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YouTubeI thought this would be good place to keep up with this season's results. I will try to keep up with my game recaps throughout the season here too.
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Sports
Crew 2009 Season Discussion
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pjguldan
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Crew 1 - Chivas USA 2 (Game 4 - April 5th)
The Crew's opening season slump went from bad to worse on Sunday as they dropped another game, falling to Chivas USA 2-1. Adding injury to insult, Columbus loses defender Andy Iro to red card suspension and possibly Chad Marshall to a head injury.
The game opened on a positive note as the Crew played with more possession and control than on Thursday against Salt Lake. Despite the solid opening, the Crew once again fell behind on poor defense in the penalty area. Chivas' Gerson Mayen was open on the wing, drove towards goal, and dumped a pass to Atiba Harris just six yards out from goal. Harris had an easy time putting the ball past William Hesmer for the 1-0 lead in the 25th minute.
Much like Thursday, the Crew then came back to tie up the game. The Crew pressed for an equalizer and almost had it on an Eddie Gaven header that went straight at the keeper. The tying goal would come minutes later as Emmanuel Ekpo played looping ball in the box that fell to Iro. Iro was able to put a boot to it and bring the Crew level in the 37th minute. Columbus even had a chance to go ahead just minutes later when a Marshall shot forced a save, but they would go into halftime level.
The Crew would break down in the first 10 minutes after halftime. First, the Crew gave up another soft goal in the penalty area. Chivas played the ball in and Harris put his shot off the post. None of the Crew defenders could get to it in time as Eduardo Lillingston would pounce on the rebound to make it 2-1 Chivas in the 50th. Iro’s up and down day would end on a bad note as an extremely poor tackle on Carey Talley would earn him a deserved red card just 4 minutes later.
The Crew would have a couple of good opportunities in the remaining 35 minutes to tie the game; the best coming from a Schelotto header that landed just wide of goal. Despite all of the pressure, the Crew could not equalize and lost their second game in four days.
The fans and team alike are anxiously awaiting the team’s first win. Columbus has a week to regroup, the next game is Saturday at home against the Colorado Rapids at 7:30 PM.
Posted 3 years ago # -
michaelcoyote
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I'm hoping for for a move towards more solid play, and soon. Why do you think the defense is so porous right now? Are they just being played too thin?
Posted 3 years ago # -
UncommonSense
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michaelcoyote wrote >>
I'm hoping for for a move towards more solid play, and soon. Why do you think the defense is so porous right now? Are they just being played too thin?Not having Frankie Hejduk (World Cup qualifiers and an apparent injury) has hurt. Will Hesmer making two boneheaded plays in his worst game as a starter didn't help either. Now Iro's suspended (not necessarily a bad thing), Zayner is injured and MLS Defender of the Year, Chad Marshall took a shot to the head and may be having concussion issues again.
But I think the real problem on defense comes from the midfield and new tactics this season. Emmanuel Ekpo is playing central midfield and looks completely out of place. With Evans gone and Moffat still recovering, it was maybe a necessary experiment. But it has failed. He's a natural winger with pace, but doesn't have the passing touch or vision to play the middle. Move Gaven inside and Ekpo to the right to play to their strengths. Also, Brian Carroll has been off his game and maybe that has to do with Ekpo and a lack of chemistry there.
Tactically they are back to playing long balls out of the back, bypassing the midfield. I don't know if that's Warzycha's plan or lack of trust in passing between midfielders and backs. Either way it sucks, and is not how they won it all last year. It's more like the dread Andrulis teams of the past.
The Crew really needs a win Saturday.
Posted 3 years ago # -
michaelcoyote
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UncommonSense wrote >>
But I think the real problem on defense comes from the midfield and new tactics this season. Emmanuel Ekpo is playing central midfield and looks completely out of place. With Evans gone and Moffat still recovering, it was maybe a necessary experiment. But it has failed. He's a natural winger with pace, but doesn't have the passing touch or vision to play the middle. Move Gaven inside and Ekpo to the right to play to their strengths. Also, Brian Carroll has been off his game and maybe that has to do with Ekpo and a lack of chemistry there.
