Crew extends home unbeaten streak with 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake
By Dave Weissman, Columbus Wired, Photos by Dave Liggett (Columbus Wired)
The Columbus Crew extended their unbeaten streak to a MLS tying
record 17 games and moved into a tie for second place in the MLS
Eastern Conference with a 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake. Jason
Garey scored two goals and Stephen Lenhart scored the other to
keep Columbus on a roll with their fourth game in a row earning
at least a point.
Columbus was without many of their starters, Forward Guillermo
Barros Schelotto (hamstring), Emmanuel Ekpo (yellow-card
suspension), Robbie Rogers (with U.S. Gold Cup team), Chad
Marshall (Gold Cup) and Adam Moffat (hamstring).
Schellotto leads the league with 10 goals, Marino has three and
Ekpo two. That accounts for the top three scorers on the Crew.
Crew head coach Robert Warzycha put experience and youth up
front with Stephen Lenhart and Duncan Oughton, the most tenured
Crew player who has not started a game since June of 2008.
"They did a very good job," Crew
head coach Robert Warzycha said. "They combined well together and
seemed to have a lot of energy. They were very aggressive and caused
a lot of problems for the defenders."
The first time these two teams met this year was in April as RSL
beat the Crew 4-1 in Utah, but Real Salt Lake has a horrible
road record winning only nine times in franchise history.
There are only 13 games remaining and with playing seven at
home, will be a tough stretch. Even with the unbeaten streak and
the nine ties, the Crew still stands on the outside looking in
if the season were to end today.
The Crew has not lost a home game in more than a year, a stretch
of 17 regular-season games. In beating Real Salt Lake tonight,
it tied San Jose's 1994 Major League Soccer record for the
longest home unbeaten streak.
Lenhart got the Crew on the scoreboard first in the 22nd minute.
Brain Carroll played the ball to Oughton who flipped the ball
forward to a full out running Frankie Hejduk to his right.
Hejduk tried to flick it across to Jason Garey, but defender
Jamison Olave got his foot on the ball which back to Lenhart who
let out a booming shot past the defender and goalkeeper Nick
Rimando who came off the goal line to attempt to stop the shot.
"My first game at right midfield in
six years or something," Oughton said. "I had a good time. Frankie
makes some great runs. Obviously, the first goal he makes so easy
screaming for the ball and running around you. He makes you look
good if you play it simple to him."
Jason Garey got his chance shortly after and made it 2-0 in the
30th minute. Lenhart was again creating havoc in front of the
net. The header into the box by Eddie Gavin was initially saved
but not held on by Rimando. Garey was there in front of the net
to put it away. It was the second goal of the season for Garey
and his third career goal against RSL.
"With me and Steve being in the box
we caused them problems," Garey said.
"The first one Jamison Olave had a
chance to clear it but it dropped right down to one of their
forwards. That was very unfortunate. In the end, Jamison can make a
better play on it," RLS head coach Jason Kries commented. "On the
second one, I'd better watch the tape before I comment. When the
goalkeeper stands up and has a bloody nose you question why that's
not a foul."
After halftime, Real Salt Lake came out with a fevered pitch,
hoping to capitalize on the Crew’s late game collapses this
season.
But, In the 53rd minute, Garey scored his second goal of the
game when he executed the give and go with Lenhart perfectly.
Garey slipped it behind Rimando to put the Crew up 3-0.
Real Salt Lake kept never gave up and kept coming in strong
formations. In the 73rd minute Yura Movsisyan had an excellent
chance from the penalty spot, but hit the crossbar.
"We created the right number of
chances, no doubt about it," Kreis said. "We had some pretty clear
chances that we felt pretty bad about not scoring early on. If we
had taken some of those early chances it might have been a different
game.'
Shortly after, in the 76th minute RSL finally cut into the Crew
lead. Former Crew player Chris Wingert put a floater into the
box bouncing off Pablo Campos and right to Raphael Cox. Cox
struck a low driving shot past William Hessmer for his first MLS
career goal.
Next Saturday, Columbus entertains Eastern Conference foe
Toronto F.C. in what should be a very rowdy and exciting game as
Toronto has a large traveling fan base, while the Crew look to
own the home unbeaten streak all by themselves.
"We play with confidence at home,"
said Lenhart. "We battle knowing we're going to come away with a win
or tie and go onto the next one. It's definitely on our mind."
