In my recap of Saturday's 2-1 loss to Portland I forgot about the Crew having a tying goal disallowed in the 64th minute.  There's a replay of it at 2:00 in the video in this MLS link:  http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2015/09/28/disputed-pks-vancouver-crew-scs-disallowed-goal-and-quakes-winner-results-red-card-

 

Meram sent a crossing pass into the 6-yard box in front of the Timbers goalkeeper.  Both Kamara and Finlay were onside when Meram's kick was taken.  It appeared that Kamara missed the ball and then it bounded up, hit Finlay in the chest, who advanced it past the keeper and then headed it into the net for a tying goal.

 

However, Finlay's goal was disallowed because he was ruled to be offside.  The officials ruled that Kamara touched the ball before Finlay touched it.  And Finlay was in an offside position when Kamara touched the ball forward to him.  That's debatable, as the video replay shows.  Although the MLS video narrator seems to agree that it was a correct offside call.  I disagree.  But it was a close call that could have gone either way.

Columbus Crew SC will have to come up with another plan for its in-season youth development in 2016.  Yesterday, the Crew's 2015 USL affiliate Austin Aztex announced that because it could not secure an appropriate stadium situation, it will not play in 2016.  This means the Crew will need to find a new affiliate for next season. 

 

As I've said in previous posts, youth development is important to a team like the Crew, which doesn't spend heavily on the free-agency.  Instead, they rely on drafting and development to fill out their roster.  The Crew's 2014 USL affiliate was the Dayton Dutch Lions.  This in-state arrangement seemed to work out well as many Crew reserves got game-day playing time with Dayton.  Unfortunately, the Dayton team got demoted to the fourth-tier PDL for 2015.  So the Crew had to change to the Austin USL team for this year.  The distance between Columbus and Austin seemed to limit the number of Crew players sent down there to only a handful and I wondered if the Crew would continue this arrangement.  Now, the decision has been made for them.

 

Where the Crew goes from here could be interesting.  As Massive Report says in http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/2/9442529/breaking-crew-sc-usl-affiliate-austin-will-not-play-in-2016:

 

"What does that mean for the Black & Gold?  The two options are for Crew SC to begin its own Crew II (or other monikered) USL club, a growing trend among MLS teams wanting to get the most out of youth development.  This, of course, costs money, and, unless the wheels were already in motion, seems unlikely to be ready to go by the start of the 2016 season." --- "The other option is to simply set up an affiliation with another club.  FC Cincinnati is set to begin USL play in 2016 and seems like a natural partner for Columbus, with the geographic proximity between the two cities."

 

"This announcement will certainly add fuel to the FC Cincinnati affiliation rumors, though neither club has said anything official about attempting to work together.  In fact, FCC has seemed to indicate they do not want to partner with a current MLS club, as it has its own MLS aspirations for the future." --- "Crew SC has also been mum about the possibility of starting its own USL team, generally deflecting questions about it with cliched responses about the benefits of the current affiliate program." --- "Regardless, one thing is known — Columbus youngsters will be heading somewhere other than Austin to get in work in 2016."

Now, for tonight's match at NYRB.  The Red Bulls have clinched a playoff spot and are first in the East with 5 games remaining for them.  The Crew can clinch a playoff spot with a win or draw tonight.  The Crew is now fourth in the East because DC won last night, but a win or draw tonight would vault the Crew over DC in the standings.

 

This is one of the last three remaining games for the Crew in the final three weeks of the MLS regular season.  The Crew has split the earlier two games against the Red Bulls (2-1 loss at Mapfre on March 28th and 2-1 win at Mapfre on July 4th).  The Crew will be missing key defensive midfielder Wil Trapp, who is with the USA U-23 team for Olympic qualifying matches.  NYRB will be missing one of their central defenders (also with the USA U-23 team) and their head coach (who got a red card during their 5-2 loss against Orlando in the previous weekend).

 

No disrespect to the NYRB head coach and central defender, but I think losing Trapp is a bigger deal for tonight's game.  Trapp is a critical cog in the Berhalter possess-and-attack strategy - just see the U-23 Trapp pass shown in MS Preview I linked below:

 

MLS Preview: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-10-03-new-york-red-bulls-vs-columbus-crew-sc/preview

 

MS Preview I:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/2/9440045/last-hopes-glaring-absences-and-a-battle-atop-the-east-for-crew-sc

 

MS Preview II: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/2/9442129/season-goals-are-so-close-for-columbus-crew-sc

If the NYRB game was a measuring stick for the Crew against the best in the East (and arguably best in MLS) on Saturday night, then the Crew fell short with a 2-1 loss.

 

Saeid replaced Trapp in the starting lineup and Gaston Sauro made his re-debut in central defense after his debut four games ago only lasted 3 minutes before he was forced out with a concussion.  The Crew took an early lead in the 9th minute on a nice give-and-go between Meram and Afful resulted in a close quarters chip shot from Meram that NYRB's goalkeeper looked like he got screened by his own defenders and couldn't track down.  After that, NYRB took over with a quick tying goal and go-ahead goal later in the first half.

 

Both goals came from Crew defensive miscues.  In the 12th minute, a Sauro dispossession led to a close-in shot that was kick-saved by Clark.  But the deflection came to another NYRB player who passed in over to an open player for shot into the net.  In the 21st minute, an under pressure Clark clearing pass got intercepted by Connor Lade, who drove deep left of goal and struck a crossing pass in front of the net that NYRB striker Bradley Wright-Phillips headed into the net.

 

After that, NYRB put the defensive clamps on the Crew.  Holding possession for long stretches and pressing high so the Crew didn't have much possession time in their offensive half.  The Crew could have used Trapp in this game and they made some mistakes, but NYRB played a masterful game in the second half to hold on to their lead.  And the Crew still have work to do in their final two games for playoff position.

 

Video Highlights:  http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-10-03-new-york-red-bulls-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap

 

Game Recap:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/4/9448355/columbus-crew-sc-lose-2-1-against-new-york-red-bulls

Three weeks left in the MLS regular season (really more like 2.5 weeks since most teams are on a bye because of the USMNT plays a meaningful game against Mexico this weekend).  Here's a look at the current standings:

 

EASTERN STANDINGS: http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings

 

1) New York Red Bulls  (15-9-6)  51 POINTS - 30 GP (4 games left) - 1.70 PPG -- Bad loss at Orlando followed by their good home win against the Crew.  They've clinched a playoff spot, as well as the inside track to the Eastern title and the Supporters Shield.  NYRB is one of the few teams playing this week, hosting Montreal tonight.

 

2) D.C. United  (14-12-6)  48 POINTS - 32 GP (2 games left) - 1.50 PPG -- They've also clinched a playoff spot.  But unlike NYRB, doesn't have the inside track to 1st in the East because of games remaining.  The final game at Columbus looms large.

 

3) New England Revolution  (13-11-8)  47 POINTS - 32 GP (2 games left) - 1.47 PPG -- Two straight poor results against weak teams (home draw vs. PHI; road loss at CHI) has dropped the Revs outlook for a top 2 playoff spot. 

 

4) Columbus Crew SC  (13-11-8)  47 POINTS - 32 GP (2 games left) - 1.47 PPG -- Two straight losses have dimmed the Crew's outlook for a top 2 spot.  Two tough remaining games (at TOR; DC at home) will pressure the Crew to maintain a top 4 spot.

 

5) Toronto FC  (14-13-4)  46 POINTS - 31 GP (3 games left) - 1.48 PPG --  Two strainght wins against East weaklings (CHI; PHI) have brightened TFC's playoff outlook.  They hold a critical game-in-hand over the 3rd & 4th-place teams.  Unfortunately for TFC, their final three games are all against playoff teams (NYRB; C-BUS; MONT).

 

6) Montreal Impact  (12-12-6)  42 POINTS  - 30 GP (4 games left) - 1.40 PPG --  The Impact still hold games-in-hand over the teams ahead of them in the standings.  But that advantage will be gone after this weekend - Montreal plays at NYRB tonight and at Colorado on Saturday.  Now is the time for Montreal to convert those games-in-hand into points.

As was said earlier, the Crew are on a bye this week, along with most of MLS.  After two straight 2-1 losses, a bye-week just might be what the Crew needs right now.  The Crew will be spending this bye-week on the practice field, trying to eliminate the mistakes that cost them those last two games:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/6/9468209/tuesdays-practice-pitch-updates-new-york-bye-week-improving

 

This practice time is also a good chance to get the team ready for the playoffs.  Although the Crew haven't officially clinched a playoff berth, as the following linked article shows, they've as good as clinched a playoff spot:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/6/9466197/the-playoff-odds-are-still-slightly-in-columbus-crew-scs-favor

 

That article cites two playoff forecast sites that show how the last two losses haven't increased the odds of Columbus not making the MLS-East Playoffs.  However, the two losses have eliminated their chance to finish 1st in the East - and have also decreased the odds of finishing 2nd or 3rd.  The likely finishing places for the Crew now look to be 4th or 5th.

 

And as I've pointed out previously, the difference between finishing 4th or 5th is important:

 

- Fifth-place means hosting a wild-card elimination game, with the possibility of going one-and-done.

- Fourth-place means avoiding that elimination game and playing a home-and-away playoff series.

