(AP Images)

The Revs are set to take on Columbus Crew SC this Saturday (7:30 PM, NBC Sports Boston). This will the be the second and final meeting between the two original MLS sides in this young season- the first being an embarrassing defeat at Gillette for the Revs home opener.

Last week, the Revs trotted out a fairly new lineup against a strong Minnesota United side to get the first full three points of the season. We saw the impressive debut of DeJuan Jones, Brandon Bye move up to a much more comfortable midfield slot, and the return of Andrew Farrell into the lineup. It was a lineup that definitely gave us a look at how Brad Friedel wants this team to play- full effort and pressing for 90 minutes.

The new lineup should hopefully solve a Columbus team that easily defeated the Revs in early March. Gyasi Zardes was the big man on the day with both Columbus goals. The Revs didn’t look solid defensively as Pedro Santos was given way too much time and space to work his magic, leading to a nice assist on Zardes’ first goal. Along with that, they were beat by runs behind the line for the second goal- a Zardes 1 on 1 with the recently benched Brad Knighton. Add in a PK save by Zack Steffen and it was a true case study of Murphy’s Law.

It was an ugly affair, and in order to get a result at Mapfre Stadium, the Revs need to put more pressure on Federico Higuain and Will Trapp- two of the better ball distributors in MLS. Along with that they need to capitalize on chances, we saw way too many shots over the crossbar and wide of the goal, and with Zack Steffen in net, finishing has to be precise. With Harrison Afful- one of MLS’ best right backs, out with a jaw injury, the Revs should see more chances than the March meeting. Some key players to watch for below:

PLAYER WE KNOW- Zack Steffen is the current best goalkeeper in the USMNT pool. He’s on his way to the EPL in the summer, with an agreement already finalized to join Manchester City. Along with that, he’s the defending MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, and the Crew’s best player.

PLAYER YOU’LL NOTICE- Pedro Santos is a speedy winger who is a focal point of the attack. The Portuguese playmaker’s role is to get behind the Rev’s fullbacks and swing balls in for Gyasi Zardes to finish. Farrell and Castillo have to be aware of him at all times. The good news is Cropper has shown more aggression and better positional awareness than Brad Knighton did in net.

X FACTOR- Will Trapp is a sturdy presence in the Crew midfield, and one of the most solid players in MLS. He has no real wow factor about him, but he gets the job done in the center of the park. His job is going to be to link the back line with the Crew’s talented attackers and to disrupt any attack the Revs can get going before it enters the final third. Expect him to be shadowing Carles Gil throughout the game

PREDICTION-Although this Revs team is better than the one we saw against the Crew last time, it’s still a tall task to get points in this game. The Crew are a near consensus playoff pick. Crew 2, Revs 0

