Crew win wild one over Chivas, 4-3
Photos by Leonardo Carrizo, Columbus Wired

(TheCrew.com COLUMBUS, Ohio) - After seeing Chivas USA storm back from a two-goal deficit late in the second half, Robbie Rogers' second goal of the game gave the Columbus Crew a wild, thrilling 4-3 victory over Chivas USA at Crew Stadium on Saturday night.

A 2-1 Crew lead at halftime exploded over the final 20 minutes when Rogers
doubled the lead. But Jesse Marsch scored barely a minute later, then Paulo
Nagamura tied the game, before Rogers whistled a drive from well outside the area through Brad Guzan's hands in the Chivas goal for the game-winner. Chivas finished the game with nine men after Sacha Kljestan and Francisco Mendoza were sent off right after the fourth Crew goal.

Lighting problems delayed the game briefly when several banks of the stadium lights went out, leaving the north end of the field much darker than the south, but after a brief conference both teams decided to continue play.

In the 25th minute the Crew drew first blood. Rogers raced down the left wing and sent a rolling cross into the middle of the box. Chivas defender Jim Curtin was tracking back to cover Alejandro Moreno and when the two collided referee Ricardo Salazar blew his whistle and pointed to the penalty spot. Guillermo Barros Schelotto stepped to the spot and drove the ball up the center of the goal past a diving Guzan.

The lead didn't last long however. Bornstein played the ball to Savage's feet 25 yards from goal, and the rookie turned and laid the ball off to a streaking Kljestan. He hit a curling shot that rocketed off his foot and never strayed off course, finding the upper right corner of the Crew goal.

Yet only two minutes later the Crew again took the lead. On the counterattack, after a pass was broken up in midfield by Brian Carroll, Moreno played the ball into space ahead of Schelotto. Schelotto held the ball for a moment and as Guzan
came out of his net, the Argentine rolled a pass to his left where Moreno had continued his run. He kept his shot low and hard, finding the back of the net for the second time this year for a 2-1 lead in the 35th minute.

After the break, the Crew began to pile on the pressure, and in the 63rd minute nearly struck again. From some 25 yards straight out from goal, Adam Moffat hit a knuckling blast that never rose more than a foot off the ground, but was aimed dead center at the Chivas goal. Guzan seemed to be caught off guard, able only to kick out the shot at the last instant with his left leg.

Columbus finally broke through in the 71st minute. After Rogers made a hustling save to keep the ball inbounds and maintain possession for the Crew he was rewarded. Schelotto found Rogers racing down the left side, barely beating the
offside trap. Rogers controlled the ball before slipping it inside Guzan and the near post for a 3-1 Crew lead.

Before Columbus could even finish celebrating the goal Chivas had answered. The Red-and-White beat a Columbus attempt at an offside trap when Paulo Nagumura split the Crew defense and put a pass right into the path of Jesse Marsch, who raced in alone on Hesmer and slotted it home.

Chivas then drew even in the 78th minute. Kljestan slipped the ball square to Nagamura outside the top of the arc, and the Brazilian hit a left-footed curling ball that again beat Hesmer as he dove to his right, flying into the upper corner of the net.

But the Crew took just four minutes to respond yet again. Danny O'Rourke sent a long ball out of the Crew half over a Chivas defender, directly to the chest of Rogers. Again he let fly from long range and the swerving ball sailed right through the hands of Guzan in the 82nd minute.

Things got a bit chippy after that. Mendoza committed a harsh foul right in front of referee Salazar, who immediately reached into his pocket and sent off the Chivas midfielder with a second caution in the game.

Immediately after the restart Kljestan committed another hard foul, and this time Salazar showed a straight red card for the tackle.

The Crew returns to action on Thursday, when it will take on D.C. United at RFK Stadium on MLS Primetime Thursday on ESPN2.
 

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