And down the stretch they come.  Final two weekends coming up.  Most teams play only two more games.  Only NYRB and TOR have an additional game when they face each other tonight.  Here's a look at the current standings:

 

EASTERN STANDINGS: http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings

 

1) New York Red Bulls  (16-9-6)  54 POINTS - 31 GP (3 games left) - 1.74 PPG -- A win over MON last week just about clinches a top-two finish for NYRB.  A win at TOR tonight would just about clinch an Eastern title.  Remaining games: 10/14 at TOR, 10/18 vs PHI, 10/25 at CHI

 

2) D.C. United  (14-12-6)  48 POINTS - 32 GP (2 games left) - 1.50 PPG -- A weekend win against Chicago would just about clinch a top-four finish for DC and put them in good shape for a top-two spot.  Remaining games: 10/17 vs CHI, 10/25 at C-BUS

 

3) New England Revolution  (13-11-8)  47 POINTS - 32 GP (2 games left) - 1.47 PPG -- Golden opportunity for the Revs to get 3 points hosting MON this weekend.  Then a finisher against a non-playoff team at NYCFC.  Remaining games: 10/17 vs MTL, 10/25 at NYCFC

 

4) Columbus Crew SC  (13-11-8)  47 POINTS - 32 GP (2 games left) - 1.47 PPG -- The Crew need some wins to keep from falling out of the top-four.  A win at TOR this weekend would help immensely.  Otherwise, it might all come down to the final home game against DC.  Remaining games: 10/17 at TOR, 10/25 vs DC

 

5) Toronto FC  (14-13-4)  46 POINTS - 31 GP (3 games left) - 1.48 PPG --  A win tonight hosting NYRB would vault Toronto from 5th to 2nd-place going into this weekend.  Remaining games: 10/14 vs NYRB, 10/17 vs C-BUS, 10/25 at MTL

 

6) Montreal Impact  (13-13-6)  45 POINTS  - 32 GP (2 games left) - 1.41 PPG --  Two games played last week evens up the Impact schedule with the rest of the East.  But a loss at NYRB and win at Colorado might not be enough to move Montreal out of the bottom two playoff spots.  Remaining games: 10/17 at NE, 10/25 vs TOR

The biggest game of 2015 season for the Crew begins . . . NOW!

 

- Columbus Crew SC faces biggest test of the year (so far) against Toronto

 

- Kei Kamara and Sebastian Giovinco Set to Face Off with More than Just Points on the Line

The Crew clinch a playoff berth with a 2-0 win at Toronto!!!!

 

http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-10-17-toronto-fc-vs-columbus-crew-sc/boxscore

Yes and finally, the Crew clinch their 2015 playoff berth with a sweet 2-0 win yesterday at Toronto.  Finlay got the scoring started just before halftime in the 40th minute - off a Higuain corner kick headed forward by Tchani to a wide-open Finaly left of TFC's goal.  Finlay's clinical finish made it 1-0.

 

And then the Crew did something they've struggled with all season - team defense.  In the second half TFC put on the offensive pressure.  Lead by likely league MVP Giovinco, and supplemented by two offensive-oriented subs in the 65th minute and another in the 76th minute, TFC went all-out for a tying goal.  But the Crew was up to the challenge, weathered the storm, and got the game-clinching (and playoff-clinching) goal in the 91st minute on a skillful chip shot by Higuain!

 

Game Recap:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/18/9563573/columbus-crew-sc-defeat-toronto-2-0-behind-complete-performance

 

Video Highlights:  http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-10-17-toronto-fc-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap

 

The win was not without its costs to the Crew though.  Both Kamara and Higuain were sitting on yellow-card peril going into this match.  And they both received yellow cards yesterday.  Meaning they will both miss next Sunday's final game against DC.  Which could decide if the Crew finish in a top-4 spot or not.  Still, the win stops the two-game losing streak and puts the Crew in good position going into Sunday's final game.

Final regular season game coming up for everyone on Sunday.  #DecisionDay, as MLS is calling it this year, sees every Eastern team playing at 5:00PM and every Western team playing at 7:00PM.  Here's a look at the Eastern standings again going into the final game:

 

EASTERN STANDINGS: http://www.mlssoccer.com/standings

 

1) New York Red Bulls  (17-10-6)  57 POINTS -- NYRB has clinched the top spot in the East with a Saturday trouncing of PHI.  A mid-week loss at TOR kept NYRB's Supporter's Shield race with FC Dallas even.  Though, NYRB's final game at woeful CHI should give them an edge.

 

2) D.C. United  (15-12-6)  51 POINTS -- A top-two finish all comes down to Sunday road match against the Crew.  A win and DC's in (avoiding the knockout round).  A draw leaves them vulnerable to being caught by 4th-place TOR.  A loss and Columbus overtakes them for 2nd.

 

3) Columbus Crew SC  (14-11-8)  50 POINTS -- Big win at TOR gives the Crew a chance for a top-two finish.  But they must defeat DC this Sunday.  And they must do it without their two best players.  Both Kamara and Higuain must sit out this final regular season game due to yellow-card accumulation.  But a win and the Crew's in (avoiding the knockout round).

 

4) Toronto FC  (15-14-4)  49 POINTS --  Big mid-week win over NYRB, but then a tough weekend loss against the Crew puts Toronto's chances for a top-two finish in jeopardy.  TOR needs a win at MON, then a draw in the DC/C-BUS game for a coveted top-two finish. 

