If "momentum" is really a thing, then Columbus vs. New England in the Eastern Conference semifinals should produce the best soccer of the early rounds of the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T. The two teams will face each other for 180 minutes (at least) starting on Saturday (4 pm ET; Univision Deportes, MLS LIVE and FREE stream on MLSsoccer.com) at Crew Stadium, and there's already a bit of chatter between the two sides.
Jermaine Jones says he'll be drawing extra motivation from a 1-0 loss the Crew inflicted upon the Revs back on September 20, the only loss he's suffered in MLS. Tony Tchani says Jones isn't even the main guy for New England, and that Columbus will instead focus on MVP candidate Lee Nguyen.
Which team will win the series?
Columbus have dropped points to just one team in the last six weeks, back on October 4 when the were on the wrong end of a 2-1 decision in Foxborough. That 1-0 win in September, meanwhile? That's the only game New England's lost in more than two months. The Revs are 9-1-1 since mid-August, while the Crew are 8-2-1.
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Not the focus, but definitely the key
If the Crew are focused on stopping Nguyen, you can't really blame them. The 28-year-old attacker is an MVP candidate, and easily the most productive player on the field for either team. His 18 goals were good for fourth in the league, and his five assists do his playmaking ability a disservice since he finished fourth in chances created from open play. He could have had a double-double with better finishers around him.
In other words: Nguyen is one of the best goal-scorers in the league, and a top tier playmaker as well. When the Revs find him between the lines, he destroys teams:
Great goal, right? Great patience, precision and footwork in the box, right? But did you notice who started the play?
That was Jones sitting deep in midfield and conducting traffic. He's been all over the place since joining the Revs in mid-summer, and has been arguably the league's best mid-season acquisition. He's big, fast and physical, but beyond all that it's his ability to act as a deep-lying playmaker that's changed the shape of New England's season and where he can attack from.
Jay Heaps has played him as the deepest midfielder – a true d-mid – at times, but Jones has really and truly excelled when given the job of the No. 8, just going sideline-to-sideline and box-to-box. Scott Caldwell becomes the backline shield in that set-up, and does everything he can to put the ball on Jones' foot:
