Crew Move On in Open Cup Play

COLUMBUS, OH - May 29, 2013 - The Columbus Crew triumphed 2-1 on Wednesday evening over USL PRO side Dayton Dutch Lions in the Third Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

The win comes exactly one year to the day that the Black & Gold fell to their in-state counterpart by the same scoreline, with Eddie Gaven and Justin Meram supplying the goals on this occasion to move the Crew into the Fourth Round of the centennial edition of U.S. Soccer’s premier club tournament.

The Crew took advantage of a Dayton red card, as Brock Granger was sent off in the 14th-minute for bringing down Gaven during a Crew counterattack. The Black & Gold wore down their opponents with a man-advantage, finally breaking through with a 52nd-minute strike from Gaven to take the lead. Dayton pulled a goal back through Shane Smith in the 78th-minute, but Justin Meram curled a shot past Dutch Lions goalkeeper Matthew Williams six minutes later.

With the win, the Crew advances to face MLS rival Chicago in Fourth Round action on June 12 at Toyota Park. In the interim, Robert Warzycha’s side turns its attention to League play on Saturday, June 1, when the Black & Gold host the visiting Houston Dynamo (7:30 p.m. ET / FOX Sports Ohio).

Crew Finishes Road Swing with Hard-Earned 2-2 Draw at New York

HARRISON, NJ - May 26, 2013 - Columbus Crew captain Federico Higuain converted a 74th-minute penalty kick, but the Black & Gold (4-4-4, 16 points) conceded a 91st-minute equalizer and were unable to secure a full three points in a 2-2 draw at the New York Red Bulls (7-4-4, 25 points) on Sunday at Red Bull Arena.

The Crew got off to a fast start as Dominic Oduro scored his team-leading sixth goal of the campaign in just the second minute, but the Ghanaian was also injured on the play with a thigh contusion and left the game six minutes later.

A perfectly-chipped Thierry Henry goal in the 31st-minute leveled the score at the half before Higuain buried his attempt from the spot in the 74th-minute after Justin Meram was awarded the call. New York’s Jamison Olave’s effort in stoppage time sealed the match at 2-2. With the draw, Robert Warzycha’s side has now earned points in five of its first seven road matches (3-2-2) in 2013.

The Black & Gold return to Columbus this week to face the Dayton Dutch Lions in U.S. Open Cup play on Wednesday, May 29 (7:30 p.m. ET / Live stream on TheCrew.com) and then resumes MLS action at Crew Stadium when the Crew hosts the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, June 1 (7:30 p.m. ET / FOX Sports Ohio).

Crew Victorious over TFC

TORONTO, ON - May 18, 2013 - A 42nd-minute strike by Dominic Oduro was enough to give the Columbus Crew (4-4-3, 15 points) a 1-0 win over Toronto FC (1-6-4, 7 points) on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field.

Oduro scored his team-leading fifth tally of the season just before halftime as he chased down and finished a perfectly slotted pass from Federico Higuain, who earned his third assist on the year. With the win, the Crew remains unbeaten (3-0-5) in eight visits to Toronto dating back to 2007.

The victory for Robert Warzycha’s side gives the Crew a leg up in the regular-season series in its quest for defending the Trillium Cup – presented by Scotts – as the two teams are set to play two more times in 2013.

"I thought it was a very physical game but fair," Warzycha stated. "I think we looked sharp today.  It was a good performance in the first and second half.  We gave them a couple of chances in the first half, most of them on second balls.  The second half was very clean and I’m happy with the win."

Playing their first road match since April 20, the Black & Gold earned their third away win of the season and will close-out the month of May with the second test of their two-match road swing next Sunday when they travel to face the New York Red Bulls (5:00 p.m. ET / Unimas, FOX Sports Ohio).

A Night of Disappointment for the Crew

COLUMBUS, OH - May 11, 2013 - 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 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

Photos by Dan Garee/ISNSoccer.com

COLUMBUS, OH - May 4, 2013 - 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 Important Win

Photos by Dan Garee/ISNSoccer.com

COLUMBUS, OH - May 4, 2013 - 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 71st 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