 

5) Montreal Impact  (14-13-6)  48 POINTS --  Big win at NE last weekend.  MON is out of the running for 2nd-place.  But with a win over TOR, they could reach a 3rd or 4th-place spot and host a knockout game.  A draw or loss means a 5th/6th-place spot and on the road.

 

6) New England Revolution  (13-12-8)  47 POINTS -- The Revs are the only one of these Eastern teams to have not clinched a playoff spot yet.  But with an +8 goal differential advantage over 7th-place Orlando, it would take a major miracle for NE to not make the playoffs.  A win/draw at NYCFC would clinch their spot, at 5th/6th place and on the road in the knockout round.

-- A little more analysis of the Crew's playoff outlook from Massive Report:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/19/9570347/crew-scs-playoff-outlook-improves-after-big-win-against-toronto-fc

 

-- And the regular season finale of the Crew hosting DC had been bumped up to a national broadcast on Fox Sports 1.  FS1's broadcast of the Crew game is for Sunday at 5:00PM and is part of a MLS Decision Day doubleheader:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/19/9566819/columbus-crew-sc-flexed-on-to-national-television-for-regular-season

Wow. The Chicago Fire have a winning record at home (8-7-1) but haven't won a game on the road (0-12-5). That's gotta be brutal.

It's been a really bad year for them.  This is will be the second straight last-in-the-East finish for the Fire.  It's amazing how far they've fallen from their glory days.

Lots of sports going on today, but don't forget about tomorrow's big DC/CREW game (5:00PM on FS1):

 

MLS Preview: http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-10-25-columbus-crew-sc-vs-dc-united/preview

 

MS Preview:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/23/9605676/the-columbus-crew-sc-season-comes-down-to-sunday

 

MS Analysis: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/22/9600736/columbus-crew-sc-must-replace-its-two-best-attacking-players-in

It's been a good weekend so far for Columbus sports: OSU steamrolled Rutgers and the CBJ eked out a one-goal win at Colorado.  Let's see if the Crew can make it 3-for-3 with a win today over DC:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/25/9610388/preview-two-questions-for-columbus-crew-sc-as-they-face-d-c-united-to

 

After a dreary, rainy Saturday, the sun is breaking through for an agreeable Sunday 5PM regular season finale at Mapfre Stadium.  But the Crew will be without leading scorer Kei Kamara and offensive playmaker Federico Higuain for today's key game.  Both are healthy but out due to a yellow-card accumulation suspension.  Now, the Dispatch's Adam Jardy is reporting in his game preview that "Midfielder Tony Tchani has been limited this week and is listed as questionable with right thigh soreness":  http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2015/10/25/1025-crew-game-preview.html

 

Let's hope Tchani can play and be effective today.  Losing two prime players is bad enough.  Losing our midfield enforcer would be even worse.  Hopefully the Crew can gut through a finale win later today.  A win over to finish over DC would be great for playoff positioning - and it would just feel good too!

 

The Crew made it 3-for-3 for Columbus this weekend.  And they did it with a stunning 5-0 win: http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/25/9612820/ethan-finlay-nets-two-columbus-cruises-5-0-over-d-c-united

 

Despite the final score, it was a close game until in the second half.  Although the Crew did dominate possession and had DC on its heels from the start.  The first goal came from the two replacement players for Kamara and Higuain.  In the 23rd minute Jack McInerney almost headed in a crossing play from Mohammed Saeid.  Then, in the 25th minute, a fortunate midfield deflation ended up at Saeid's feet.  Mo saw JackMac running unmarked toward the DC goal and played a nice leading pass to him.  JackMac finished it past the DC goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.  That was the halftime score.

 

After the Mo-to-JackMac goal.  Saeid went down with a pulled leg muscle and had to be replaced with Kevan George in 40'.  The Crew switched George into Tchani's defensive midfielder spot and Tchani moved forward into the Saeid/Higuain offensive midfielder spot.  With that new formation, the Crew moved into the second half, hoping for an insurance goal.  They got in the 54th minute off a long ball sent forward by Parkhurst to Meram.  Meram skillfully beat the DC keeper at the left post for a 2-0 lead.

 

The Crew added another insurance goal in the 66th minute when Trapp found a wide-open JackMac behind the DC defense, who then found an even wider-open Ethan Finlay for a tap-in goal to go up 3-0.  That third goal seems to take the fight out of DC, because Finlay scored again only a minute later off a sensational inside-outside juke on a DC defender.  JackMac replacement, Aaron Schoenfeld finished out the scoring with toe-tap finish off a Francis pass in the 80th minute for the 5-0 win.

 

Just an amazing, stunning victory for the Crew.  The video highlights below are especially entertaining if you're a Crew fan!

 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:  http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-10-25-columbus-crew-sc-vs-dc-united/recap

 

BOX SCORE:  http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-10-25-columbus-crew-sc-vs-dc-united/boxscore

Very proud how the Crew closed out the year, getting that 1st round bye is huge! Columbus Till I Die!

