OBETZ, Ohio (September 13, 2026) – New England Revolution II (11-8-8, 45 pts.) earned two points on the road Sunday night, fighting to a 1-1 draw at Columbus Crew 2 (12-9-6, 46 pts.) before prevailing in the penalty shootout, 5-3, at Fortress Obetz. Defender Jared Smith's 29th-minute strike gave Revolution II a lead that stood until the final minute of regulation, when the hosts found an equalizer. In the subsequent shootout, New England was perfect from the spot to claim the extra point.
The two sides traded chances in the first half searching for the opening goal, with Columbus Crew 2 creating a dangerous opportunity in the 17th minute that was comfortably handled by goalkeeper Donovan Parisian. Revolution II responded 12 minutes later, capitalizing on a corner kick to seize a 1-0 advantage heading into halftime.
Midfielder Cristiano Oliveira lofted a service to the back post, where the initial effort bounced to the edge of the Crew 2 penalty area. Smith, making his first start for Revolution II since July 5 after recovering from a lower body injury, met the loose ball with a one-time volley to bury his finish into the back of the net. The goal marked the Longmeadow, Mass., native's second MLS NEXT Pro tally, while Oliveira grew his team-leading assist total to eight on the season.
New England nearly doubled its lead 15 minutes into the second half. Center back Gabe Dahlin, recording his 50th career MLS NEXT Pro appearance, carried the ball to the edge of Columbus' box before firing a shot on frame. However, the Black and Gold goalkeeper Luke Pruter made a quick diving save to parry the effort away.
With the Revolution fighting to hold onto the one-goal lead, Parisian came up with another near-post stop in the 71st minute to keep the home side off the scoreboard. Columbus got in behind New England's backline with a give-and-go sequence before rifling the shot, but the 2025 MLS Super Draft first-round pick punched the shot away to preserve Revolution II's advantage. Parisian made his 12th appearance of the season, the 28th of his MLS NEXT Pro career, and ended the night with five saves, a new career-high.
Columbus Crew 2 found the equalizer in the final moments of regulation, as Jamil Danjaji headed home a corner-kick service past the outstretched arms of Parisian to send the match to a penalty shootout. After netting all five attempts from the spot to claim two points on the night, Revolution II now sits in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 45 points, only one point behind the third-place team, entering MLS NEXT Pro's Decision Day next Sunday, Sept. 20.
On the final day of the regular season, Revolution II will travel to face Toronto FC II for a 2:00 p.m. ET kickoff at York Lions Stadium. Watch the MLS NEXT Pro Decision Day action on MLSNEXTPro.com and the OneFootball platform.
MATCH NOTES
- In a tightly contested Eastern Conference playoff race, New England now occupies seventh place, with seeds No. 3-9 separated by only three points.
- Revolution II is now 5-3-5 on the road this season, collecting points in 10 of 13 away matches to date.
- New England improves to 4-4 in shootouts this season.
- D Jared Smith scored the second goal of his professional career tonight, his third goal contribution of the year. The Longmeadow, Mass. native posted a career-high three total shots and added three key passes in his 64-minute shift.
- M Cristiano Oliveira tallied his eighth assist of the campaign, a team best. The Homegrown Player made his ninth consecutive start, his 18th of the campaign, and recorded four key passes. His 52 key passes this season are the fifth most leaguewide.
- D Gabe Dahlin logged his 50th career MLS NEXT Pro appearance tonight. The Sweden native matched a career high with three shots.
- D Tylon Smith featured in his second Revolution II match, playing 64 minutes.
- GK Donovan Parisian made his 12th appearance of the season, recording a career-high five saves.
GAME CAPSULE
Revolution II Match #27
New England Revolution II 1(5) at Columbus Crew 2 1(3)
September 13, 2026 – Fortress Obetz (Obetz, Ohio)
Referee: William Hale
Assistant Referee: Shane Richards
Assistant Referee: Nick Goyette
Fourth Official: Brian Alvarez
Weather: 78 degrees and rainy
Scoring Summary:
NE - Jared Smith 2 (Cristiano Oliveira 8) 29'
CLB - Jamil Danjaji (Nico Rincón) 89'
Misconduct Summary:
CLB - Kevin Gbamblé (Yellow Card) 25'
NE - Logan Azar (Yellow Card) 26'
CLB - Moses Nyeman (Yellow Card) 32'
CLB - Chase Adams (Yellow Card) 35'
NE - Chris Mbai-Assem (Yellow Card) 72'
NE - Donovan Parisian (Yellow Card) 73'
CLB - Nico Rincón (Yellow Card) 79'
New England Revolution II: Donovan Parisian; Gabe Dahli (c), Jake Shannon, Tylon Smith (Chris Mbai-Assem 64'); Jared Smith (Schinieder Mimy 64'), Logan Azar, Javaun Mussenden, Damario McIntosh; Makai Wells (Aarin Prajapati 84'), Cristiano Oliveira, Marcos Zambrano (Jayden Da 64')
Substitutes Not Used: Max Weinstein, Sharod George, Shuma Sasaki, Ben Quinino, Levi Katsell
Columbus Crew 2: Luke Pruter; Nico Rincon, Kevin Gbamble (c), Tristan Brown (Immanuel Ewing 68'), Moses Nyeman (Gio De Libera 46'); Brent Adu Gyamfi, Chase Adams (Jamil Danjaji 46'), Oneal Taylor (Prince Forfor 46'); Zach Lloyd, Isaac Heffess, Rui Aoki
Substitutes Not Used: Stanislav Lapkes, Gianmarco Di Noto, Myles Johnson
