Crew Can't Hold Lead Against Toronto

Matt Bernhardt
March 28, 2009

The Columbus Crew had an early lead undone by a spirited Toronto FC team and an improbably unlucky sequence of deflections, and had to settle for a 1-1 draw with their Canadian rivals. Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored first through a well-struck penalty kick, while the Crew defense gave up an own goal from a combination of deflections from Gino Padula and William Hesmer.

Following a bright few minutes to start the game, both teams settled into some unpolished play marked by loose possession. Both teams held their shape poorly, at times with all 20 field players stacked in the central third of the field, only venturying onto the flanks infrequently.

The game's first goal came from a penalty kick. Schelotto's searching cross from the corner of the penalty area found Kevin Harmse's upper arm, and referee Michael Kennedy did not hesitate in pointing to the spot. After the predictable protests and delay, Schelotto stepped up and sent a powerful shot straight up the middle as rookie goalkeeper Stefan Frei dove to his right.

After this confidence boost, the Crew played noticeably better, and several minutes later produced their best scoring chances of the game from the run of play. Eddie Gaven cracked a shot off the post in the 37th minute, and seconds later Emmanuel Ekpo forced Frei into an incredibly acrobatic save with a rising shot to the near corner. Frei was equal to the task, but had to be substituted at the half after apparently injurying his hip in the process.

At the close of the first half, Toronto showed some dangerous signs of life, stretching the Crew defense almost to the breaking point. Toronto was unable to register a quality shot in the process, but the Crew back line was not able to deal with buildups with their usual aplomb.

That Toronto resurgence continued throughout the second half, with a slight edge going to the Canadian squad in terms of possession and field position. Toronto also brought their substitutes on first, replacing Frei at the half with Greg Sutton, and then sending on Johann Smith for Rohan Ricketts (62nd minute) and Danny Dichio for Chad Barrett (68th minute).

When the Crew did get into the Toronto defensive area, scoring seemed within reach; Greg Sutton gave up a number of rebounds, but never in the vicinity of a Crew players. One promising chance, in the 60th minute, ended with Sutton grabbing the ball almost literally off of Ekpo's forehead after spilling a rebound from a Jason Garey toepoke.

Columbus started sending on the subs in the 73rd minute. Cory Elenio made his second-ever appearance for the Crew, relieving Alex Grendi on the left flank. Three minutes later, Steven Lenhart replaced the limping Guillermo Barros Schelotto, leaving the tandem of Garey and Lenhart to look for goals under the supervision of Ekpo.

That pair at times showed scant chemistry together, with little understanding of which way the other would run.

The risk in taking off your playmaker with a one goal lead is that it become quite difficult to regain the lead after an equalizer. Exactly that scenario presented itself, unfortunately, as Toronto scored their first goal in the 84th minute. Or rather, Gino Padula was charged with an own goal for a desperately unlucky sequence. Dwayne DeRosario sent a long free kick into the box, which Padula rose to meet. The ball looped off his head, threatening to fall into the gap between Hesmer's hand and the crossbar. Instead it struck the bar, bouncing into William Hesmer's back as he tried to tip the ball over, and trickled across the goal line.

Unsettled, the Crew tried to mount more pressure to retake the advantage. Their best chance came from Emmanuel Ekpo, who shot wide left after one of the better sequences between Garey and Lenhart gave Ekpo a good look from the top of the box.

In the end, both teams had to settle for the tie. The referee's final whistle was met with rapturous celebrations from the Toronto fans in the south end, and a general lack of acclaim from the Nordecke.

What It Means

The tie leaves the Crew with 2 points from its first two games, with two goals scored and two conceded. This early in the season it is almost useless to focus on the standings, although it should be noted that this was a home game the team won (2-0) last year.

Toronto closes its two-game road trip with four points after defeating Kansas City 3-2 last weekend. They have scored four goals in two road contests, and allowed three goals.

Up Next

The Crew's next match will come on Thursday, at Real Salt Lake. Kickoff will come at 9 PM, with the game televised on ESPN2. A meeting with Chivas USA follows on Sunday (8 PM, ONN). The next Crew home game will be on Saturday, April 11th against Colorado (7:30 PM, ONN).

Toronto's next match will be on Saturday, April 4th. They play their first home game, against Seattle. The game will be broadcast on CBC and Fox Soccer Channel.

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