The Bent Musket predicts: Revs at Crew SC

The Revs travel to the heart of Ohio to take on a Crew SC side that's lost three straight. New England is also coming off their second loss of the season.

New England hasn't won in Columbus since Charlie Davies bagged a brace in a 2014 playoff match.

What will happen on Saturday? Our fearless and prescient staff will tell you:

Jake Catanese: Crew SC 1, Revolution 1

Comment: Columbus is struggling in the midst of a three game losing streak which bodes well for the Revolution though MAPFRE Stadium is not a place where New England has had a lot of success. In years past I’ve said the Crew-Revs matchup is one of the toughest for New England because the two teams use a similar formation in the 4-2-3-1 and the mirrored play was difficult for either team to break down at times. Today, I expect to see a scrappy game and maybe a putback/rebound/garbage goal for each team in a draw which wouldn’t be a bad result for the Revs. If there are a lot of fouls in a scrappy game, New England should be wary about set piece chances for Federico Higuain, who always seems to score direct on one of those on a yearly basis against the Revs.

Seth Macomber: Crew SC 1, Revolution 1

Comment: This is a big game for the Revolution, as they’re looking to avoid their second consecutive loss. The Crew are on a three-game losing streak, which tips the scale towards the Revs. That said, Gregg Berhalter is a tactical mastermind and I think he’ll be ready to defend MAPFRE Stadium on ¹⁄₂ off Pretzel and Brat Night. I’m going to take the safe bet and go for a 1-1 draw, largely because it’s hard to contain Penilla.

Nick Hemming: Crew SC 1, Revolution 2

Comment: History doesn’t favor a Revs win on Saturday. In this series, the road club has gone winless in three straight. But trends never last, and a rethought 2018 Revs side seems destined to ignore history. In what will surely turn into a physical matchup in Columbus, I have Cristian Penilla re-emerging as an attacking menace by bagging both Revs goals in a 2-1 win. I expect the pace of Penilla and the Revs attack to exploit Columbus’ possession-heavy style, which will tip the scale in favor of the visitors during an evenly-matched affair.

Tony Moninski: Crew SC 2, Revolution 1

Comment: Can't see Berhalter not righting the ship and grabbing full points. I'm still not sold on the Revs, but a strong performance on the road against a decent team would help. Just don't think it happens this weekend. Early pressure goal by Caicedo — his first -- is canceled out by goals on either side of halftime by Crew SC, one on a PK by Zardes. Nguyen makes the 18 and comes to the touchline ready to sub in during the final minute of stoppage time, but the whistle blows to end the match. Friedel post-game: "Not punitive".

Summary:

NE win: 1

CLB win: 1

Draw: 2

What do you think? Feel free to share your thoughts in the Comments section below!