A goal drought carried by the Columbus Crew spilled over into the weekend matchup against D.C. United, a team who is as dynamic as Columbus. A three-goal thriller would see Columbus defeat their MLS original counterparts to end the drought and get a crucial three points at home.
First half chances
The Crew showed signs of attacking early on. With D.C. United riddled with injuries, Columbus took advantage of the opportunity within the first five minutes. Two good looking chances, could’ve seen the home team up by a double, but nothing came of both attempts.
In the 20th minute, D.C. United came close to opening the scoring when Ola Kamara richocheted a low shot off of the post, which bounced back to Crew keeper Eloy Room.
Columbus would end their goal drought in the 28th minute, when Pedro Santos’ free kick found the back of the net to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
Pedro WITH POWER ?#Crew96 | @Pedro32santos pic.twitter.com/ZAoLQWOsSH
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) May 1, 2022
Columbus tended to drop defensively after the goal, allowing DC to apply pressure, but it was met with the Crew’s defensive effort of Jonathan Mensah and company with every attempt.
Columbus double
Just before halftime, Columbus upped the annie when Josh Williams found Derrick Etienne Jr sprinting down the left flank. A one touch down to his favorable right foot found the ball in the back of the net, giving the Crew a 2-0 lead.
Pedro WITH POWER ?#Crew96 | @Pedro32santos pic.twitter.com/ZAoLQWOsSH
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) May 1, 2022
A rare sight to see given the last four games, Columbus held a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
Columbus started the second half the same way they ended the first. Dropping into a presumable 4-5-1 defensive formation, Columbus once again allowed D.C. United to press.
A good chance from D.C. saw a pass across the six-yard box get hit into the post for the second time in the match, but Columbus would clear the danger and keep the score at 2-0.
The Crew could’ve had a third, when Santos dribbled through three DC United defenders and into the 18-yard box. However his slip pass to Berry was ruled out by the offside flag from the far side assistant.
Crew get their third
Late in the second half, the Crew put the icing on the cake getting their third goal of the night. A Lucas Zelarayan corner kick was cleared by D.C. defenders, but found the foot of Darlington Nagbe who scored from 26-yards and past an outstretched Jon Kempin.
Oh, my Darlington Nagbe. ?
He catches the volley perfectly and #Crew96 increase their lead. pic.twitter.com/4BApuu8bJN
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 1, 2022
With the Crew holding on to a 3-0 lead, they didn’t seem to stop the attacking, itching to get another.
They did just that when Nagbe found himself alone in space, but his attempted chip was just wide of the frame and out for a goal kick.
The Black & Gold held on, fighting off the aggressor to claim all three points in what was a must-win match. The Crew are on the road in their next match, taking on the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium.
Post-match Quotes
Head coach Caleb Porter exclaimed, “I think it started with Kansas City. That was a momentum changer. The way we defended, the way we went on the road, the way we fought. You gotta score goals to win and our goal in this game, by inlarge, perform defensively in a similar way.”
Porter also went on to issue an apology for his comments earlier in the week when he discussed the clubs decision to trade forward Gyasi Zardes.
“One of those moments I want to address about being better, is my comments about Gyasi. To be honest with you, reflecting on that I didn’t like my choice of words that I used in discussing a trade. I reached out to him and apologized, personally to him as well. By no means was some of the words and some of the phrases that I used was indicative of how I feel about him as a player, as a person; Obviously it’s a great win tonight but a lot of the fans for good reason didn’t like some of those comments and I didn’t like them myself afterwards.”
“DC
