Revolution II Fall to Columbus Crew 2, 3-1

June 6, 2024 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
New England Revolution II News Release

COLUMBUS, Ohio. – New England Revolution II (3-7-2; 13 pts.) fell to Columbus Crew 2 (5-5-2; 18 pts.), 3-1, on Thursday night at Lower.com Field. Newton, Mass. native Patrick Leal tallied his second goal of the season, with U-19 Academy forward Gabriel Chavez recording his first assist in his professional debut. Tonight’s match also featured the first professional start for U-19 Academy forward Braedon Smith, while 16-year-old Grant Emerhi made his first MLS NEXT Pro appearance as a second-half substitute.

New England recorded four shots on goal in the opening half, with two coming from Smith. However, Columbus found the scoresheet first with a header following a corner kick in the 41st minute by Jayden Da, sending the home side into halftime with a 1-0 advantage. Crew 2 extended their lead with goals in the 48th and 65th minutes.

Revolution II got on the board with Leal’s second goal of 2024. Chavez tapped the ball to the middle of the field, where Leal would run up and take a strike from just above the 18-yard box straight into the top left corner of the net to prevent the shutout in the 81st minute. Thursday marked Leal’s 10th start of the season, as he now owns two goals and three assists on the year.

Chavez and Emerhi are two of 12 Revolution Academy products that featured in tonight’s roster. Alongside the U-19 and U-17 forwards who appeared as substitutes, Smith, Malcolm Fry, Gevork Diarbian, Eric Klein, and Damario McIntosh all earned starts, while Max Weinstein, Mason Sullivan, Steban Lopera, Alex Parvu, and Robert Nichols were available off the bench.

New England continues the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season on Friday, June 14, hosting New York Red Bulls II at Ouellette Stadium on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University. The 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff streams live on MLSNEXTPro.com with Phillip Galati calling the action.

New England Revolution II 1, Columbus Crew 2 3

June 6, 2024 – Lower.com Field (Columbus, Ohio)

Academy forward Braedon Smith logged 59 minutes and recorded two shots on target in his first professional start on Thursday.

JD Gunn made two saves in his sixth start of 2024.

Patrick Leal tallied his second goal of the season, logging the full 90 and leading the team with four shots, two on target in his 10th start of the year.

Gabriel Chavez entered the match in the 60th minute to mark his first MLS NEXT Pro appearance and recorded his first professional…