ABOUT: LOWER.COM FIELD
Saturday’s home match against the New England Revolution will be the Inaugural Match played at Lower.com Field.
The new stadium will seat 20,371 people, with the Nordecke
supporters’ section able to host 3,364 supporters, making it
the second largest supporters’ section in Major League Soccer. Located on the North end of the stadium, the Nordecke
has a 34 degree angle and a 37 degree rake, making it one
of the steepest supporters’ sections in MLS. Fans at Lower.
com Field will find themselves closer to the action, as the
closest seats to the pitch are at least four feet closer to the
field than those at Historic Crew Stadium. A 220,000-square
foot canopy roof will cover every seat in the stadium. At 225
feet wide by 360 feet long, the pitch sits 22 feet below the
concourse level and is supported by state-of-the-art tech- nologies, including a SubAir system that can drain water
from the pitch in three minutes and 10.66 miles of undergrass piping that can help increase the pitch temperature up
to 28 degrees warmer.

COLUMBUS
CREW
2021 REGULAR SEASON:
(4-3-3, 15 pts.)

NEW ENGLAND
REVOLUTION
2021 REGULAR SEASON:
(7-2-2, 23 pts.)

Date: Saturday, July 3
Match Time: 5:00 p.m. ET
Kickoff: 5:13 p.m. ET
Location: Lower.com Field (Columbus, Ohio)
National TV: ESPN Adrian Healey Brian Dunseth
International TV: Arena Sport (Balkans), Bulgaria (MAX Sport), Nova Sport (Czech Re- public, Slovakia), Silk Sport (Georgia), DAZN (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy),
Nova Sports (Greece), Charlton (Israel), ESPN Latin America (Latin America), Abu Dhabi
Sports (Middle East, North Africa), ESPN Netherlands (Netherlands), Polsat (Poland),
SportTV (Portugal), ESPN Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa), Sky Sports (UK, Ireland)
97.1 The Fan [Radio]: Chris Doran (play-by-play) Neil Sika (analyst)
Jordan Angeli (analyst)
Brett Hiltbrand (analyst)
ColumbusCrew.com Spanish Audio Stream: Juan Valladares (play-by-play)

OHIOHEALTH PLAYER AVAILABILITY REPORT
OUT: Artur – R Hip Injury Aidan Morris – L Knee Injury Bradley Wright-Phillips – R Thigh Injury
QUESTIONABLE: Luis Diaz – R Knee Injury Pedro Santos – R Thigh Injury Josh Williams – L Ankle Injury Gyasi Zardes – R Calf
Health and Safety Protocols
A player may be listed as “Questionable” or “Out” due to Health and Safety Protocols
for the following reasons:
• Quarantine due to participating in high risk behavior. • Quarantine related to being a high risk close contact. • Pending COVID-19 test results. • An inconclusive COVID-19 test result. • A positive COVID-19 test or a confirmed case of COVID-19. • Other illness not related to COVID-19.

LAST MATCH RECAP

COLUMBUS CREW BATTLES AUSTIN FC TO A DRAW
On June 27, Columbus Crew traveled to Austin, Texas for a
cross-conference match against expansion side Austin FC at
Q2 Stadium. Both sides played to a 0-0 draw in the nationally
televised match. Goalkeeper Eloy Room recorded five saves
en route to registering his third clean sheet of the MLS regular season and his fifth across all competitions in 2021.

COLUMBUS CREW VS. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

Columbus Crew record: 38-24-13 (113 GF, 89 GA)
Home games: 21-8-7 (67 GF, 39 GA)
Road games: 17-16-6 (46 GF, 50 GA)

THE CREW HOSTS THE NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION ON
SATURDAY
Columbus Crew returns to Columbus for a nationally broadcast
match against the New England Revolution on Saturday, July 3 at
Lower.com Field. The match is set to be the Inaugural Match at
Lower.com Field as well the 76th all-time regular season meeting between the two sides. The Crew holds a 21-8-7 all-time home regular-season record and are undefeated in their last six regularseason home matches against New England, outscoring the Revs 67-39 in the process.

LAST REGULAR-SEASON MEETING
Columbus Crew and the New England Revolution last met earlier
this season, when the Black & Gold traveled to Foxborough, Massachusetts on May 16 for a match at Gillette Stadium. New England Revolution forward Adam Buska scored the game’s only goal in the
86th minute to give the Revolution a 1-0 win. Crew midfielder Liam
Fraser made his first appearance for the Black & Gold in the match,
entering as a substitute in the 67th minute.