The Eastern Conference semi-final match-ups are all set now.  But before we go through that - how about one more look back at that glorious 5-0 regular season finale victory over DC?  Here's the link to a 70-photo slideshow from Massive Report:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/26/9614732/columbus-crew-sc-vs-d-c-united#4863719

 

The one photo I selected was a first half save by Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark.  The Crew and DC were fighting for possession at the edge of the 18-yard box when a DC shot got deflected into a high lob toward the Crew net.  Clark was playing up in the box off his line and needed to retreat back to the net and make an acrobatic save to keep the game at 1-0.  This photo shows the ball just after Clark flicked it over the crossbar with his left hand.  For all the offense the Crew had later in that game, this was a critical save at a critical time for the team:

And now for the semi-final match-up opponent:  It's Montreal!

 

Early analysis from Massive Report:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/10/30/9641814/columbus-crew-sc-face-montreal-after-impact-downs-toronto

The Columbus Crew will be facing the Montreal Impact in a home-and-away, aggregate-goal format two-game playoff.  If you have questions about this format, tie-breakers, etc - I've found that wikipedia answers it most clearly: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_MLS_Cup_Playoffs

 

The first game with be this Sunday, Nov. 1, 7PM at Montreal.  The second game will be the following Sunday, Nov. 8 (time TBD) at Columbus.  The Crew are facing Montreal because they are the highest remaining seed left in the East (after #1 NYRB and #2 CREW SC).  On Wednesday, #4 DC got a close 2-1 win over #5 New England.  On Thursday, #3 Montreal trounced 3-0 over #6 Toronto.

 

Here are the up-to-date MLS Playoff brackets:  http://www.mlssoccer.com/playoffs/2015/bracket?utm_source=HP-Header&utm_medium=Bracket&utm_campaign=Headers

For the Crew, the MLS Playoffs start tonight at Montreal (7:00PM on FS1):

 

http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/1/9653590/columbus-crew-sc-vs-montreal-impact-playoff-preview

 

It's been a while since Columbus and Montreal faced off (July 11) and there's been some roster changes for both teams since then (Drogba for MON; Sauro and Afful for C-BUS).  But the game started out the way many thought it would.  Columbus playing their possess-and-attack style and Montreal staying back on defense while looking for a counter-attack.

 

It was thought that Montreal's Didier Drogba would factor into this game's scoring.  And he did.  In the 33rd minute, on a Meram cross into Montreal's 18-yard box, Drogba was defending and attempted to clear the ball.  However, his header was weakly hit toward an unmarked Higuain, who struck it into the net to give the Crew and 1-0 lead.  But the lead didn't last long.  Only 4 minutes later, Montreal scored on a header from a corner kick that featured some poor defensive marking from the Crew.

 

Montreal started the second half with a possession edge and gained the edge on shots.  But the Crew defense held to the 1-1 score until they evened up on possession.  But in the 77th minute, with the Crew tapping the ball around their back-line near mid-field, Montreal pressed high.  Trapp knocked the ball back to Parkhurst who got surprised by an on-rushing Montreal forward and committed an awful turnover that led to Montreal's second goal and a 2-1 Game 1 win for the Impact.

 

GAME RECAP:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/2/9657056/columbus-crew-sc-loses-to-montreal-but-grab-important-away-goal

 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:  http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-11-01-montreal-impact-vs-columbus-crew-sc/details/video/53877

The Crew were lucky to only be down 2-1 after this match.  The Crew's two leading scorers, Kamara and Finlay, were neutralized all game long by Montreal's defense.  Clark made two quality saves on Drogba free-kicks.  And the one Crew goal came off a gift-of-a-mistake.  The Crew will need to do better next Sunday to advance.

 

Last night's game got pretty chippy.  And I'm not just being a homer when I think that Montreal's star player Didier Drogba had alot to do with it.  Drogba is a world-class talent, but he's also a world-class diver.  It started early when he dove into Sauro on a high-lob ball and then twisted as if Sauro had hit him (replay confirmed this) and got rewarded with a free-kick.  On multiple other occassions, Drogba tried diving tactics, sometimes being rewarded and sometimes not.  But Drogba's simulation hit rock-bottom during this 87th minute incident with Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark - video at https://twitter.com/Plivifium/status/661014962438062081.

 

As you can see from video, Drogba came in with a late tackle as Clark cleared the ball, then grabbed Clark's leg and wouldn't let go!  The linesman got the ref's attention and Drogba was given a more-than-justified yellow-card.

I thought this quick take of the 2-1 game in http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-11-01-montreal-impact-vs-columbus-crew-sc/recap - which included a twitter take from Pat Guldan of Massive Report - was pretty much on the mark:

Armchair Analyst's Take

- The truth is, a 2-1 road loss to open up a two-leg series isn’t the worst result ever.  I guarantee that if you ask Gregg Berhalter and staff if they’d have taken that result heading into Sunday’s Crew SC trip to Montreal, they’d say, "Yup.”

