inducing fashion.

By Steve Stoehr
Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

If you didn't spend the last 15-20 minutes of that game paralyzed with fear and nerves, you aren't human.

The New England Revolution needed a win to guarantee a shot at making the playoffs next week, and they got it. After an excellent first half, though, in which they took a 1-0 lead and generated a number of clear chances, they very nearly ended their season with a haphazard and sloppy second stanza.

The goals came from A.J. Soares (32nd minute, OFF A SET PIECE!), Chris Tierney (69th minute penalty), and Diego Fagundez (classy 76th minute finish), but the Crew twice tied it up through Dominic Oduro (59th minute) and Aaron Schoenfeld (71st minute). Man of the Match according to the Gillette Stadium big screen was Andy Dorman, and with a direct hand in all three goals, he deserved it.

Here are some talking points:

1.) Andy Dorman was massive. We said a lot about his red cards and the lackluster performances he's put in with limited minutes this season, but Dorman was everything for the Revs tonight. He earned the free kick that led to Soares' goal; he earned the penalty that Tierney buried; and he provided the primary assist on Diego's goal with an excellent low cross. More than that, he was a calm presence in midfield, he earned several dangerous free kicks, and he was generally good with the pass (73% accuracy isn't great, but it was good enough). He filled in very, very well for Nguyen, and his veteran leadership was needed.

2.) Diego Fagundez loves the big moment. Every big goal this year has been a Fagundez goal. In front of the biggest crowd of the year (over 26,000) with everything on the line, Diego delivered yet another game-winning goal (his fifth) and brought his overall tally up to 13 on the year. It was the goal the Revs needed to secure the win, and it was exactly what you expect a team MVP to do when it matters most.

3.) Kelyn Rowe is a machine. The delivery on Soares' goal - which was also Rowe's team-leading 8th eighth assist - was so on the money it seemed out of place on a team that has seen precious little set piece success this year. More than that, though, he was everywhere in midfield, facilitating the attack and making life miserable for the Columbus defense. His diagonal ball to Juan Agudelo in the seventh minute, which split the defense to catch him in stride over probably 50-plus yards of turf, was so sublime, the fact that Agudelo missed the goal almost didn't matter. He's going to be the centerpiece of this team for a long time to come.

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