COACHES
Caleb Porter: 94-75-68 (Portland Timbers: ‘13 – ’17; Columbus Crew: ’19 – Present)
vs. Bruce Arena: 225-133-107 (D.C. United: ’96 – ’98; New York Red Bulls ’06 – ’07; LA
Galaxy ’08 – ’16; New England Revolution ’19 – Present)
Records listed are MLS regular-season totals

2021 REGULAR-SEASON SNAPSHOT

COLUMBUS NEW ENGLAND

2021 MLS Regular Season: 2021 MLS Regular Season:
Points: 15 Points: 23
Points Per Game: 1.5 Points Per Game: 2.09
Eastern Conference: Fifth Eastern Conference: First
Home: 3-0-1 Home: 5-0-0
Away: 1-3-2 Away: 2-2-2
Goals For: 9 Goals For: 18
Goals Against: 7 Goals Against: 13
+/-: 2 +/-: -5
2021 Regular-Season Leaders
Goals: Zardes, Zelarayan (3) Goals: Bou (5)
Assists: Etienne Jr., Santos (2) Assists: Gil (10)
Shots: Zelarayan (21) Shots: Buksa (32)
Shots on Goal: Zelarayan (11) Shots on Goal: Buksa (10)
Fouls Suffered: Zelarayan (18) Fouls Suffered: Gil (33)
Fouls Committed: Santos (18) Fouls Committed: Polster (16)
Yellow Cards Issued: Four players tied (2) Yellow Cards Issued: Polster (4)
Saves Leader: Room (21) Saves Leader: Turner (36)
GAA Leader: Bush (0.00) GAA Leader: Turner (1.18)
Wins: Room (3) Wins: Turner (7)

BLACK & GOLD NOTES

WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Saturday’s home match against the New England Revolution
begins at 5:00 p.m. ET and is set to be televised nationally
on ESPN. Adrian Healey and Brian Dunseth are set to have
the call in English on ESPN. Internationally, the contest will
be televised across the following networks: Arena Sport
(Balkans), Bulgaria (MAX Sport), Nova Sport (Czech Republic, Slovakia), Silk Sport (Georgia), DAZN (Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, Spain, Italy), Nova Sports (Greece), Charlton (Israel), ESPN Latin America (Latin America), Abu Dhabi Sports
(Middle East, North Africa), ESPN Netherlands (Netherlands),
Polsat (Poland), SportTV (Portugal), ESPN Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa), Sky Sports (UK, Ireland). Locally, the contest is
available in English on 97.1 The Fan, as well as via stream
on 971TheFan.com, with Chris Doran, Neil Sika, Jordan Angeli and Brett Hiltbrand on the call. A Spanish audio stream
is available on ColumbusCrew.com, with Juan Valladares
calling the match.

CREW BATTLE REVOLUTION IN REMATCH OF OPENING
MATCH AT HISTORIC CREW STADIUM; 2020 MLS EASTERN
CONFERENCE FINAL
Saturday’s Inaugural Match at Lower.com Field will be a
rematch of the inaugural match played at Historic Crew Sta- dium on May 15, 1999. In that contest, the Crew was victori- ous, taking a 2-0 win through goals scored by forwards Jeff
Cunningham and Dante Washington. Additionally, the match
is also a rematch of the 2020 MLS Eastern Conference Final,
held at Historic Crew Stadium on December 7, 2020. The
Black & Gold won 1-0 on that occasion through a 59th-minute goal from midfielder Artur to advance to MLS Cup 2020.

COLUMBUS CREW SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CAPS
Player National Team Caps Last Appearance
Liam Fraser Canada 5 6/5/21 vs. Aruba (FIFA World Cup qualifier)
Luis Diaz Costa Rica 4 11/13/20 vs. Qatar (friendly)
Waylon Francis Costa Rica 7 3/22/19 vs. Guatemala (friendly)
Eloy Room Curacao 40 6/15/21 vs. Panama (FIFA World Cup qualifier)
Harrison Afful Ghana 77 9/08/18 vs. Kenya (AFCoN qua.)
Jonathan Mensah Ghana 60 6/29/19 vs. Cameroon (AFCoN)
Derrick Etienne Jr. Haiti 26 6/15/21 vs. Canada (FIFA World Cup qualifier)
Kevin Molino Trinidad & Tobago 48 10/10/19 vs. Honduras (Concacaf Nations League)
Perry Kitchen United States 5 10/11/16 vs. New Zealand (friendly)
Darlington Nagbe United States 25 3/28/18 vs. Paraguay (friendly)
Gyasi Zardes United States 56 2/1/20 vs. Costa Rica (friendly)

COLUMBUS CREW SET TO HOLD SEVERAL ACTIVATIONS AS
PART OF INAUGURAL MATCH AT LOWER.COM FIELD
Columbus Crew is set to hold multiple activations as part
of its matchday programming for Saturday’s Inaugural
Match at Lower.com Field. The U.S. National Anthem will be
performed on Saturday by Katelyn DeLadurantey in collaboration with supporters in attendance. Similarly, fans are
encouraged to sing lyrics from the song “Can’t Help Falling
In Love” while the team is in the player tunnel awaiting to
enter the field. In collaboration with the Nordecke supporters’ group, every time the Club scores a goal, three individuals – including a member of the Nordecke and a Columbus
Crew representative – will head to the Northeast corner of
the stadium, where a special post-goal celebration will take
place that will feature a nod to the Club’s original hard-hat
imagery.