 

- So the actual scoreline isn’t the concern.  The concern is the way it happened, which is summed up in less than 140 characters here:

 

Patrick Guldan ‏@GuldanMR  13 hours ago

Hey look, a lapse leading to a shaky spell with plenty of mental errors. It’s the #CrewSC of games 1 through 32.

 

If this had been a regular season game, the 2-1 result would have been a bad loss.  But as the first leg of an away-and-home series, getting a road goal and only losing by one is not too bad.  This sets up next Sunday's game at Columbus as follows:

 

Aggregate goals after 180 minutes decide the series winner; if agg goals are tied, away-goals decide the winner; if still tied, then a 30 minute overtime decide the winner; if still tied, then penalty kicks decide the winner:

 

- If Montreal wins by any margin at next Sunday's game in Columbus, Montreal will advance to the Eastern Final

- If the game at Columbus ends 0-0; Montreal advances on agg goals 2-1

- If Columbus wins 1-0; agg goals are tied 2-2 and Columbus advances on away-goals 1-0

- If Columbus wins 2-1; agg goals are tied 3-3 and away-goals are tied 1-1; game goes to overtime

- If Columbus wins by a two-goal margin, Columbus will advance to the Eastern Final

The time for the next game against Montreal has been set by MLS.  Sunday, November 8th at 5:00PM, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

 

http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/2/9657078/time-for-second-leg-of-columbus-crew-sc-vs-montreal-impact-set

Massive Report produced this handy scoring guide for today's Columbus vs. Montreal playoff game:

 

From: Crew SC's path to the Conference Finals won't be easy, but not insurmountable

 

 

The Columbus Crew have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals !!!!

 

http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-11-08-columbus-crew-sc-vs-montreal-impact/feed

 

The Crew led 2-1 at the end of 90 minutes.  Which means (if you check the handy-dandy scoring guide posted above) 30 minutes of extra time to determine if Columbus or Montreal advances.  And the series-winning goal came in the 111th minute (21st minute of extra time) from a Kei Kamara header off a Cedrick crossing pass!!

They totally deserved the win, bar a 20 min spell, they were the better team on the night. I've watched probably 8-10 Crew games this season on tv and I really hope they go all the way and they might as they've got momentum. They still have some areas to improve though; Kamara goes missing far too easily, but more of often than not redeems himself with a goal out of nowhere. Higuain would be so much more effective if he had someone else on his wavelength - in many respects he's too good for the rest of the team and he gets frustrated and drifts in and out too much. I don't know if he's the regular guy or not, but the left back had an absolute nightmare tonight - kept exposing the whole defense by diving in when he had no chance of winning the ball and also got played around far too easily.

Thrilling 3-1 victory for the Crew to advance into the Eastern finals.  Such an entertaining back-and-forth game and series.  Here's how it went down last night:

 

GAME RECAP:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/8/9693860/added-extra-time-thriller-in-columbus

 

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:  http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-11-08-columbus-crew-sc-vs-montreal-impact/recap

 

-- The first 30 minutes couldn't been scripted better for the Crew.  First, Columbus gets an early first goal to hold the series advantage.  It came in the 4th minute off a Berhalter-style attack-and-cross play - Francis hits a beautiful crossing pass that Kamara finds and heads into the net.  Then, the Crew dominated possession and got multiple scoring chances.  The best one off another Kamara header that hit the lower part of the goal crossbar but wouldn't go in.

 

-- The Crew would rue that missed opportunity when the Impact tied it up 1-1 in the 40th minute.  Montreal's goal came on a wild melee in the front of the Crew net that eventually saw the ball land at the feet of former Crew player Dilly Duka, who knocked it in.  Replays shows that Duka was in an obvious off-side position and that the goal should have been disallowed.  But the refs didn't catch it and now Montreal held the series advantage.

 

-- With the Crew searching for another goal, Finlay got hauled down inside the 18-yard box and Columbus was awarded a penalty kick in the 66th minute.  After some discussion between Kamara and Higuain (our customary PK taker), Kamara took the crucial PK - which got blocked!  Series advantage still with Montreal.

 

-- But two second-half subs (former Montreal player Jack McInerney and Cedrick Mabwati) played decisive roles in the final outcome.  In the 77th minute, Cedrick hit a cross into the Montreal box.  The ball deflects over to Jack Mac, who blasts a shot that the Impact keeper saves.  But the ball rebounds to an open Ethan Finlay who hits it home.  This gives the Crew a 2-1 lead and sends the game into extra time to resolve the now tied series.

 

-- In the 30-minute extra time period, it looked like a PK decision was looming for the series.  But then, 21 minutes into extra time (and at the 111' mark for last night's game), Cedrick lofts another cross into the Montreal box.  Kei Kamara runs under the ball to head in the series-winning goal for the Crew, making up for his earlier missed PK.  The Crew holds on for the final 10 minutes to ice the 3-1 game victory and the 4-3 aggregate series victory!!!

I watched the game last night and it was really something to see.

