A Night of Disappointment for the Crew

For the second straight match the Columbus Crew played on the front foot for most of the night, but came away empty handed after a 2-0 defeat to the Colorado Rapids.

On the night the Rapids (4-4-3) only registered four shots, and only one in the first half, but found the back of the net twice and managed to keep Columbus from scoring despite 22 shots, including seven on goal.

Things almost got started before even a minute had passed with a chipped ball from striker Jairo Arrieta that caught the Colorado keeper off his line. Unfortunately for the Crew the ball sailed just wide of the mark, a regular occurrence on the night.

In the eighth minute the Rapids got things underway with a wonderfully worked goal from striker Edson Buddle. A pass over the top from Atiba Harris found Danny Mwanga in the box and the striker did just enough to fight off Crew defender Tyson Wahl to lay a pass to a streaking Buddle.

Over an hour later in the 69th minute Colorado put the game away when a Dillon Powers shot was deflected off the legs of Josh Williams and caught keeper Andy Gruenebaum out of position for the second goal of the match.

It was unfortunate for the Crew who had been threatening to score for a majority of the match, but couldn’t find the quality in the final third to get that breakthrough opportunity.

“I felt like the team actually played pretty well at times tonight but like you said it was that last pass and the last shot that just seemed to let us down time in and time out,” Columbus Crew midfielder Eddie Gaven stated. “Getting punished for it, they get two or three chances and they put both away and there’s the game.”

Back to back losses dampened a three-game home stand that started well with a 3-0 win over D.C. United and leaves Columbus with 12 points on the season. Now the Crew (3-4-3) take to the road to face Toronto FC in next Saturday at 5 pm ET.

Subside Sports Man of the Match: Forward Atiba Harris, Colorado Rapids

Even though he was not credited with either of the goals, Harris was the man for Colorado who made the difference in a night devoid of offensive chances. Putting the ball into Mwanga to help set up the first goal was his most notable contribution, but his runs pushed the Crew backline more than any other player and he was a part of most of the chances the Rapids created on the night.

Crew Suffer Disappointing 1-0 Loss to New York

Photo Credit: Dan Garee/ISNSoccer.com

The Columbus Crew suffered a disappointing loss on Saturday, losing 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls in Columbus, despite dominating for large stretches of the match.

The turning point came when a Federico Higuain penalty kick was saved by Red Bull keeper Luis Robles in the 71st minute. Robles guessed correctly and punched the ball away, giving New York momentum it had been lacking for a majority of the match.

Higuain was disappointed with the loss and the penalty miss, but is focused on moving on to next week’s match.

“Very sad after a situation that could have given the Crew the win,” Higuain said through a translator. “But all that’s left after that is to keep working and keep improving.”

Less than 10 minutes later in the 80th minute Tim Cahill scored the winner for New York with a lofting header over the outstretched arms of Andy Gruenebaum. A shot from Jonathan Steele drew the Crew keeper off his line to make the save and he couldn’t recover in time as the rebound fell to Cahill for the match’s only goal.

“We collapsed in and (Steele) was open on the far post and hit it well and I just tried to control the rebound to where it was hopefully going over,” Gruenebaum said. “It kind of just bounced up for him nice and it kind of just carried over me.”

Midfielder Tony Tchani thought the Crew was unlucky to concede a late goal after the way they had played on the day.

“I think the wind kind of took the ball away from Andy,” Tchani said.

A diving save from Robles in the 93rd minute prevented a late Columbus equalizer as the Red Bulls claimed all three points and temporarily move into first place in the Eastern Conference.

It was just the second time in the first 10 games of the season that the Crew failed to score, having previously lost at Chicago 1-0 on April 4.

Columbus’ attacking trio of Higuain, Dominic Oduro and Jairo Arrieta looked the more likely to score, but couldn’t secure the final touch they need to break the tie.

“We played pretty well, against a team with a lot of players that came from different countries and are pretty good we did pretty well,” Crew head coach Robert Warzycha said. “Obviously like I said the penalty changed everything.”

Next up the Crew finish their three-game home stand when the Colorado Rapids come to Columbus May 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Event Photos

Red Bulls Leave Crew Stadium with Big Win

Conditions in Columbus were perfect for soccer this afternoon with temperatures in the 70’s and a cool breeze blowing. Unfortunately for New York, they were playing as if it was in the 100’s, getting beaten to the second ball and coming late into challenges.

Columbus dominated the chances in the first half though they were unable to test Luis Robles with a single shot on goal. Jairo Arrieta came closest for Columbus with a shot from the edge of the area that fizzled just past the upright.

The best chance of the half fell to Tim Cahill and he should have put New York ahead. A cross from the right found him free 16 yards out, but he blasted the shot high over the bar and into the South stand.

The second half continued in the same vein for New York with Juninho struggling to find time and space on the ball. The Columbus duo of Danny O’Rourke and Tony Tchani were dominant, staving the Red Bull’s midfield for both time and space.

With Columbus continuing to create the better chances New York gave them a gift of a penalty in the 71^st minute with Brandon Barklage mistiming a challenge on Eddie Gaven as he ran into the box. Federico Higuaín stepped up to take the resulting spot kick, but Robles produced a fine save diving to his right to push the ball away.

