The New England Revolution defeated the
Supporters' Shield winners, the Columbus Crew, 1-0 at Crew Stadium on Sunday
evening in Major League Soccer action to clinch a playoff spot for the eighth
consecutive season.
A Jeff Larentowicz free kick goal in the 79th minute was the only offense in
the game as the MLS regular season concluded at the end of the fixture.
As a result of New England's victory, the playoff bracket will feature three
teams from the Eastern Conference and five from the West.
The Revs, the third seed in the East, will play the No. 2 seeded Chicago Fire
in the first round of the playoffs, with the top-seeded Crew playing No. 4
Real Salt Lake to complete the Eastern bracket.
The West will feature the top seeded Los Angeles Galaxy playing No. 4 Chivas
USA in a first ever playoff SuperClasico between the two L.A. based teams. The
other Western series will feature the second-seeded Houston Dynamo vs. the No.
3 seeded Seattle Sounders FC.
In Sunday's fixture, the Revs needed just a point to advance to the
postseason, and it looked like the game, which featured very few offensive
chances for either side, would end in a scoreless draw.
But Larentowicz took the suspense out of the closing 11 minutes by blasting a
free kick from 20 yards right over the defensive wall and under the crossbar
for his first goal of the season.
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