Tactically they are back to playing long balls out of the back, bypassing the midfield. I don't know if that's Warzycha's plan or lack of trust in passing between midfielders and backs. Either way it sucks, and is not how they won it all last year. It's more like the dread Andrulis teams of the past.
The Crew really needs a win Saturday.I guess this was where I was headed.. I've missed the matches so far this season, but in watching the highlights (more like lowlights amirite?) I do see a lot of long play from the back (bleh), and not a whole lot of the mid to front play that was so exciting last year.
Also wondering what is up with Carroll.. He was the "quiet man" last year.. so solid and rarely making a mistake..
Posted 3 years ago # -
pjguldan
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Tonight will be another test for the Crew. Two consecutive losses, mounting injuries (Rogers, Marshall, Hejduk, and Garey out), an offense that can't score and a defense that can't defend.
The fan in me wants to think the Crew will pull it out, but the team will have to score multiple goals to win tonight. The defense has been porous with Marshall, it's not going to get better without him. On the bright side, Adam Moffat's return may add more possession to the midfield and take the pressure off the defense.
I also hope the return of Ekpo to the wing can jump start the offense. We have been lacking speed to break past the defense. Rogers can provide that when healthy, but without it, we haven't really been able to counter as effectively as I would like.
I hope that this isn't rose colored glasses, because the Crew could use a win before going into the off week.
Posted 3 years ago # -
pjguldan
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Colorado 1 – Crew 1 (Game 5 – April 12th)
While the Crew put in their best performance of the year, it was still not enough to secure the victory. Columbus had a 14-7 lead in shots and had 3 on target and another 3 or 4 ring off the post or run just wide, they were only able to score one goal. Colorado would make the Crew pay for their wastefulness in front of goal by scoring an equalizer late in the game to finish the game 1-1.
The Crew started the game with a crisp passing, stout defense and played the type game that was so successful last year. Adam Moffat solidified the midfield, allowing Emmanuel Ekpo to shift out wide. This paid immediate dividends as Columbus frequently attacked the Rapids goal. Eddie Gaven had an early shot, Ekpo and Moffat played outstanding diagonal passes to setup the attack. It was vintage Crew, circa 2008.
The persistent pressure would pay off in the 41st minute as Ekpo took a pass down the left side and broke past the defense. Ekpo’s centering pass found Schelotto who ran into the empty space at the top of the 6-yard box. Schelotto’s one touch shot went past a helpless Preston Burpo to put the Crew up 1-0.A great first 45 minutes would fade as the Crew continued a worrying trend of slow restarts to the 2nd half. Colorado spent the first 10 minutes after the break putting the Columbus defense under pressure. The game was beginning to look like the last home game to Toronto, a good start that sputters, with a late equalizer robbing the Crew of all three points.
The sinking feeling would be confirmed when Colorado would score in the 82nd minute. The Rapids had not had much in the way of real chances when Pablo Mastroeni played a pass past the defense to Conor Casey. Danny O’Rourke’s poorly timed tackle would allow Casey a one-on-one with Hesmer that he would take advantage of to tie the score at 1 all.
The few Crew faithful that saw the game left frustrated at a lack of all three points. Everyone in the stadium would have expected a Crew win when they outshoot Colorado 14-7, have 8 more corner attempts, and the majority of possession. Unfortunately, soccer does not work that way and the Crew are left looking for their first win of the season. Hopefully a week off to get people healthy will help get the team back on a winning track. Chicago is coming to town in two weeks; a win against a rival will do wonders for the confidence of the team.
Posted 3 years ago # -
michaelcoyote
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That tie was somewhat frustrating, but I did enjoy seeing some good play out of the Crew.
It seems like the team is faltering without Frankie on hand however, and as good as Moffat played in the first 45, he seemed to slow down at the half before totally losing it around the 60 minute mark..
Ekpo had some good play, but I think he gets too far ahead of himself at times.. Witness his reckless fowl agains Ihemelu that drew yellow. While he did somewhat better after that, he seems a bit careless..
