High-flying New England, Columbus make cases for old guard in MLS

Major League Soccer is often attracted to what's shiny and new. This season's most breathless headlines, for example, have gone to St. Louis City SC, an expansion team that sits second in the Western Conference.

The New England Revolution and Columbus Crew — teams that started in the MLS in the mid-1990s — are subverting that trend.

Both are near the top of the Eastern Conference, sitting in second and fourth, respectively, and they're doing so without many of the fresh trappings of some of their counterparts. The Revolution don't even have their own home field. (New England shares Gillette Stadium with the Patriots.)

So how did the Revolution and the Crew — two of the league's oldest and least sexy brands — remain in contention?

For one, both teams invested in two of the best coaches in MLS. The Revolution are led by Bruce Arena, a National Soccer Hall of Famer with a long history of exploits in American soccer. The Crew are coached by Wilfried Nancy, a French journeyman who previously led CF Montreal to the playoffs and CONCACAF Champions League. 

In December, the Crew paid Montreal a huge sum to free Nancy from his contract, which has proved to be a smart investment. His hard-nosed style lifted Columbus almost immediately while Montreal has struggled mightily in his absence.

"I'll be straightforward with you," Nancy told The Athletic, "I want my players to be brave."

Both teams are committed to entertaining fans who have supported them well since the teams' inceptions, and both fan bases have fought hard for their teams.

Revolution fans light up owner Robert Kraft when his attention skews too heavily toward his New England Patriots. Crew fans lambasted previous owner Anthony Precourt for threatening to take the franchise to Austin. 

Saturday's Crew-Revolution game should be a big-hearted affair. Columbus is coming off two straight shutout wins. New England is 3-0-1 against Eastern Conference and has allowed only six goals. 

In short, it's an old-school matchup between two of the league's oldest teams.