Steve Clark makes a save for the Columbus Crew. The Black and Gold would win a key victory over the LA Galaxy in dominate fashion Saturday. Photos/Columbus Crew
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]teve Clark and Justin Meram bolted towards the Nordecke and immediately broke into the famous “YES!” chant. The short video, which made the rounds on Instagram, summed up the atmosphere perfectly after a 4-1 drubbing by the Columbus Crew of the L.A. Galaxy.
The Crew are in the middle of a stretch that has to yield results, and after a disappointing 3-2 loss to Toronto last week, things weren’t looking great for the Black and Gold. That all changed in the span of 90 minutes this past Saturday.
The first twenty minutes of the match were full of chances on both sides, but Steve Clark and Jaime Penedo were both in form, making it look like a goal was going to be difficult to come by.
Meram broke the ice with a gorgeous curled shot from 22 yards out in the 23rd minute, making great use of Tony Tchani’s touch pass to set him up.
Ten minutes later, Ethan Finlay capped off a beautiful connection of passes by putting a left footed shot past Penedo to make it 2-0. Suddenly, the Crew looked like the most dangerous team and the Galaxy were rattled.
Just three minutes after halftime, the Galaxy got on the board with their only goal, a classy finish by Gyasi Zardes to cut the deficit to one.
Ethan Finlay (yellow) chases down Landon Donovan in the Crew’s 4-1 win over the Galaxy.
The biggest point of the match would happen in the 74th minute. Landon Donovan had an attempted shot blocked by Giancarlo Gonzalez, which led to a call for hands by the Galaxy midfielder, but the referees said play on. The Crew instantly broke into a counter attack, feeding the ball through the middle, out wide, and then back into the Galaxy box. Ben Speas, who had just subbed in right before the block in the box, slotted one home to make it 3-1. The match was done and dusted at this point, but Columbus wasn’t finished.
Federico Higuain, in the 84th minute, found Gonzalez on a corner kick that was time brilliantly. Penedo had absolutely no chance of stopping it, and the Crew led 4-1. Higuain simply walked away from the corner with a fist pump while Gonzalez celebrate across the field.
With the vital three points earned, Columbus now sits fourth in the Eastern Conference. 8 of their final 11 matches are against teams that are lower than them in the full MLS table.
Clark and Meram could very well be doing the “YES!” chant a lot more if we see more matches like this from the Black and Gold.
GAME NOTES:
– Landon Donovan was honored by the Columbus Crew organization before the match to thank him for what he had done for the USMNT, including a memorium picture that had a piece of the net from the 2013 “Dos-a-Cero” at Crew Stadium
– Gregg Berhalter’s influence on this team is truly beginning to show, and one needs to look no farther than Tony Tchani. The much maligned defensive midfielder has thrived in Berhalter’s system and may very well have had his best match of the season on Saturday. His passing was exceptional and he did a great job of stifling the Galaxy attack when called upon.
– The Adam Bedell experiment should come to an end soon. The 6’7″ striker was ineffective in his 60 minutes of play time, often going to simple one touch passes when he could attack. He was regularly beaten on headers in the box by Omar Gonzalez and had a rather comical moment in the match where he was on the ground, yet gave a half-hearted attempt to head the ball while laying down.
– Speaking of strikers, Aaron Schoenfeld should take the starting striker spot. His work rate in the second half was a huge boost in a tight 2-1 match. He, Finlay, and Speas were causing loads of problems for the Galaxy defense with their constant pressure.
– Steve Clark continues to show that he has been the steal of the pre-season transfer window. His communication, distribution, and ability to stop shots have put him into the MLS elite when it comes to keepers.
– It was great to see this Crew team thrive on a night where they didn’t rely on Higuain. The Argentine has a somewhat quiet match until his assist from the corner, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. He needs an easy night from time to time.
GAME STATS:
Crew Starting XI: Clark; Parkhurst, Gonzalez, Francis, Gehrig; Tchani; Meram, Finlay, Trapp, Higuain; Bedell
Galaxy Starting XI: Penedo; Gonzalez, Rogers, DeLaGarza, Gargan; Sarvas, Donovan, Juninho, Ishizaki; Keane, Zardes
Crew Subtitutions: Aaron Schoenfeld, 63′ (Bedell), Ben Speas, 74′ (Meram), Kevan George, 88′ (Higuain)
Galaxy Subtitutions: Baggio Husidic, 64′ (Rogers), Alan Gordon, 70′ (Ishizaki), Todd Dunivant, 85′ (Gargan)
Shots (on goal): Columbus – 21 (12), Los Angeles – 17(5)
Fouls: Columbus – 7, Los Angeles -4
Corners: Columbus – 5, Los Angeles – 6
Offsides: Columbus -1, Los Angeles – 3
Time of Possession: Columbus – 45%, Los Angeles – 55%
Discipline: None
Saves: Columbus – 4, Los Angeles – 8
Attendance: 20,729
