Columbus Crew 4-0 New England Revolution: Matan nets hat-trick in huge win
Alexandru Matan plundered a hat-trick as the Columbus Crew hammered the New England Revolution 4-0 on Saturday.
The Columbus Crew ended their home regular-season campaign on a high note by thrashing the New England Revolution 4-0.
Reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus had already sealed their playoff spot and a regular-season club-record tally of points prior to Saturday's fixture at Lower.com Field.
Yet Wilfried Nancy's team did not let up as Alexandru Matan's hat-trick propelled them to an emphatic victory over a New England side that must lick their wounds after a dismal season.
DeJuan Jones got the ball rolling with a sublime curler in the fourth minute, with Matan subsequently taking centre-stage.
The Romanian drilled home a low finish in the 14th minute, before doubling his tally from close range in the 64th.
Matan should have scored a third when he was put through one-on-one with Aljaz Ivacic, only to fire straight at the goalkeeper, but the hat-trick strike did arrive when he capitalised on a similar chance soon after.
While New England's only target in their final game of the season is to try and move above Nashville SC at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, the Crew will aim to keep up the momentum heading into the postseason when they visit the New York Red Bulls.
Data Debrief: Free-scoring Crew in fine form
The Crew have now won four of their last seven MLS games, and have scored in each of their last six, netting 17 times in total (an average of 2.8 per game).
They have also kept it tight at the back this season, with Saturday's clean sheet marking their 12th shutout of the campaign, a tally bettered only by the Seattle Sounders (13).
New England, meanwhile, have failed to score in 10 of their 33 games in 2024. Only Nashville (11) have failed to score more often in the MLS this season.