FOXBORO -- It took one of the hottest teams in the league. That's it.
The Columbus Crew entered Gillette Stadium on Wednesday night having won four straight games and they hadn't lost in six.
The New England Revolution, on the other hand, were desperately looking to snap a 10-game winless skid in which they had an 0-7-3 record.
And on Wednesday night, the Revs did just that, defeating the Crew 2-0.
"It was a good result for us," said a somewhat relieved Revolution coach Jay Heaps after the win. "It was nice to kind of end this unbeaten streak, to be honest with you. It was just a tough road, but I think the guys came out tonight and played really well. We showed a lot of heart."
At the end of the day, that's all this one was about. It was about heart. And the Revolution had it throughout the game.
"There wasn't much more than a lot of guys playing with a lot of heart, and knowing that it's not easy to go out there when you've had the run we've been on, and the luck that hasn't gone our way," said Heaps. "I was really happy with the way the guys showed up tonight."
Dimitry Imbongo put New England up 1-0 in the 53rd minute when he put home a loose ball into an open net as a Diego Fagundez shot off the right post bounced out front.
"I thought Imbongo was excellent tonight," said Heaps. "He worked hard, he battled Chad Marshall who is, arguably, one of the best center backs in the league and the best player in the air. And I thought Dimitry just absolutely met him, challenge for challenge and step for step. It was a really good game for Imbongo."
Marshall gave the Revs a 2-0 lead, yes, Marshall. He headed an own-goal over Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum's head and into his own net in the 74th minute.
It was just another sign of New England's gritty game plan taking shape.
"Columbus is a rhythm team, and we never really let them get into a rhythm, and that was important," said Heaps. "I've preached it the whole time, it starts with our forwards, and how they play, defensively, and they really worked hard. That kind of sets the tone for the rest of the group."
But again, mostly, this one was about heart. And having not tasted history since July 8, the Revolution simply just out-worked the Crew all game long.
"That's what it's all about, back to basics," said Chris Tierney. "We've got to grind it out at this point. First and foremost, win the physical battles, win the one-on-one matchups, be tough to play against. It wasn't always the prettiest tonight, but we'll take ugly and a win over playing pretty soccer and losing games.
"It's a monkey off our back," added Tierney. "That was definitely weighing us down. We know we're a better team and are capable of being much higher on the table and picking up more points than we have thus far. So, it feels good to prove yourself again against a good team in Columbus."