Recap: New England Revolution 2, Columbus Crew 2

Ben Wright

A late goal from Erik Hurtado stole a 2-2 comeback draw for the Columbus Crew against the New England Revolution in a wild, back-and-forth game at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.

Two unanswered goals in the second half seemed to give the Revs a much-needed win. The first was a sweeping passing move, taking just five passes to go from goalkeeper Matt Turner into the net, with fullback DeJuan Jones emphatically volleying home a cross from substitute Emmanuel Boateng. The second came with under 10 minutes to go. Adam Buksa scored for the third match running, looping a header over a stranded Eloy Room to set New England on track for three points.

The visitors had other ideas. After failing to hold onto an early lead via an instinctive Miguel Berry strike, the Crew pulled level at the death. Substitute Erik Hurtado crashed into the box to bury Derrick Etienne Jr.'s cross from close range.

The Revs almost found a winner in the waning moments. Brandon Bye saw a strike clatter the bar in second-half stoppage time, nearly a stunning end to an entertaining match.

Goals

27' - CLB - Miguel Berry | WATCH
70' - NE - DeJuan Jones | WATCH
82' - NE - Adam Buksa | WATCH
89' - CLB - Erik Hurtado | WATCH

Three Things

THE BIG PICTURE: The Crew left it until late, but Hurtado's goal means they've gone three matches without a loss. It wasn't often pretty, but their low block was effective for most of the night, and they looked typically dangerous in transition. The Revs were frustrated by the compact Columbus defense, only managing nine shots at home. After fighting back to take the lead, the lax defense to allow the equalizer was disappointing.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Hurtado's late winner came against the run of play, but rewarded the Crew for getting numbers forward on the counter, and turned into a valuable point on the road.

MAN OF THE MATCH: After missing all of 2021 with an ACL injury, Aidan Morris looked like he hadn't missed a beat in Columbus. The 20-year-old homegrown midfielder completed a cool 92% of his passes and put in a shift defensively.