Garey the Great

Garey Scores Two in a Decisive 3-1 Victory over Real Salt Lake

COLUMBUS, OH - July 18, 2009 - Two depleted squads went into battle on Saturday night at Crew Stadium. National team obligations, injuries, and suspensions all contributed to the lack of players available for the match. It became such an issue that both squads had only 6 substitutes on the bench; Real Salt Lake had two goalkeepers on the bench. No one knew where the goals would come from, but they did come.

The Crew would be missing their star, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who was listed as questionable with a hamstring strain. Midfielder Adam Moffat and forward Alejandro Moreno would also miss the match with injuries, while midfielder Emmanuel Ekpo would serve a suspension due to yellow card accumulation. Other absences for the Crew included defender Chad Marshall and midfielder Robbie Rogers, who were playing with the U.S. National Team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Striker Fabian Espindola would serve a suspension for Real Salt Lake with three others playing in the Gold Cup. Striker Will Johnson (Canada) and midfielders Jean Alexandre (Haiti) and Kyle Beckerman (U.S.) were called into duty for their respective national teams. Johnson played superbly against El Salvador at Crew Stadium less than two weeks ago.

The Crew quickly displayed some offensive fireworks despite the changes in the lineup. Forward Steven Lenhart scored in the 23rd minute getting a nice shot past RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando. Jason Garey would add another in the 31st minute, scoring off a deflection from a Lenhart header. The Crew would enter halftime with a solid 2-0 lead. Some skeptics questioned how well the Crew would fare without Schelotto, but the score tells the story. Salt Lake would have a 9-7 advantage in shots in the first half, but Columbus put more on target (6-2) and scored the two goals.

Halftime brought about more of the same. In the 52nd minute, The Crew made it a 3-0 lead over Real Salt Lake. Garey would come up with his second of the night with assists by midfielder Duncan Oughton and forward Steven Lenhart. Oughton set up the play with an pinpoint pass to Lenhart, who sent a backheel pass to Garey, who scored with a strike to the back of the net. Garey and Lenhart excelled playing in and around the box as the two forwards accounted for all of the team's goals.

This match showed how far Steven Lenhart has come since joining the club. Lenhart's play was once described as uncontrolled, uneven, and raw. It is now clear that 'the sky is the limit" for the young striker. This performance included a goal and an unbelievable assist. This is just the beginning, according to Head Coach Robert Warzycha. "I can tell you that he is going to play better; that wasn't his best game this season. He can be quicker, he is going to be making better decisions."

RSL keeper Rimando looked particularly vulnerable, manning the goal behind a defense that became porous at the inopportune times. Real Salt Lake would finally get on the board in the 75th minute with a goal by midfielder Raphael Cox, who was assisted by defender Chris Wingert and forward Pablo Campos. It would be the first career goal in MLS for Cox, a fourth round selection in the 2009 SuperDraft. Wingert started the play by delivering a pass that deflected off Campos and bounced back to Cox.

Many were disappointed with the play of RSL captain-defender Nat Borchers and midfielder Clint Mathis. Borchers seemed to be out of position when it mattered most for his backline, while Mathis had little impact on the game overall. Much more was expected from Mathis, who served with the U.S. National Team from 1998-2005. More was expected from this lineup as well, considering the 16 shots that were taken during the match. Only five could be considered on target, but that should have brought more than a single goal for the visiting team.

Real Salt Lake had clear opportunities to take control of the game. A failure to execute those opportunities came to the chagrin of Head Coach Jason Kreis. "I thought we created the right numbers of chances, no doubt about it. There were some pretty clear-cut chances as well. It was a difficult night for us."

Columbus looks to break a MLS record when they face Toronto FC at home on Saturday, July 25. The Crew tied the MLS record for the longest home unbeaten streak with the win over Salt Lake. Toronto FC, led by the midfield tandem of De Rosario and Amado Guevara, will bring thousands of passionate fans to Crew Stadium with the hopes of winning the Trillium Cup. The first two matches between the clubs this season both ended in a 1-1 draw.

More News

The Crew Review Home