The Revs take on the Crew in a must-win 6 pointer. If they win they
leap-frog Columbus into the final Eastern Conference Play-off spot.

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The New England Revolution will host the Columbus Crew on Sunday
evening at Gillette Stadium in a classic six-pointer. The Crew enter
the match one point ahead of the Revs for the fourth and final
playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with five matches to play. A
win would propel the Revs back into playoff position for the first
time since late August and give them some momentum heading into
their trip to Dallas next weekend. A loss would give the Crew a four
point cushion with less than a month left to play in the regular
season.

Columbus has lost just once in its last five games and has climbed
to within two points of third-place D.C. United as of Thursday
evening. During that recent run, which has seen the Crew collect 10
of a possible 15 points, they have been led by the resurgent play of
forward Edson Buddle. At the start of the 2003 season the 22-year
old Buddle was expected to form a dynamic partnership with fellow
strikers Brian McBride and Jeff Cunningham. But after being named
MLS Player of the Week for the league's opening week, Buddle was
derailed by a series of injuries that began during the Crew's 2-1
win over New England at Gillette Stadium in April.

Buddle is back to health now and had a seven-game point-scoring
streak snapped on Saturday in a 1-0 overtime loss to the MetroStars.
In that stretch, Buddle tallied seven goals and two assists to
improve his season totals to eight goals and two assists for 18
points, which puts him level with McBride for the team lead in
points. Cunningham is right behind Buddle and McBride in the race
for the team lead in scoring with four goals and six assists for 14
points, but he has not played since an overtime loss to Colorado on
August 16 and is listed as doubtful for Sunday's match with a
sprained right MCL.

Once again charged with the task of denying those three, as well as
the rest of the Crew, will be the Revolution backline that has
surrendered four goals in the last four games. With Rusty Pierce
suspended for yellow card point accumulation, Daouda Kante will
return to central defense in front of Adin Brown giving the Revs the
same back four which played so well in the Revs 2-1 win over the
MetroStars two weeks ago.

There will be one change in Steve Nicol's preferred midfield as well
as Pat Noonan, the only Rev to have tallied a point in all three
games against the Crew this season, slides back to the left side of
midfield in place of Brian Kamler who was sent of in New England's
last match.

With Noonan in midfield, Nicol may look to Chris Brown to return
from injury of and try and spark the Revolution attack. In his only
appearance at Gillette Stadium as a member of the Revolution, Brown
tallied the third hat trick in club history in a 5-1 win over
Chicago. He picked up a right leg contusion in that match, however,
and has not played since.

Brown could well be paired with Taylor Twellman for the first time.
If so, it would be the first time the Revs field two players who
have scored hat tricks for the club. Twellman, whose hat trick came
a year ago this month, is also returning from injury and looking for
his first goal since August 16. He returned to the starting lineup
for the first time in almost a month last Thursday against Colorado
but could not add to his team-high tally of 13 goals. Twellman's
best chance came in the 68th minute when he saw his penalty kick
saved by Rapids' keeper Scott Garlick marking the first time in his
MLS career that Twellman failed to convert from the spot.

But with just five matches remaining in the regular season, Twellman
or the Revs will not be able let to many more points slip away and
still make the postseason. After Sunday, three of New England's
final four games are against Eastern Conference teams (two against
the MetroStars and one with D.C. United) and the Revs have just a 2-
3-2 combined record against their remaining opponents.
The match will kick off at 6:00 p.m. ET on Sunday and can be seen
live on Fox Sports Net New England. You can also listen to the match
on WEEI 850-AM or right here streaming live on revolutionsoccer.net.

Tickets for this game, as well as all other Revolution home games
are available now. Cal 1-877-GET-REVS for tickets or more
information.