Captain's return celebrated with a 3 – 2 win over KC
By Mark Hofmann, Columbus Wired Contributor, Photos by Dave Liggett and Joel Torres (Columbus Wired)

O Captain my Captain our prolonged drought has passed,
The Crew has weather seven bitter bouts, three points were finally taken,
The stadium cleared, three whistle toots heard, the Nordeckers all have exited.

But enough of the poorly constructed prose, to take my imitation Walt Whitman poem any further would require finding words that rhyme with Hejduk and then having to kill off The Crews returning field captain.

Except for the season opener in Houston, Frankie Hejduk has not been in the Crew line-up this season. He missed the last six matches due to national team qualifier commitments and then an injury he sustained playing with the national team during their April 1st 3 – 0 qualifier victory against Trinidad & Tobago. He returned to the lineup to help the Crew beat the Kansas City Wizards 3-2 for their first victory of the season.

Jed Zayner, Eric Brunner and Andy Iro all stepped up to help fill in the physical hole left in the back line of the Crew’s defense. But the 0-2-5 start, the worst team starting record, reflects that some ingredient of the championship year’s construction was missing.

Minutes before kickoff Captain Hejduk was signaling the crowd to pump up the volume and excitement by performing the universal palms up half jumping jack motions.

“Oh I was pumped up man, for it to be the 10th year anniversary, and to go through a good week of training there was a real positive vibe around the team, I almost felt before we stepped on the field that we were going to win that game”, was Hejduk’s explanation for the extra energy he seemed to be feeling prior to kick off.

Watching Emmanual Ekpo steal balls off KC would be attackers and charge up the right side then distribute crosses again and again let cheering fans know he was feeling that positive vibe Hejduk talked about.

“When ever I am with the ball I am always learning not to panic with the ball, I always give what I have, if you lose the ball you lose the ball that is the game of soccer, but I think I am pretty much confidant with the ball.” was Ekpo’s explanation of his deft dribbling in around and thru KC players all afternoon.

Ekpo’s aggression along with Gino Padula’s lurking on the left side intercepting KC outlet passes then redirecting the ball back toward the KC’s goal, kept Columbus pressure on Kevin Hartman’s net for much of the entire first half.

KC was able to get off a few attacks on Andy Gruenebaum’s goal, though most of the early attempts were taken from long distance. The Crew’s entire starting back line being intact, limited KC ability to get many second or third ball chances.

KC did have some defensive success stopping transition up the middle through Carroll and Gaven. But the speed of Rogers and Ekpo and crisp deliveries from Schelotto allowed both flanks to be attacked at will.

Moreno’s work in the trenched up front in the middle, as always, made over the top attacking a viable option to strike on the Wizards. Crisp distribution in the front third allowed the Crew to keep heavy pressure on Wizards.

It was just a matter of time before the Crew was going to score. The first scoring sequence was akin to a Harlem Globetrotter set play than to that of a typical soccer goal, a real Georgia Brown special.

Padula starteds with a throw into Guillermo Barros Schelotto from the left side line; Guillermo fends off two defenders and pushes it to right top of the box where Ekpo redirects it back to Moreno on the left side of box just inside the eighteen.

Moreno’s attempted shot is blocked by defender Jimmy Conrad. Conrad tries passing the pall out to Michael Harrington, Harrington’s poor touch allows the eternally lurking Gino Padula to intercept the ball and send it down the left side to Robbie Rogers.

Rogers receives the ball and splits two KC defenders and toe pokes it to Schelotto. Guillermo one touch redirects the ball right, with a back flick pass, to a waiting Moreno. Moreno sends it back across the center with his own back pass to Robbie Rogers on a center run.

Three defenders and the keeper converge on Rogers; the ball is deflected out to the right by keeper Hartman from in the mob, where a trailing Emmanual Ekpo toe pokes it in for a goal. Ekpo runs to the Nordecke corner to celebrate the goal with the Gangs of Columbus, and the flying streamers and cheers remind me of the water bucket to confetti gag performed by Meadow Lark Lemon.

The Crew fans get quick redemption for a disallowed header from Moreno, not two minutes earlier. The 14, 271 go into the half happy, but the 2009 season faithful have seen this early lead before, and no one is counting the three points just yet.

Speaking on the half time substitution of Claudio Lopez, Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said, “the plan was all along to use him in the second half if need be, honestly I probably only wanted to play him for thirty minutes, but the game dictated that we make the change.” Lopez had been sick and on antibiotics and had just been flown in to meet up with the KC Wizard’s team on game day.

A free kick by Lopez in the 51st minute made the substitution of defender Aaron Hohlbein with Lopez look like genius. The kick, which resulted in a tying goal for the Wizards was set up by a crafty Davy Arnaud feeling Chad Marshall’s arm around him, make a quick move away to force Marshall into arm tackling him.

The free kick from approximately 22 yards out on the right flank was taken from a plot I will, for now, refer to Blanco Falls. Bad things happen here, last home game it was a suspect red card taken by the crew, this week an unassisted tying goal was taken.

“I was kind of thinking who ever was in front of me was going to jump up, so then I was going to challenge it and punch it away, thinking I needed to stay home there, I don’t know what’s going to happen if I don’t go and he jumps up and gets a flick, you know it was a mistake and thankfully we didn’t get punished for it” was Andy Gruenebaum’s comments on getting beat by the unassisted goal.

Any apprehension Andy suffered or the crowd was feeling about giving up yet another lead was put to rest in the 55th minute. The second goal score sequence of the crew was started by another throw in from Gino Padula. Only this time he threw it back to Brian Carroll who curled a dangerous ball into the box.

Keeper Kevin Hartman had no choice but to try a punch it clear and out right which landed in front of Captain Frankie’s feet. Hejduk settled the ball then sent a dangerous cross right back in to Hartman’s right. The ball slipped past Hartman to the head of Schelotto.

Not wishing to miss wide right again Guillermo committed entirely to getting square on the ball, and sacrificed his thirty six year old body in the process. The play ended with a goal, Schelotto’s upper torso over the goal line and his midsection wrapped around the left post.

The Crew kept pressure on the Wizards having four prior second half leads downgraded to ties in the closing minutes of the match. A cheering yet reserved crowd watched play till a cross sent into box from Padula was chested down by Moreno.

Having control but not able to turn Moreno passes it back out to Robbie Rogers positioned on the left flank. Robbie Rogers sent a cross in that Ekpo, who had no chance to getting on, charges at and jumps drawing two defenders to him. The ball lands in front of a wide open Eddie Gaven, who scores easily to put the crew up by two.

A collective sigh of relief is sent out from the hysterically happy crowd. Everyone is so joyous of the late two goal lead that most fans and players miss the quick response of Wizards. Herculez Gomez connected a pass to Jack Jewsbury down the right flank. The wide open Jewsbury sent in a perfect cross to Josh Wolff that he headed on the run into the Crew’s goal just underneath the crossbar.

With the score now one goal from last year’s result of a 3 – 3 draw with Kansas City, and the Crew’s recent propensity to allow late game ties, the crowd’s elation receded back to apprehensive glee.

But the Captain was still on deck, and the Crew stayed strong and won the day, and even the game. Alas the only thing fallen cold and dead on the pitch today was Kansas City’s wishes for a late draw.

“He brings attitude and leadership and that is what your Captains supposed to bring, and it is great to have him” were Coach Warzycha’s words in regard to the return of Frankie Hejduk to the lineup.