Posted 3 years ago # -
pjguldan
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chaptal wrote >>
Moffat showed well in his first game in over a year. It's going to take a few games for him to his endurance back. They really need Frankie back there and I do not know what they're going to do if Marshall can't play again.On the plus side (sortof), Marshall has not seen a concussion specialist yet and did not have headaches over the weekend. I am hoping for allergies.
Posted 3 years ago # -
pjguldan
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Chicago Fire 2 – Columbus Crew 2 (Game 6 April 25th)
The Columbus Crew tied the Chicago Fire 2-2 last night. It is a scenario that has played out with alarming familiarity this year. For the third time this year, the Crew took the lead, but then let an equalizer in the last 10 minutes of a game to drop points at home. Columbus may have played their best game of the year, but it still wasn’t good enough.
The final result was made most frustrating by the Crew’s first half display. The team came out and played some of the best soccer of the year. Chicago was immediately on the back foot as Columbus came out attacking. The Crew dominated possession and had numerous set pieces. Unlike past games, the Crew would turn the chances into goals.
Schelotto and Marshall would make the Fire pay in the 25th minute. Schelotto would settle over a free kick attempt near midfield. As his perfect free kick made it’s way to the penalty area, Marshall juked past Bakary Soumare and connected with a free header to put the Crew up 1-0. The Crew should have had a good chance at a second goal as Marshall was blatantly tackled in the box on a free kick. Referee Jair Marrufo either missed the play the entire stadium saw or simply refused to call the penalty.
Columbus would not wait long or wait for referee to make the call to extend the advantage. Padula played a hopeful ball forward that Moreno never gave up on. Fire goalie Jon Busch failed to clear the ball and Moreno was there to pounce on it. He rounded Busch, feigned past Wilman Conde, and capped off his outstanding individual effort with a goal to put the Crew up 2-0 in the 34th minute.
An outstanding first half was marred by a bit of misfortune, Adam Moffat tweaked his hamstring to force a substitution just before halftime. The second game-changing event happened a little over 10 minutes into the second half with a very controversial red card in the 57th minute. Gino Padula came in to a loose ball against Cuauhtemoc Blanco with his leg extended and studs up. Whether or not he clipped Blanco, referee Marrufo quickly stepped in to show Padula the red card and send the Crew down to 10 men.
The Crew battled well with until the last 10 minutes of the game. Chicago pressed to get the advantage back and make a game of it, but were unable to break through until the 86th minute when Patrick Nyarko’s cross found a wide open Brian McBride. McBride doesn’t miss from that distance and Chicago was back in it.
The stunned Crew team then failed to absorb the pressure. Chris Rolfe kept the ball alive at the top of the 18 yard box, found former Crew player Tim Ward, who passed to Gonzalo Segares. Segares used his favored right foot to place a perfect shot past a helpless Andy Gruenebaum to tie the score. The defending champs, wobbling and shaken, almost let in the game winner deep in stoppage time, but ended up escaping with a disappointing tie.
Snakebitten, cursed, unlucky, jinxed. No matter what you call it, the Crew has not won in 6 games. Injuries and call-ups have taken their toll, but the team is failing to close out teams and securing all three points. The team seemed deflated and out of ideas by the end of the game. This team has lost any winning swagger they had last year. Head coach Robert Warzycha has to be feeling the heat of failing to produce and if current form continues, the pressure on the coach and team will only mount.
Posted 3 years ago # -
pjguldan
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jkostelac wrote >>
Last night's officiating was some of the worst I have ever seen in MLS.Jair is so inconsistent. I would rather have the ref call a game tight so the skill players can play. I would rather see what Guille can do when not getting pulled down on every play.
BTW: I also have a few notes and post game audio up over at my site.
Posted 3 years ago # -
mc5
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Funny how last year was all sweetness and light. This year frustration and angst.
I still love the Crew. Let's just put a few more opportunities in the net. And make the Playoffs.
Your blog is quality Patrick, I check it daily along with Shawn Mitchell's. Real news and analysis, better than the other Crew blogs by far IMHO. keep up the good work.
Posted 3 years ago # -
negativetouch
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Last year was the exception though. Crew fans need frustration and angst like Madonna needs Malawian children.
Posted 3 years ago #
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