Union prepare for road rematch with New England

Where: Gillette Stadium

When: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: CSN

MLS records: Union (7-9-5); New England (6-9-5)

Union on the road: 1-6-3

New England at home: 6-2-2

Union record against Revolution: 10-5-4

Goals: Union, 29; New England, 33.

Goals against: Union, 24; New England, 34.

Last game: The Union dominated Columbus at home on Wednesday in a 3-0 victory, featuring goals from C.J. Sapong, Marcus Epps, and Ilsinho. The Revolution outlasted the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy, 4-3, last Saturday, aided by two goals in four minutes from Teal Bunbury to seal the game in the final third of play time.

Last meeting: The Union handled the Revolution at home on July 2, as goals from C.J. Sapong, Ilsinho, and Roland Alberg gave the team a 3-0 victory.

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The Union will seek out an elusive road win this Saturday as the team travels to Foxborough, Mass., to face the New England Revolution for the second time this season.

Reinforced by an almost-full roster with the return of Alejandro Bedoya and C.J. Sapong, the Union found the offensive breakthrough it's been waiting for on Wednesday. The team dominated play for over 55 percent of the game, firing 27 shots and netting three goals on the way to steamrolling Columbus in a 3-0 victory.

That offense will be put to the test as they take on Saturday. So far this season, the Union have won only one game outside of Talen Energy Stadium — a 4-0 rivalry victory at D.C. United on May 13. Since then, the best the Union have come away with on the road was one draw, to go with five losses.

"We have to back it up now, recover quickly, and go to New England [to play] a team that's right in the same area of the standings as us," Curtin said in a news conference following the Columbus game. " It's harder to play on the road in this league. It's a heck of a lot harder, that's for sure. That's where we have to do a better job getting points is on the road."

A lack of road wins isn't necessarily unusual. Eastern Conference leaders Toronto and Chicago have only four and two road wins, respectively, and still remain at the top of the league in points. But for a team at a crossroads such as the Union, every point matters in securing a playoff berth.

As far as standings go, the numbers are simple. Thirteen games remain in the regular season. Over the course of those 13 matches, the Union must leapfrog over two teams to secure, at the least, the No. 6 slot in the Eastern Conference. Currently, those teams are Orlando City and Columbus, the latter of which holds that sixth and final playoff spot. The Union must overcome a five-point gap to pull even with Columbus.

That process will begin on Saturday against a New England team hoping to erase the offensive struggles that plagued it throughout July. The Revolution broke out of a four-game losing streak with a win against the Los Angeles Galaxy last Saturday, scoring as many goals in that game as they had in the rest of July. Like the Union, the team is fresh off an offensive surge in a victory. Both teams hope to continue building momentum, bolstered by the addition of players who were missing while playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Midfielder Chris Pontius returned to the team on Friday following the United States' victory over Jamaica in the Gold Cup final, along with both Fafa Picault and Derrick Jones, who were sidelined with injuries.

The only question mark remaining is goalkeeper Andre Blake, who cut the webbing of his right hand in the Gold Cup final, which required seven stitches. The stitches will be removed after 10 days, at which point Blake's recovery will be a touch-and-go process. This means that the keeper will most likely not be available before the Aug. 12 home game against Montreal.