Inside the numbers on Revs' surprising playoff run
The eighth-seeded Revs entered the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs without a single playoff win since 2014 -- but after victories over the Montreal Impact, top-seeded Philadelphia Union and Orlando City SC, New England will face the Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference Final.Let's take a closer look at how the Revolution have gotten to this point -- and what lies ahead next weekend.
Heading into the 2020 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, the Revs' trio of Designated Players -- Adam Buksa, Gustavo Bou, Carles Gil -- had only played together in four games this season. But having all three healthy at the same time has been a recipe for success in the postseason.
And in the playoffs, the threesome has accounted for six of the seven goals, with either Gil and Bou playing a role in every single score. While Bou has a team-leading three goals and an assist, Gil -- who only played in two of the Revs' first 19 games this season -- has found the score sheet in each game, with two goals and three assists.
Looking for a sure sign that the Revs are going to win? Look no further than La Pantera.
Since Bou joined the Revs during the 2019 season, New England is undefeated when he scores a goal -- owning a perfect 10-0-6 mark. That includes a 6-0-1 record this season along with playoff wins over Montreal and Orlando City.
When NBC Sports Boston's DJ Bean was watching Sunday night's playoff game between Columbus and Nashville, he tweeted the following: "watching the Columbus-Nashville game and other teams don't just score a bunch of goals in the first 30 minutes? Embarrassing."
It was definitely weird for Revs fans to watch that match go into extra time scoreless after watching how New England has scored early and often in each of the last two games. According to OptaJack, the Revolution are the first team in MLS playoff history to take 2-0 leads within the first 30 minutes of consecutive playoff games.
And if there's one man who really knows about the importance of quick starts in the MLS Cup Playoffs, it's the Revs head coach. When Bruce Arena's teams score first in the playoffs, they have an unbelievable record of 29-0-3.
Arena, who is chasing his sixth MLS Cup after winning two with D.C. United and three with the L.A. Galaxy (including a win over the Revs in 2014), has 35 postseason victories, the most in league history and 20 more than any other active head coach.
There's a good reason that -- in addition to being an MLS Goalkeeper of the Year finalist -- Matt Turner was named the Revs' Team MVP by fans and Players' Player of the Year by his teammates. The player who Bruce Arena called the team's "most consistent player all year" came up with one of the biggest plays of Sunday's playoff win over Orlando: a 74th minute save on Nani's penalty kick attempt, which would have tied the match at 2.
It was the first penalty kick stopped by a Revs keeper in the playoffs since Matt Reis stopped two Columbus Crew attempts on Halloween in 2004 -- 5,874 days earlier.
Prior to the 2020 season, the highest amount of teams that even qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs in a single year was 14, last season. So there wasn't even an eighth playoff seed until this year, when 10 teams from the East and eight from the West entered the postseason.
Now the eighth-seeded Revs, who had just an 8-7-8 record during the regular season, are the lowest seed to ever reach the Conference Final. Prior to this season, the lowest seed to advance this far into the MLS Cup Playoffs was a No. 5 seed.
Awaiting the Revs in the Eastern Conference Final? A team they haven't had much success against in recent years: the third-seeded Columbus Crew, who are an impressive 11-1-0 at home this season.
New England has won just one of its last eight meetings against Columbus, with the last victory coming over three and half years ago, a 2-1 triumph on May 21, 2017.
This year's Crew is led by Gyasi Zardes, whose 12 goals are tied for second in MLS this season.
Will this finally be the year the Revs capture the elusive MLS Cup?
Even though New England has come up empty in five previous trips to the title game, the Revolution have a track record of success in the Eastern Conference Final, going 5-2 in seven trips, including wins in each of their last four trips to the game, defeating the Red Bulls in 2014, the Chicago Fire in 2007 and 2005, and D.C. United in 2006.
Meanwhile, the Crew are just 2-5 in the Eastern Conference Final, including a loss to the Revs way back in 2002.
