Arace: In other news, the Columbus Crew secure a critical road win in New England
The Crew went on the road to Foxborough, Massachusetts, and defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 Wednesday night for Columbus' fourth road victory of the season and the Revolution’s first home loss. It was heavy.
While this was a major game among more than a few critical mid-week games on the Eastern Conference schedule, it flew under the radar because all eyes were on Chicago. There, Inter Messi played, albeit without injured Lionel Messi (or injured Jordi Alba, or injured Leonardo Campana). They were just Inter Miami, with Sergio Busquets.
The Chicago Fire facialized the pink Herons 4-1 and moved into eighth place, the first wild card position. Miami remained cemented in 14th, which is one point below the playoff bar. So, Messi is still alive, but only barely, much to the chagrin of MLS commissioner Don Garber, Adidas and, of course, Apple TV (and also probably Taylor Twellman, and Argentina, and the Iberian Peninsula).
Will the greatest player in the history of the game miss his first chance at the MLS playoffs? We don’t know if he’ll be ready for Saturday, when mighty FC Cininnati, the best team in the league, visits Fort Lauderdale. But we do know this: Inter Messi no longer controls their own destiny; Cincy rested many of its regulars in a 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls Wednesday night; Cincy has clear designs on finishing off the pink Herons Saturday, probably because they don’t want anything to do with them come playoff time.
As most of the world focused on the bottom half of the East standings, the top half engaged in cage matches. Remember, the top four get home-field advantage in a best-of-three series in the first round, so October is rich with intrigue. The Philadelphia Union beat formerly red-hot Atlanta 3-2 in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union moved into third place and Atlanta slid to sixth. And in other news, the Crew posted a resounding victory in Massachusetts.
The victory pushed the Crew (15-9-8) from fifth up to fourth with two games to play.
When was the last time they won 15 games in a season? That would be 2015, when they reached the MLS Cup final. When was the last time they won 16? That would have been 2017, when they made it to the conference semifinals despite having a team payroll the size of Michael Bradley’s salary. Those were heady times.
Wednesday night, new designated player Diego Rossi staked the Crew to a 1-0 lead with a careful, right-footed shot from the middle of the box. It finished off a blitz that began with a neat long ball that sprung Alex Matan, who pushed deep down the left flank and deftly laid the ball back to Rossi. It came in the 20th minute.
In the 48th minute – just moments after Rossi sent an angled shot just wide of the far post – the Revolution shredded the Crew defense on a counterattack. Tomas Chancalay, who was all over the place all night, had the finish. Crew coach Wilfried Nancy should burn the tape rather than replay it to the team as a teachable moment. It was awful.
If you’re a Crew fan, you know what most folks say about your team – that it’s the most exciting in the league, in part because the octane of its offense is unmatched and in part because its defense, particularly its set-piece defense, can be placative. And if you were watching as New England (14-7-10) wrested control of possession and the Crew got sloppy in the second half, you were probably thinking, “Oh no. Not another Orlando.” It was just a few weeks ago that the Crew blew a 3-1 lead in the last 20 minutes and lost in the new Orlando stadium.
Full marks to the Crew this time around. They kept their underwear clean, took back the ball and imposed their will in the last 20 minutes of this game. Cucho Hernandez scored off a lovely cross from Malte Amundsen in the 67th minute, but the goal was waved off because Hernandez was offside by half a shoulder blade. Then Hernandez put a header just wide in the 79th minute. And then, in the 86th, Amundsen, moved his toe to redirect a perfectly placed corner kick (from Rossi) for the game-winner. Revs interim coach Clint Peay should burn that tape. It was awful.
Below the radar, the Crew have allowed three goals and posted one shutout in their last four games, two of which were on the road. They’re 2-0-1 since the Orlando debacle. Wednesday night, Nancy did not start wingback Julian Gressel or center back Rudy Camacho, a bit of rotation ahead of the next game, at Atlanta Saturday.
Nice job all around.
Nancy’s braveball system demands players possess with patience and attack with impunity. It took some time for the offense to thrum as the roster was refashioned. The Crew lead the league in goals with 64 and are threatening to surpass the franchise record of 67, set in 1998, back in the penalty-shootout era. It's kind of crazy.
Under the radar, the Crew lead the league in goal differential (plus-20), which says something about their balance of offense and defense. Wednesday night, they held fast, on the road, against a team that was previously undefeated at home.
They have two regular-season games remaining to clinch a top-four spot in the East.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew hand New England Revs first home loss of MLS season
