A midsummer meeting between Eastern Conference also-rans in cavernous Gillette Stadium might normally be as bland as Major League Soccer gets.
But when Crew SC traded league MVP finalist Kei Kamara to the New England Revolution on May 12, their game Saturday was spiked with serious spice.
The Crew will close a disappointing first half of its season by visiting the new home of Kamara, the striker who led it to an MLS Cup final last season but was traded away after he publicly disparaged fellow designated player Federico Higuain.
The controversial move netted the Crew a bevy of roster tools to use this season and beyond, including $500,000 in allocation money.