New England Revolution head coach Marko Mitrovic hailed his side’s depth after their midweek victory in the last 32 of the U.S. Open Cup.

The Revs defeated Rhode Island 3-1 on penalties after the tie finished 1-1 after 120 minutes of action at Gillette Stadium.

Mitrovic made plenty of changes to his side, with backup goalkeeper Donovan Parisian starring for New England, who will face Orlando City in the round of 16.

That victory saw the Revs extend their winning run to three in all competitions, while they have also won four of their last five games.

Wins over DC United and CF Montreal in MLS saw New England move up to eighth in the Eastern Conference ahead of this weekend’s clash against the Columbus Crew.

Mitrovic was pleased to see his squad players take their opportunity, which was not made easier by playing extra time in the cup.

“We had a group of guys that worked so hard every day in training sessions and doing their job,” explained Mitrovic.

“We felt that they earned the opportunity to play, and I’m very happy for them, because some of them don’t have a lot of minutes under their legs.

“It wasn’t easy, especially to play 120 minutes, and I feel very happy for them.”

Los futbolistas pic.twitter.com/3NZQFdgaAr

— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) April 16, 2026

Columbus also booked their place in the next round of the U.S. Open Cup this week, with a 3-0 victory over the Richmond Kickers.

It was a much-needed win for the Crew, who have won just one of their seven MLS games in 2026.

A 1-1 draw against Orlando City last time out leaves Columbus 11th in the East ahead of their trip to New England.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

New England Revolution – Dor Turgeman

Turgeman has been involved in six goals (three goals, three assists) in his first five career regular-season home matches for New England.

Turgeman is the fourth player with six or more goal contributions in his first five home matches for the Revolution, and the first since Saer Sene (seven) in 2012.

Columbus Crew – Daniel Gazdag

Gazdag has scored six goals in nine regular-season meetings with New England, equalling his most against any MLS opponent (also six versus Nashville SC).

Only Lionel Messi and Sam Surridge (seven each) have scored more goals against New England since Gazdag’s MLS debut in 2021.

MATCH PREDICTION – COLUMBUS CREW WIN

The Crew come into this game as the Opta supercomputer’s favourites, but their recent record does not do them any favours.

Columbus came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Orlando, but the Crew still have just six points through seven matches this season, equalling their second-fewest at this stage of a season in club history (six in 2005, five in 2009).

New England ended a nine-game winless run (D5 L4) against Columbus with a 2-1 home win last August. The Revs have not won consecutive regular-season games in the fixture since a four-game streak spanning the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

New England have recorded back-to-back league wins for the first time in nearly a year, since a four-match winning run last April and May. The Revs have won three of their last four league games (L1) after winning only three of their previous 21 (D4 L14).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

New England Revolution – 30.8%

Draw – 25.1%

Columbus Crew – 44.1%