After postponing both games of the Carolina Challenge Cup Tuesday due to lightning and torrential rain, San Jose and Columbus played to a 1-1 draw under clear skies Wednesday night at Blackbaud Stadium.
After being dominated throughout much of the game, rookie Knox Cameron drew the Crew level in the 90th minute through a flick-on from Manny Lagos.
San Jose's Alejandro Moreno got the Earthquakes on the board in the 45th minute after Taylor Graham misplayed a ball inside his own six-yard box. Graham mistimed his jump and the ball hit him on the top of the head and bounced once before Moreno could toe-poke the ball past a diving Matt Jordan.
It looked like San Jose was going to claim the win until a vicious foul by Ryan Cochrane on Kyle Martino in the 84th minute left the Earthquakes shorthanded.
After the ejection, Columbus stepped up the pressure throwing everyone forward. With no time left on the clock Jordan sent a long restart into the San Jose penalty area. Crew substitute Manny Lagos won the ball, flicking it toward goal, into the path of Cameron, who calmly slid the ball between the legs of San Jose 'keeper Pat Onstad.
"I got the flick-on and it took a bounce and I knew I was on," Cameron said. "I composed myself and put it in."
Absent from the Crew lineup were Ante Razov, Chad Marshall, Jon Busch, Edson Buddle and Frankie Hejduk. Razov, Buddle and Hejduk did not dress for the game due to injury. Marshall and Busch are still with the U.S. national team, but for the first time in nearly the entire preseason, the Crew did have the services of Kyle Martino, back from national team duty. Martino's presence in the midfield settled the Crew considerably.
"I was very pleased with our effort," said Crew coach Greg Andrulis. "All things considered, the guys fought really hard. We gave up a soft goal which can get you down a little bit. But the guys came back, ground it out and got a point against a very good team."
Said San Jose coach Dominic Kinnear: "I thought over the whole 90 minutes we were the better team. When you are down a man you should be able to hold onto a lead."
San Jose will face the Charleston Battery of the USL First Division on Friday night in the final game of the tournament for both teams.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 1, COLUMBUS CREW 1
SJ -- Alejandro Moreno 45
CLB -- Knox Cameron 90
San Jose: Pat Onstad, Troy Dayak, Craig Waibel, Ryan Cochrane, Wade Barrett, Brad Davis, Ricardo Clark, Wes Hart (Chris Wondolowski 72), Danny O'Rourke, Ronald Cerritos (Chris Aloisi 85), Alejandro Moreno.
Columbus: Matt Jordan, Ryan Kelley, Taylor Graham, Robin Fraser (Manny Lagos), Dominic Mediate, Simon Elliott (Erik Vazquez 82), Ross Paule Dante Washington 66), Kyle Martino, Marcus Storey (Jamal Sutton 50), David Testo (Devin Barclay 46), Knox Cameron.
Andrew Mosier is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