 

Hopefully they can come out on top of the Red Bulls. They might be the best team in MLS, so beating them will be huge. Dallas isn't any easier, though.

A look back at Sunday's victory from http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/9/9695506/columbus-crew-sc-vs-montreal-impact#4875433 (57 image slideshow at the link)

 

It started out with the Nordecke unveiling their largest ever banner for a Crew game, in the form of a stylized City of Columbus flag.

The banner bore the names of the Crew supporter clubs in the yellow field, the 1996 founding date within the blue circle of the white field.

Then the 2005 & 2009 "Dos A Cero" US/Mexico match dates plus the images of former Crew & USMNT greats Frankie Hejduk and Brian McBride

in the red field:

 

This appropriately "Massive" banner then traveled along the eastern stands during the first few minutes of the game:

 

Which allowed the Nordecke do their customary flag waving:

 

Which they augmented with smoke and streamers as goals were scored:

 

Until the game was won and Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark could lead them in their post-game YES! YES! YES! chant.  Unfortunately, this awesome video of this from the Crew's twitter feed won't embed here.  So go view it at

- it is worth it.  As a pale substitute, here's a youtube video of the chant after a regular season win earlier this season:

 

It's hard to understate the positive impact of the Crew's semi-final series win over Montreal.  This is the Crew's first playoff series win since capturing the MLS Cup in 2008.  It's also the first playoff series win for head coach Gregg Berhalter, who started in 2014, and owner/investor Anthony Precourt, who bought the team in 2013.  But even as I include the above image of Kei Kamara celebrating his series-winning goal with the Nordecke - Massive Report reminds us that the Crew will need to refocus on their next opponent in the Eastern Conference Final: New York Red Bulls

 

Columbus Crew SC Enjoyed the Moment, Now it's Time to Refocus

As such, the time for the first leg of the Eastern Conference Final has been set:  5:00PM on Sunday, November 22 at Mapfre Stadium.  Top seed NYRB will come into Columbus for the first leg of the home-and-away, aggregate goal/away-goal-tiebreaker series (same rules as the previous series).  NYRB will host Crew SC on Sunday, November 29 at a time to be determined:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/9/9695770/time-set-for-first-leg-of-the-eastern-conference-final

 

Just got my tickets for the game. Very excited!

^ Looks like it's going to be cold (sunny but winter-like temps forecasted for Sunday) but also crowded:  http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/post/2015/11/19/mapfre-stadium-sold-out-crew-scs-first-leg-eastern-conference-championship

 

The Crew announced that Mapfre Stadium will be sold-out.  Even with the addition of bleachers on the north side stage (ala the US/Mexico games) and including SRO tickets.

It's too bad this game couldn't have been played during the summer-like weather of last weekend.  But all club matches were on hold so that national teams around the world could begin World Cup qualifying play.  The Crew had five players called up by their national teams:

 

-- Crew starters Harrison Afful and Justin Meram were called up by Ghana and Iraq, respectively.  Crew reserve players Cedrick Mabwati and Kevan George were called up by the Congo and Trinidad & Tobago, respectively.  Another Crew starter, Tony Tchani, was called up by Cameroon, but didn't report due to a leg injury that's nagged him over the playoffs.

 

-- Massive Report compiled all the international locations where the called-up Crew players traveled at http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/11/9715922/five-players-are-called-up-for-international-duty-during-crew-scs-bye and they also compiled the minutes played for the called-up Crew players at http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/18/9754604/success-continues-over-international-break-as-four-players-take-part

As long as it isn't raining, I'll be happy. I think I'm going to the MLS Cup Final if it's in Columbus, too. My brother is buying tickets.

Get psyched for today's playoff match:

 

-- Nice commentary from a Dispatch sportswriter about the current Crew team built over the last two seasons by Coach Berhalter:  Berhalter’s vision for Crew nearly realized

 

-- Fascinating ESPN Sports Science video from about how well Kei Kamara heads the ball:  http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/19/video/2718425/sport-science-kei-kamara

 

-- And a fun pic of two Crew banners that made it onto ESPN's College Gameday held at OSU yesterday:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/21/9775028/crew-sc-invades-espns-college-gameday

 

Get prepped for today's playoff match:

 

-- MLS Match Preview:  http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-11-22-columbus-crew-sc-vs-new-york-red-bulls/preview

 

-- Crew SC at full health as Eastern Conference Finals loom:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/20/9773820/crew-sc-at-full-health-as-eastern-conference-finals-loom

• Looks like starting midfielder Tony Tchani is healed up from the nagging leg injury he's had over the past two games against Montreal.  Unfortunately, starting central defender Gaston Sauro is suspended for this opening game of the NYRB series due to picking up a yellow card in each of the Montreal games.  If Coach Berhalter goes with his late season pattern, Tyson Wahl will likely get the start today.

Huge win for the Crew! Not conceding a goal at home was very important. Now if The Crew score a single goal in New York, the Red Bulls will need to score 4 goals to take the series.

