COLUMBUS, Ohio (October 17, 2026) – No. 5 New England Revolution II saw their 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs campaign come to an end in a 2-1 loss to No. 4 Columbus Crew 2 on Saturday afternoon at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Forward Makai Wells scored the lone goal for Revolution II in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Round match.
New England started the match on the offensive, generating the first chance of the afternoon just three minutes after the opening whistle. Jared Smith's right-footed tap from the center of the box hit the crossbar, allowing the hosts to escape the early threat. Columbus capitalized in the 12th minute, when Brent Adu Gyamfi found himself on the receiving end of a give-and-go. Adu Gyamfi's initial shot was saved by New England goalkeeper Donovan Parisian, but the Crew 2 striker converted on the ricochet for the opening tally of the match.
Revolution II weathered the storm in the ensuing minutes on the defensive end, and dominated possession on the attacking side. New England's efforts paid dividends in the 24th minute, when Wells, a 17-year-old Revolution Academy product, netted the equalizer on a right-footed strike from long distance to knot the score at 1-1. Columbus regained the lead just minutes before the midway break, as Nico Rincon broke through a trio of Revolution II defenders to give Crew 2 the 2-1 advantage at halftime.
New England created the first opportunity of the second half, as Damario McIntosh, a 19-year-old Revolution Homegrown Player, mailed a cross inside the box to Smith in the 49th minute. The Longmeadow, Mass. native found space between a pair of Crew 2 defenders, but Smith's left-footed attempt was saved by Columbus goalkeeper Luke Pruter. In the 63rd minute, Wells made another run toward goal but the speedy forward was caught offside to end the threat.
Chasing a 2-1 deficit in the late stages of the Quarterfinal Round contest, Revolution II Head Coach Pablo Moreira deployed Shuma Sasaki and Jayden Da, a Boston-born striker and former Crew 2 player, as substitutes off the bench to help provide reinforcements in the attack. Sasaki's attempt at the equalizer from the center of the box in the 88th minute hit the crossbar. Javaun Mussenden's shot on frame in the 90th minute landed in Pruter's hands. Pruter sealed Columbus' 2-1 victory with a save on Jake Shannon's header in the final seconds of stoppage time.
MATCH NOTES
- New England has featured in the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs three times in program history, including consecutive appearances over the last two seasons.
- F Makai Wells opened his postseason account on an unassisted highlight-reel strike from long range in the 24th minute. The 17-year-old finished today's match with a game-high three key passes over a complete 90-minute performance.
- Revolution II featured five Revolution Academy products in today's Starting XI in F Wells, D Damario McIntosh, M Javaun Mussenden, M Logan Azar, and M Cristiano Oliveira.
- D Jared Smith, a 24-year-old from Longmeadow, Mass. who joined Revolution II in March, recorded a game-best three shot attempts, including one on target.
- D Tylon Smith, who joined New England's senior team via loan in August, completed 95.7 percent of his pass attempts in a 90-minute outing.
- D Jake Shannon led Revolution II with two shots on frame. Shannon concluded his first season with Revolution II ranking tied for second in appearances (24) and second in minutes played (2,073).
- F Jayden Da, a Boston native who featured for Columbus Crew 2 during the 2024 campaign, generated two key passes over a 13-minute shift off the bench.
GAME CAPSULE
MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference Quarterfinal
(No. 5) New England 1 at (No. 4) Columbus 2
October 17, 2026 – ScottsMiracle-Gro Field (Columbus, Ohio)
Referee: Atahan Yaya
Assistant Referee: Ethan Buege
Assistant Referee: Fernando Fierro
Fourth Official: Jorge Escobar
Weather: 55 degrees and sunny
Scoring Summary:
CLB- Brent Adu Gyamfi (Unassisted) 12'
NE- Makai Wells 1 (Unassisted) 24'
CLB- Nico Rincon (Unassisted) 45'
Misconduct Summary:
NE- Logan Azar (Yellow Card- Hard Foul) 45+4'
CLB- Cesar Ruvalcaba (Yellow Card- Hard Foul) 65'
CLB- Kevin Gbambale (Yellow Card- Hard Foul) 73'
New England Revolution II: Donovan Parisian; Tylon Smith, Jake Shannon, Gabe Dahlin ©; Damario McIntosh, Javaun Mussenden, Logan Azar, Jared Smith (Shuma Sasaki 71'); Cristiano Oliveira (Jayden Da 77'), Myles Morgan, Makai Wells
Substitutes Not Used: Max Weinstein, Chris Mbaï-Assem, Schinieder Mimy, Aarin Prajapati, Levi Katsell, Sharod George
Columbus Crew 2: Luke Pruter; Isaac Heffess, Nico Rincon (Jamil Danjaji 69'), Chase Adams (Alan Torres 90+2'), Johann Chirinos; Cesar Ruvalcaba, Brent Adu Gyamfi, Prince Forfor (Tristan Brown 69'); Rui Aoki, Tarun Karumanchi, Kevin Gbamble ©
Substitutes Not Used: Stanislav Lapkes, Moses Nyeman, Alan Torres, Gio De Libera, Immanuel Ewing, Gianmarco Di Noto, Jorge Salmeron
