Chris Birchall’s first goal for the Columbus Crew was enough to secure three points on Saturday night with a 1-0 victory over Eastern rivals DC United at Crew Stadium in front of a crowd of 17,150.
A dubious offside decision at the first half denied the Crew the lead when Josh Williams headed home. After looking over to the linesman, Williams and the rest of the team began to celebrate, however, a late flag ruled out the goal. Thankfully it was a decision that ultimately didn’t cost the Crew.
Birchall’s goal came early in the second half. After latching on to a nicely paced through-ball from Jairo Arrieta, Birchall fired home the ball from 10 yards out, beating DC keeper Joe Willis past his near post.
DC pressed later on in the game and forced Andy Gruenebaum into a string of quality saves. When the Crew’s goalkeeper finally was beaten he was saved by a touch of luck, firstly with a disallowed goal and secondly with DC hitting the woodwork.
The Crew will be hosting Premier League club Stoke City this coming Tuesday night in a friendly game before traveling to face off against last weeks victors Sporting Kansas City.
