New England Revolution II Eliminated from MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs after 2-1 defeat to Columbus Crew 2

COLUMBUS, Ohio — New England Revolution II were defeated 2-1 versus Columbus Crew 2 on Saturday afternoon.

The match kicked off at 3:30 p.m. ET at Columbus Crew Stadium.

Starting XI versus Columbus Crew 2.

New England Revolution II starting lineup: 3-4-3 | Donovan Parisian, Gabe Dahlin, Jake Shannon, Tylon Smith, Damario McIntosh, Cristiano Oliveira, Logan Azar, Javaun Mussenden, Jared Smith, Makai Wells, Myles Morgan

New England Revolution II substitutes:| Max Weintein, Jayden Da, Shuma Sasaki, Levi Katsell, Aarin Prajapati, Sharod George, Chris Mbai-Assem, Schinieder Mimy

Columbus Crew 2 starting lineup: 5-4-1 | Luke Pruter, Brent Adu-Gyamfi, Rui Aoki, Isaac Heffess, Cesar Ruvalcaba, Prince Forfor, Kevin Gbamble, Johann Chirinos, Tarun Karumanchi, Nicolas Rincon, Chase Adams

Columbus Crew 2 substitutes:| Stanislav Lapkes, Tristan Brown, Jamil Danjaji, Alan Torres, Gianmarco Di Noto, Giorgio De Libera, Moses Nyeman, Immanuel Ewing, Jorge Salmeron

1' | Kicking off in Columbus! #NERevsII | 📺 https://t.co/ONXjElO115

— New England Revolution II (@NERevolution2) October 17, 2026

Wasting no time ⏱️ pic.twitter.com/mpBAB9Dwf6

— Columbus Crew 2 (@ColumbusCrew2) October 17, 2026

Following a series of combination passes near the edge of New England’s penalty area, Columbus Crew 2 forward Brent Adu-Gyamfi fired an effort toward goal that was initially denied by Revolution goalkeeper Donovan Parisian. However, the rebound ricocheted off Adu-Gyamfi’s face and into the back of the net, giving Columbus an early advantage.

New England responded in the 24th minute, finding the equalizer to level the scoreline at 1-1.

MAKAI WELLS. Yup, that's it.

Scoreboard is level. pic.twitter.com/y4U6ybQVTY

— New England Revolution II (@NERevolution2) October 17, 2026

New England Revolution II forward Makai Wells unleashed a thunderous strike that flew into the top-right corner of the net, leaving the Columbus goalkeeper with no chance and leveling the scoreline at 1-1.

However, as the match entered the 45th minute, Columbus Crew 2 regained the lead with a goal just before halftime.

Rincon took it himself to regain the lead 🤩 pic.twitter.com/HEl9aOBPA5

— Columbus Crew 2 (@ColumbusCrew2) October 17, 2026

After the ball bounced around near the edge of New England’s penalty area, Columbus Crew 2 forward Nicolás Rincón collected possession, drove into the box, and calmly slotted a low effort into the bottom-right corner to restore Columbus’ lead.

Following 45 minutes of action and two additional minutes of first-half stoppage time, the match entered halftime with Columbus Crew 2 holding a 2-1 advantage over New England Revolution II.

Halftime between New England Revolution II & Columbus Crew 2.

Columbus Crew 2 opened the second half on the front foot, immediately applying pressure in New England’s defensive third.

Jared Smith registered the first opportunity of the second half in the 48th minute when his effort at the back post was denied by Columbus goalkeeper Luke Pruter.

Columbus threatened again in the 62nd minute when Gbamble found himself in a dangerous position inside the penalty area, but his close-range effort sailed over the crossbar.

In the 64th minute, Columbus Crew 2 defender Cesar Revulcaba was issued a yellow card after bringing down Myles Morgan near midfield.

Columbus continued to apply pressure in the 72nd minute when Gbamble unleashed an effort from the right flank that drifted wide of the net.

Jamil Danjaji had an opportunity to put the match out of reach in the 87th minute, but his effort from approximately 10 yards out went wide of the target.

New England nearly found a dramatic equalizer in the 88th minute when a close-range effort from Shuma Sasaki struck the crossbar and deflected out of play for a corner kick.

Despite New England’s late push for an equalizer, Columbus held firm defensively to preserve its advantage.

After three minutes of second-half stoppage time, the final whistle sounded, confirming a 2-1 victory for Columbus Crew 2 and bringing New England Revolution II’s 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Playoff campaign to an end.