Kamara battling in the air
There is nothing worse than starting the season off with a loss. After months and weeks of preparation to be back at square one can be a dispiriting experience. Luckily for Columbus Crew SC and the Philadelphia Union there is always next week. With three points on the line, Columbus Crew SC will host the Philadelphia Union Saturday night, March 12, at 7:30 est.
The Crew have won eight of nine games at Mapfire Stadium, drawing one. Philadelphia is 4-10-1 all time versus the Crew and will have a hard time finding a result in this match. To date, Philadelphia has yet to win a match on the road at Columbus (0-6-1, 1 point).
Columbus, last year’s Eastern Conference champions and MLS cup finalists, started their season the way they ended last season with a loss against the Portland Timbers. Much like last season’s final a defensive miscue put the Crew down a goal early. Midfielder Federico Higuain responded with his own strike late. However, the Timbers pulled out a late winner and put the Crew back at square onw.
The Union will have to play at their best to hold off the attacking threat that Kei Kamara and Higuain pose. With Maurice Edu out to injury the Union defenders will have to pick up the slack. In the Unions last game they struggled to contain the attacking threat of FC Dallas in a 2-0 loss. In that game the Union played with a new backline of Ken Tribbet and Anderson. The two did not mesh as well as hoped, and the Union will likely try a new pairing as long as Richie Marquez is healthy.
Keep an eye on forward C.J. Sapong in this match. Sapong was held by a strong FC Dallas back four but broke free for a couple of promising chances in the second half. The Crew SC center-backs did not show the same tenacity that they had at the end of last season. If the Union can get Sapong involved early in the match then they might have a chance to shock some of their critics.
Columbus look to have the edge in this early season match up. For the Union to find their stride they will have to discover their own identity and style of play. Lets see which of these two teams can bounce back from their losses to Western Conference contenders and get their season back on track.