ROOM RECORDS THIRD REGULAR-SEASON SHUTOUT
Goalkeeper Eloy Room recorded his third shutout of the
2021 MLS regular season in Sunday’s match against Austin
FC. The Curacao goalkeeper registered five saves against
Austin FC, tying his season high number of saves (Opening
Match against Philadelphia Union on April 18). Additionally, Room’s clean sheet against Austin FC was Room’s
fifth shutout this season across all competitions, having
anchored shutouts in both legs of the Round of 16 against
Nicaraguan side Real Esteli FC in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League.

COLUMBUS CREW’S PERFORMANCE THROUGH 10
MATCHES COMPARED TO PREVIOUS REIGNING MLS CUP
CHAMPIONS
Through 10 matches of the MLS regular-season, reigning
MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew have a 4-3-3 record
(15 points, 1.5 PPG). Over the last 10 years, only four other
reigning MLS Cup champions have accumulated 15 or more
points through their first 10 matches the year after winning the trophy. For a table of defending MLS Cup champion
records at the 10-match mark, please see the table below:
YEAR TEAM RECORD POINTS GD
2021 Columbus Crew 4-3-3 15 +2
2020 Seattle Sounders FC 5-2-3 18 +13
2019 Atlanta United FC 5-3-2 17 +4
2018 Toronto FC 3-6-1 10 -3
2017 Seattle Sounders FC 2-4-4 10 -1
2016 Portland Timbers 3-4-3 12 -3
2015 LA Galaxy 3-2-5 14 +1
2014 Sporting KC 5-3-2 17 +7
2013 LA Galaxy 5-3-2 17 +9
2012 LA Galaxy 3-5-2 11 -3

ZELARAYAN NOMINATED FOR ESPY AWARD
Columbus Crew midfielder Lucas Zelarayan was named as
a nominee for Best MLS Player at the 2021 ESPY Awards.
The defending MLS Newcomer of the Year is nominated
alongside Toronto FC midfielder Alejandro Pozuelo, Los
Angeles FC forward Diego Rossi, and Philadelphia Union
goalkeeper Andre Blake. Voting is live through Friday, July 9
and can be accessed on ESPYS.com via online or mobile.

WILLIAMS APPROACHES 150 REGULAR-SEASON AP- PEARANCES FOR THE BLACK & GOLD
Defender Josh Williams is on the verge of reaching a mile- stone appearance for the Columbus Crew. With his next
appearance, Williams will record his 150th regular-season
appearance for the Club. The defender made 71 appearances (65 starts) for Columbus in his first stint with the
Crew from 2010-2014 and has appeared in 78 matches (67
starts) since returning to the Club in 2017.

DARLINGTON NAGBE: PASS MASTER
Through nine matches in the 2021 MLS regular season,
midfielder Darlington Nagbe leads the League in passing
accuracy among players who have attempted 50 or more
passes. The midfielder has made nine starts while completing 417 of his 434 attempted passes for a passing accuracy percentage of 96.08%. Nagbe joined the Crew ahead
of the 2020 MLS season and has made 24 regular-season
appearances (23 starts) while scoring one goal and provid- ing one assist. For a list of the five MLS players with the
highest passing accuracy this season, please see the table
below.
PLAYERS WITH HIGHEST PASSING ACCURACY*
PLAYER ATT. COMP. %

1. Darlington Nagbe (CLB) …434 417 96.08
2. Joel Waterman (MTL)……..176 164 93.18
3. Jack Maher (NSH)…………..130 121 93.08
4. Anibal Godoy (NSH)………..518 479 92.47
5. Andy Polo (POR)……………..79 73 92.41
   *2021 MLS regular season (50 or more passes only, as of 6/27/2021)

BLACK & GOLD QUOTES

ON THE CREW’S PERFORMANCE THUS FAR THIS SEASON
“In the end we’ll take the draw and I think in the first 10
games, we knew six of them were on the road, and I think
slowly but surely we’ve actually bagged quite a few points
in that stretch because we knew it was going to be a difficult
stretch early on managing [Concacaf] Champions League and
playing games on the road. So, we’re pleased to have right
around 1.5 points per game after 10 games, and we know
going into this second third playing a lot more home games,
we’re in our new stadium, so we’ll take the point, but I think
we are disappointed we didn’t get three.”

• CALEB PORTER
  ON THE ENVIRONMENT OF LOWER.COM FIELD
  “It’s going to be a crazy environment. It’s going to be something that everyone can feel the energy, even if you’re not in
  the stadium. Around the stadium, it’s going to be so loud, and
  people are excited. It’s going to be a fabulous day on Saturday.”
• DR. PETE EDWARDS

MILESTONES ON THE HORIZON

CALEB PORTER
• Has won 94 MLS regular-season matches as a head coach and
is six wins away from reaching 100 all-time.
WAYLON FRANCIS
• Has made 98 regular-season starts for the Crew and needs two
more to reach 100.
KEVIN MOLINO
• Has made 93 MLS regular-season starts and needs seven more
to reach 100.
PEDRO SANTOS
• Has made 98 regular-season starts for the Crew and needs two
more to reach 100.
JOSH WILLIAMS
• Has made 149 regular-season appearances for the Crew and
needs one more to reach 150.

COURTESY COLUMBUS CREW COMMUNICATIONS