The save finally awoke New York, who started to press forward with more intent. Cahill had the ball in the net on 79 minutes, but was adjudged to have felled the Crew keeper. Cahill was not to be denied; a minute later he headed in from a saved shot after a fierce drive from Jonathan Steele.

Columbus struggled to lift themselves after the goal, but had one final chance at the death with Arrieta shooting from 6 yards, but it lacked power and was easily saved. This was a great win for the Red Bulls in a game where they were second best for long periods, but it’s a sign of a good team that can win when playing poorly.

Event Photos

D.C. United Fall to Crew

Both teams started the match “on fire” in Saturdays match between D.C. United and the Columbus Crew, and it had nothing to do with what was going on on the field.

A speaker malfunction sparked a fire in the Crew Stadium scoreboard before the match that delayed the opening kick for almost an hour. Columbus scored early and often and never allowed D.C. to feel comfortable, tallying three in the first 45 and winning 3-0 on the night.

Last place United traveled to Columbus desperately needing a win to turn their season around, but early defensive mishaps were enough to bury D.C. for the sixth time this season.

Crew striker Jairo Arrieta took the ball from a poor header back to the keeper by D.C. and had his initial effort cleared by the United backline. The resulting ball fell to Eddie Gaven, whose cross was picked up by Arrieta and the Costa Rican put it to the boot of Dominic Oduro in the 15th minute.

11 minutes later Columbus doubled their advantage on a volley from defender Josh Williams. Keeper Bill Hamid got a hand to the ball, but it wasn’t enough to redirect it clear of goal. A third came for Columbus in the 45th after defender Brandon McDonald fouled Jairo Arrieta in the area and captain Federico Higuain rocketed the penalty top shelf to send D.C. to the locker room down 3-0. Perry Kitchen had the closest chance for D.C. in the first half when his 23rd minute header found the back of the net but was waved off by the official. Midfielder Kyle Porter too had a close chance in the 32nd, but his long range blast cannoned off the woodwork and was cleared by Columbus. Only a few half chances were created in the second half and when the full time whistle blew the score remained at 3-0.

It was a weak performance all around by United, looking almost porous at times on defense and never creating enough chances to beat Andy Gruenebaum and put themselves in the game with a goal. With the loss D.C. remains in last place in the Eastern Conference, having only earned four points on the year through eight matches.

Next up United will head home to host the Houston Dynamo on May 8 at 7:00 p.m.

Strange Night Ends in Crew Win

The Columbus Crew came away with 3 points and a 3-0 victory over D.C. United on Saturday evening on what some would call a wild night.

Photo Credit: Gary L. Moody Sr./ISNSoccer.com

The match was delayed 50 minutes by a scoreboard fire. That’s right a scoreboard fire. Sections in the southern part of the stadium were quickly evacuated as the Columbus Fire Department responded to the blaze, extinguishing it within minutes. I have to say it was a first for me, a scoreboard fire is not something you see everyday and thankfully so. No one was quite sure if something like this had ever happened before.

Crew President and General Manager Mark McCullers agreed.

“I’ve got to tell you that I don’t think there’s a page in our book that talks about scoreboard fires, but certainly fires in general are a part of our safety plan,” McCullers commented. “I’m really proud of our staff and the way they responded. They were calm, they were professional, and they were expert in what they did.”

The fire was the start of a crazy sequence of events, but it was a match that ended up very much in favor of the Crew. Columbus climbed the standings, the Crew attack was reinvigorated, and Andy Gruenebaum was simply stellar in goal when called upon.

The Crew made quick work of dispatching United on a night that D.C. would likely want to forget. Lady Luck abandoned the visitors; she was clearly a Crew fan on Saturday.

Photo Credit: Gary L. Moody Sr./ISNSoccer.com

Dominic Oduro scored the first Columbus goal in just the 15^th minute. Jairo Arrieta, who was an active part of every goal, and Eddie Gaven would get the assists on what could be best described as textbook finishing.

Josh Williams would turn a Federico Higuain corner into a Crew goal just 11 minutes later.

“I have to give all the credit to Pipa again,” Williams stated. “He puts them on a dangerous spot every time. I just reacted to the ball. I found myself in the right spot.”

Higuain would later get one of his own, converting a penalty kick in first half stoppage to give the Crew a 3-0 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.

That was all that the Black & Gold needed as they continued to fight United until the final whistle. D.C. had opportunities of their own, but everything that could go wrong, did. They had a goal waved early, several shots clanked off the post, and Gruenebaum smothered several other chances.

The win gives Columbus a full three points in the first of three consecutive home matches.

“We came out pretty strong and we talked about scoring the first goal and starting the game well and that’s what we did,” Crew head coach Robert Warzycha declared. “Guys actually did what we asked them to do. We played well in front of our home fans.”

The Crew are back in action next Saturday, May 4 against the New York Red Bulls in a match that will be televised live on the NBC Sports Network.

Subside Sports Man of the Match: Forward Jairo Arrieta, Columbus Crew

Match Photos

Josh Williams Audio (good for 90 days)

Robert Warzycha Audio (good for 90 days)

Mark McCullers Audio (good for 90 days)