Return to Form

Marshall's Goal Lead the Crew to a 1-0 Victory over the Red Bulls

COLUMBUS, OH - June 27, 2009 - The cheers of "Guillermo" were heard loud and clear by the crowd of 15,575 fans on Saturday night. The Columbus Crew are happy to have the leading scorer in Major League Soccer as part of their team. Yet it was not a striker or even an attacking midfielder that changed the game. It was a defender.

The last-place New York Red Bulls came to town with something to prove: that the current winless streak is an anomaly. No one expected to see the Red Bulls in such condition after playing in the MLS Cup Championship last season. This year's Red Bull team is very young and very raw, but holds quite a bit of potential. The Red Bulls would need to come together as a team amongst a sea of adversity for the longtime MLS club.

Unfortunately, this struggling New York squad goes into this important rematch without star striker Juan Pablo Angel. The former Aston Villa and River Plate forward was not listed as a starter or even a substitute for tonight's match due to a quadriceps contusion. The team's roster has been in flux as of late, which is not so much of a surprise. The Red Bulls terminated the contract of midfielder Juan Pietravallo, who appeared in just three games this season, earlier this week. This is expected to be one of many in the coming weeks for the New York club, who are reportedly interested in Austrian midfielder Ernst Obster and Senegalese goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul. Either player would be a welcome addition to this hapless team. In the past, New York has focused on acquiring a large quantity of players with little thought of the quality of such players. Tonight's lineup is a reflection of this trend.

Midfielder and captain Seth Stammler would have to take on a leadership role in the absence of Angel. Stammler appeared to be worthy of the captain's armband in the first half, showing composure and patience when handling the ball.

Columbus is a much different story. The Crew have been playing very well recently and are making a run up the standings. Most believe that they have regained their form of last year. Columbus would benefit greatly from the return of goalkeeper William Hesmer and defender Frankie Hejduk, two key components from the 2008 MLS Cup Championship squad. Both have recovered from nagging injuries and would surely provide a boost to the Crew defense.

Columbus had an advantage in terms of possession and shots taken in the first half, but they were unable to shut down the Red Bulls completely. Both sides had ample chances to score throughout the first half, but it was Crew defender Chad Marshall who turned one of those scoring opportunities into a goal in the 45th minute. Schelotto, the master of the corner kick, provided the assist. The experience of the Crew squad looked to be a strong advantage going into the locker room.

The Crew came back on the pitch guarding a 1-0 lead over the Red Bulls. Fortunately for the Crew, it was much more of the same. Both teams failed to score, even though there were some opportunities. The best chance for the Crew came in the 66th minute as a header by Eddie Gaven went wide left of the goal. On the other side, the Red Bulls seemed truly content with playing back in a defensive position. There was not as much movement forward for New York in the second half.

Apparently the lack of offensive firepower and movement from New York was by design. Juan Carlos Osorio, head coach for the Red Bulls, implemented a tight 4-5-1 formation with the hopes of containing the Crew offense. This plan was successful to some extent considering a defender scored the lone goal. The highly explosive Schelotto was held to only two shots, neither of which could be considered on goal.

Some had hoped that the Crew would put up more goals considering the situation. Coach Robert Warzycha provided a great summary by saying "One goal was enough to win today and we are happy." Frankie Hejduk added "To hold them like we did. To limit them to basically nothing at all. I think we showed a lot of heart and a lot of character by battling back. Was it the prettiest at times? No. We did what we had to do. We fought hard like last year. We really limited their chances." It was apparent that the Crew's dominance on the field was not clearly shown by a 1-0 result. The consensus was that the Crew could easily have won by a 2-0 or 3-0 margin.

The Crew hope to continue their winning ways at home against D.C. United on the 4th of July. United, led by strikers Luciano Emilio and Jaime Moreno, currently are leading the Eastern Division with 23 points.

More News

The Crew Review Home