Crew played well - never stopped running and left no space at all for Red Bulls to create anything. The only, slight, negative is that they should've won by more. Higuain was great, but again suffered from the fact that he's on a different plane to the rest of the team. There must have been at least half a dozen times he played the perfect through-ball on the edge of the area and the Crew attackers just didn't read his intentions and were caught on their heels. I really do believe they've got the momentum to make it, just need to nick a goal in NJ.

 

The other game was also a fun watch. A Crew-Timbers final would be one hell of a game.

 

WOW!  WHAT A GAME!!

 

Leg 1 Eastern Conference Final Recap:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/22/9780308/columbus-crew-sc-win-2-0-at-mapfre-against-new-york-red-bulls

 

Leg 1 Eastern Conference Final Video Highlights:  http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-11-22-columbus-crew-sc-vs-new-york-red-bulls/recap

Leg 1 Eastern Conference Final Recap:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/22/9780308/columbus-crew-sc-win-2-0-at-mapfre-against-new-york-red-bulls

 

Leg 1 Eastern Conference Final Video Highlights:  http://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/matchcenter/2015-11-22-columbus-crew-sc-vs-new-york-red-bulls/recap

 

After all the build-up, the Crew got the game started off with a goal off the opening kickoff!  The kickoff was played back to Trapp, who sent it deep into NYRB territory.  The long ball is headed forward by Kamara onto Finlay.  Finlay draws two defenders over to him and then edges the ball over to an on-rushing Justin Meram, who blasts it into the net.  All in the first nine seconds!

 

If you view the video highlights linked above, you'll see that the Red Bulls nearly tied it up only four minutes later when Sacha Kljestan had an unobstructed shot from 8 yards out that was saved by Steve Clark.  This ended up being the best scoring chance of the night for NYRB and was Clark's save-of-the-game.

 

Despite the Crew's early 1-0 lead, you still expected this match to fall into each team's preferred game plan - the possess-and-attack strategy of the Crew versus the high-press-and-counterattack strategy of the Red Bulls.  But it never really did.  NYRB did more of the possessing and the Crew did more of the counterattacking.  NYRB got plenty of corners the rest of the first half, but the Crew defense tightened up to prevent anymore prime scoring chances.  It nearly became 2-0 just before halftime when the Crew counterattacked and a Meram shot forced a brilliant diving save from the NYRB goalkeeper in the 44th minute.

 

In the second half, NYRB came out strong.  They dominated possession and put the Crew defense under pressure.  But unlike many regular-season games, the Crew defense held strong and denied an equalizing goal.  Central defenders Parkhurst and Wahl and central midfielders Trapp and Tchani played particularly well to deny any central runs.  Wing defenders Afful and Francis used their speed to cover any outside gaps.  They were able to bend without breaking and frustrated the NYRB attack.

 

Coach Berhalter made a key sub in the 80th minute, bringing on Cedrick Mabwati for Ethan Finlay at right forward.  It paid off in the 85th minute when Cedrick weaved his way through three NYRB defenders and got off a point blank shot that was saved by the NYRB goalkeeper, but then deflected over to Kamara - who tapped the rebound in for the Crew's second goal of the night.

I'm so bored with NFL. Thank God for MLS.

One more look back at last Sunday's 2-0 victory over the Red Bulls from http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/22/9781174/columbus-crew-sc-vs-new-york-red-bulls-eastern-conference-finals-leg#4886207 (59 image slideshow at the link):

 

That opening kickoff goal scored nine seconds into the game that stunned NYRB:

 

A hard-fought match that stayed 1-0 until the Crew got a second goal in the 85th minute:

 

Which led to much cheering and smoke bombs at the Nordecke supporters section:

 

And the post-game Steve Clark "YES" chant with the Nordecke:

 

When Pipa's happy, everyone's happy!

 

Here it is!  The second leg of the Eastern Conference Finals is tonight at NYRB.  It'll be on Fox Sports 1 at 7:30PM:  http://www.massivereport.com/2015/11/29/9813508/columbus-crew-sc-vs-new-york-red-bulls-live-stream-2015-time-tv

 

Since Columbus won last Sunday's first leg 2-0, the Crew are in excellent shape to advance to the MLS Cup.  The two goals scored by Columbus were big - but holding NYRB scoreless was even bigger.  As was pointed out earlier, the road-goal tiebreaker in this aggregate-goal series works to the Crew's benefit tonight.

 

Below is the scoring chart for tonight's game.  The Crew would advance if they win or tie tonight's game.  They would also advance even if NYRB wins 1-0.  A 2-0 NYRB win would send the series into overtime.  But if the Crew can get even one road goal tonight, then NYRB would need to score four goals to keep the Crew from advancing!

 

Go Crew!

Wow. What a breathless first half!

Crew have had all the chances and should really have put the tie to bed.

RedBulls are lucky to still have 11 on the field.

Higuain is fortunate to still have his legs intact!

That was some crazy ending!!!!