A Revolution in Columbus

Larentowicz Goal Sends New England to Victory and into the Playoffs

By Gary L. Moody Jr.

COLUMBUS, OH -It was "do or die" for the New England Revolution Sunday night as they traveled to Crew Stadium. A victory was needed for them to make the MLS Cup playoffs. They would get the goal and the win from an unlikely source.

It sure wouldn't be easy for the Revolution as they were without defender Chris Albright (meniscus tear), midfielder Steve Ralston (ACL tear), and forward Taylor Twellman (concussion). Club officials are still optimistic that Twellman will be ready for the preseason in 2010.

The Revolution faced an experimental lineup for the Columbus Crew, one that included goalkeeper Kenny Schoeni. Schoeni was signed on September 16 to replace Andy Gruenebaum, who is still sidelined with a hip injury.

The game started with a quick pace; the Crew's Robbie Rogers was able to break free in both the 4th and 6th minutes. Unfortunately, Rogers was unable to convert these opportunities into goals. The Revolution were able to push forward in the 7th minute, where a errant ball caused Schoeni to make the needed stop in a flash.

The 26th minute brought a handball by Darrius Barnes of New England. A high shot by the Crew's Andy Iro followed shortly after. The Revolution would respond with two shots in the 28th minute; both resulting in saves by Schoeni. The keeper would be called upon yet again in the 31st to make another save.

Emmanuel Ekpo would hobble off the field in the 36th minute, but would return within a minute. A crazy sequence of events would occur in the 38th as an aggressive Schoeni collided with a Crew defender. Shalrie Joseph would wind up for a shot that was just over the crossbar. It was very, very close. The 40th minute would bring yet another shot by Joseph, which was knocked away by the keeper and cleared away by the defense. Two close calls for the Crew in just two minutes.

A Schelotto header would make its way towards the goal in the 42nd minute, but Matt Reis would be able to make the stop. Another shot by Schelotto would go wide left of the goal in the 45th minute. There were a few opportunities, but no goals at the half.

New England would emerge from halftime with the hopes of changing the 0-0 score. A draw would do them no favors. Steve Nicol would make one substitution at the half, bringing in Amaechi Igwe for Emmanuel Osei. Nicol's post game comments revealed that Osei had been stepped on and was unable to continue.

Jay Heaps would receive a yellow card in the 55th minute for a hard tackle on Alejandro Moreno. Iro would follow with one of his own in the 60th. The Crew would soon be on the attack with shots by Brian Carroll and Adam Moffat in the 61st minute.

Jed Zayner would be shown a yellow card in the 63rd as he took down New England striker Kheli Dube with a sliding tackle. Iro would avenge the card with a header in the 71st minute that was just high of the goal. Crowd favorite Steven Lenhart would enter the match in the 74th minute, replacing Alejandro Moreno. The New England keeper took away another good opportunity in the 75th, punching away a shot from Columbus. Robert Warzycha would make further changes in the 77th minute, sending in Eddie Gaven for Emmanuel Ekpo.

The 79th minute brought a goal by the Revolution's Jeff Larentowicz, his first of the season. It was a particularly important one as it sent New England into the playoffs. It all started with a Carroll handball and a free kick for the Revolution. Larentowicz would send his shot over the wall and past a diving Schoeni. Gino Padula (dissent) and Adam Moffat (reckless foul) would both receive yellow cards in the 81st and 88th minutes respectively.

More substitutions would follow soon after. Pat Phelan replaced Kheli Dube (87th), while Jason Garey came in for Jed Zayner (88th). Nicol would even send in Chris Tierney as an insurance policy in the 91st minute in place of Kenny Mansally. The final minutes of the match were extremely tense as the Crew pushed more men forward. The Revs defense held tough to come away with a 1-0 win that pushed them into the playoffs.

The Crew played hard despite the fact there was nothing at stake. Luckily there were no injuries to key players that were in the lineup. It was an incredibly physical match with a total of 31 fouls and 5 yellow cards.

It is important that the Crew's star players are not rusty for the playoffs. They will need to be in top form as they face red-hot Real Salt Lake. The Crew have to feel good about the regular season, one that saw them clinch their second straight Supporters' Shield. "Obviously it is a big achievement. It has only been done once before in the league's history," midfielder Duncan Oughton commented. "To me, it is the real champion. It's the team that through the longevity of the season finished on top."

International Soccer Network's Man of the Match: Jeff Larentowicz, Midfielder, New England Revolution

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