Columbus Crew roll to 5-1 win over 10-man Loudoun United in U.S. Open Cup
A road game against a lower-division opponent is often fodder for an upset in the U.S. Open Cup, a so-called "cupset". Whether it's the hostile atmosphere, the less-than-ideal field conditions or simply an MLS team getting caught overlooking their opponent, playing away from home in the U.S. Open Cup can sometimes be a challenge for MLS clubs.
But there was no danger of a cupset for the Crew at Segra Field in Leesburg, Virginia on Wednesday night as they faced USL Championship side Loudoun United FC in the fourth round. The Crew took the lead just six minutes into the game and, after a red card put Loudoun United down to 10 players in the 10th minute, the Crew rolled to a 5-1 win and advanced to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.
"I’m really happy because they did a good job to start on the front foot, right away," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. "The fact that they did it, after that, the game was easy, I would say. I really enjoyed the attitude of the guys. ... I was happy because our locker room was like when I was playing. This is good because we live in a luxury, you know, with good hotels and good facilities and everything like that.
"I was happy that the players can be in this kind of locker room and also (this kind of) pitch because it’s a good exercise for them, and they did it well."
Winger Yaw Yeboah opened the scoring early in the game, as he intercepted an attempted clearance by Loudoun United out of the air and let the ball fall to his feet. Yeboah didn't need to take a touch before firing a shot with his right foot that tucked just inside the near post, beating Loudoun goalkeeper Hugo Fauroux.
The Crew have struggled to score in recent games, particularly when trying to come from behind, so they entered Wednesday's game seeking an early goal to put them in control. And less than five minutes after Yeboah's goal, Loudoun fullback Gaoussou Samake was shown a red card for DOGSO — denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity — as he pulled down defender Mo Farsi making a run in on goal.
After the red card, the Crew cruised through the rest of the first half. Midfielder Sean Zawadzki scored on a left-footed strike from just outside the 18-yard box in the 18th minute, and from there, the floodgates were open for the Crew.
"It’s true that it changed everything," Nancy said. "To be honest, I was in between, because at the same time, I wanted to give maximum difficulty to my team. After that, the fact that the red card came in, for me means that the player did well also. They provoked that. After that, they stayed on the task."
In the 24th minute, midfielder Thomas Roberts, who joined the Crew for the game on a short-term loan from Crew 2, lofted a pass over Loudoun's back line to striker Christian Ramírez, who had midfielder Isaiah Parente to his left making a parallel run. Ramírez slipped a pass across to Parente, who had a wide-open lane to put the Crew up 3-0. Three minutes later, Parente doubled his total and made it 4-0.
Late in the first half, Loudoun had a dangerous scoring opportunity after a giveaway from the Crew that forced goalkeeper Evan Bush to make a desperate save. It was one of Loudoun's few opportunities in the first half, and the Crew responded almost immediately. After setting up Parente for his two tallies, Ramírez was the recipient of a flicked pass from Parente in the 36th minute and smoothly finished the chance to give the Crew a 5-0 lead at halftime.
"I think we just stayed on the task of what we were asked to do tonight," Ramírez said. "Maintained that professionalism and continued to be ruthless in front of goal. Made sure that we walked away from here with a win."
The Crew had a handful of chances to further extend their lead in the second half, but the effortless finishing that characterized the first half faded away in the second half and the Crew didn't get another goal across the line.
Loudoun continued to struggle to create chances as they played down a man for the vast majority of the game, but in the 85th minute, midfielder Kalil ElMedkhar was fouled by defender Jake Morris inside the penalty area. ElMedkhar converted the penalty kick to get Loudoun on the scoresheet — far too late to make a difference in the outcome, but a blemish nonetheless after the Crew had controlled much of the preceding 85 minutes.
With the win, the Crew advanced to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16, which will be played May 23-24. The Crew will learn their opponent in a draw at 2 p.m. on Thursday, and the bracket produced in that draw will be the bracket for the remainder of the competition.
Get more Columbus Crew news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew cruise past Loudoun United in US Open Cup fourth round
