Columbus Throttles New England 4-0

Matt Bernhardt
September 6, 2008

The league-leading Columbus Crew put on an impressive display of soccer tonight, dismantling the visiting New England Revolution by a 4-0 scoreline. Guillermo Barros Schelotto delivered one goal and two assists, while Jason Garey grabbed a second half brace.

While statistics are always viewed askance by many soccer fans, it is telling that Columbus took 27 shots tonight, 14 judged to be on goal, while the Revolution only managed four (one on goal).

Columbus almost grabbed an early lead from the heroics of Steven Lenhart, whose seventh minute bicycle kick attempt just skipped over the crossbar. The 16,918 fans in attendance would have to wait a bit longer to see if the Crew's early dominance would be rewarded with a goal, or if this would be yet another game in which the dominant team gets sucker-punched on a counterattack.

Luckily for the home side, the Fighting Canaries would indeed draw first blood, in the 40th minute. Guillermo Barros Schelotto poked home a shot from around the penalty area, his sixth goal of the season - and his first from the run of play.

The Argentine midfielder, celebrating being named MLS Player of the Month for August, continued to make his case for league MVP honors just before halftime. It was his corner kick, in the 45th minute, which found the rising forehead of Andy Iro. Iro's shot tucked under the crossbar, giving the rookie his first professional goal.

The second half was a continuation of many of the first half's plot points. New England continued to struggle to maintain meaningful possession, while the Crew kept up the pressure to try and net a demoralizing third goal.

That crucial insurance talley fell to the feet of Jason Garey. The third year forward made an immediate impact upon his introduction in the 66th minute, taking barely 60 seconds to score his second goal of the season. He timed his run with the last defender perfectly, receiving Schelotto's chipped pass on his chest and smoothly firing home past Matt Reis' left hand.

With the three goal cushion safely in hand, Columbus' focus noticeably shifted. They remained strong in the back, but no longer were as focused on pouring forward; they were content to create offensive chances without needed to leave themselves exposed in the back.

Nonetheless, there was a fourth goal in the wings. After being caught offside three times, Jason Garey again managed to time his run to perfection, running onto a Pat Noonan through ball to find himself alone facing Matt Reis. Once again, Garey shot just to Reis' left, find net for his third goal of the season.

Incredibly, Jason Garey has yet to play 90 minutes this season, his 6 substitute appearances spanning only 85 minutes of action. His three goals in that span tie him for fifth place in the team's scoring race, with Steven Lenhart and Chad Marshall.

With tonight's victory, the Crew improve to 13-6-4 with 43 points. New England falls to 11-7-5, staying on 38 points for another week. Columbus has opened a five point cushion ahead of the Revolution, and even if Chicago wins tonight against New York they will also be five points behind Sigi Schmid's men.

Columbus' next league action comes next weekend with a road trip to Toronto FC, while New England plays host to Chivas USA on Thursday night.

Match Data

Key Events

23' Caution, Chris Albright
40' 1-0 Guillermo Barros Schelotto (unassisted)
45' 2-0 Andy Iro (Guillermo Barros Schelotto)
50' Caution, Shalrie Joseph
58' Substitution, Amaechi Igwe for Chris Tierney
59' Caution, Amaechi Igwe
66' Substitution, Jason Garey for Steven Lenhart
67' 3-0 Jason Garey (Guillermo Barros Schelotto)
70' Substitution, Joe Germanese for Sainey Nyassi
74' Substitution, Pat Noonan for Robbie Rogers
74' Substitution, Pat Phelan for Mauricio Castro
83' Substitution, Emmanuel Ekpo for Guillermo Barros Schelotto
83' Caution, Jason Garey
90' 4-0 Jason Garey (Pat Noonan)

Lineups

New England Revolution:
Matt Reis, Michael Parkhurst, Chris Albright, Jay Heaps, Chris Tierney (Amaechi Igwe 58'), Jeff Larentowicz, Mauricio Castro (Pat Phelan 74'), Shalrie Joseph, Sainey Nyassi (Joe Germanese 70'), Khano Smith, Taylor Twellman

Unused Subs:
Doug Warren, Rob Valentino, Brandon Tyler

Columbus Crew:
William Hesmer, Danny O'Rourke, Chad Marshall, Andy Iro, Gino Padula, Brian Carroll, Brad Evans, Eddie Gaven, Robbie Rogers (Pat Noonan 74'), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Emmanuel Ekpo 83'), Steven Lenhart (Jason Garey 66')

Unused Subs:
Andy Gruenebaum, Andrew Peterson, Stefani Miglioranzi, Jed Zayner