A pair of goals from Chris Klein and Carey Talley in the final 15 minutes overcame a first-half lead gave Real Salt Lake a 2-1 victory against the Columbus Crew and doomed the home side to a 13th game in a row without a victory Wednesday evening at Crew Stadium.
The Crew took the lead in the first half after Sebastian Rozental converted a controversial penalty for his second goal of the season. The loss keeps the Crew with one home victory on the season and winless since June 3.
The Crew opened the important match with a changed forward tandem, as Jason Garey and Joseph Ngwenya each started their first match in more than a month. To make room, Ryan Coiner went to the bench and Eddie Gaven moved into a wide midfield role. Brandon Moss stepped back into the starting XI with Eric Vasquez and Jose Retiz taking a seat, and Marcos Gonzalez returned from a one-match absence to take Chris Leitch's spot in the back four.
The Crew were content to simply maintain possession early on and avoid allowing an early goal such as the one that started a 4-0 hammering by the Kansas City Wizards last weekend. But they still created a couple of good opportunities.
In the seventh minute, Ngwenya set off on a nice solo run before finding Rozental. The Chilean sliced a shot off the outside of his left boot that went to the side of the target.
In the next minute, Ngwenya was pestering the Real backline again. As he fought his way through the defense to chase down a ball, Eddie Pope earned a well-deserved caution for bear hug on Ngwenya. Rozental quickly touched the free kick to Thomas, who blasted a shot wide left.
After surviving the early Crew dominance in possession, Real Salt Lake fired back with a pair of chances. Jeff Cunningham found space alone on the right but could not decide between a shot and a centering pass to Chris Klein. In the end, he sent the ball wide of the back post and well out of Klein's reach.
Then in the 20th minute, Klein set up Carey Talley on the right wing. Talley squared the ball back to Mehdi Ballouchy, who could have done better but did not challenge Crew 'keeper Bill Gaudette.
The defining moment of the first half came right at its midpoint. Thomas rounded defender Willis Forko on the right before racing along the end line toward the RSL goal. With the ball hovering near the line, contact occurred between the two.
After a lengthy discussion between referee Baldomero Toledo and assistant Greg Barkey, the Crew were awarded a penalty kick. Scott Garlick guessed to his left and Rozental pushed the ball right down the center for the opening goal of the match. The goal ended the Crew's third 230-minute plus goalless drought of the season.
Real Salt Lake came close to levelling the score before the break, but to no avail. Four minutes after the goal, Klein and Cunningham worked a give-and-go and the former Crew forward was denied a goal as Gaudette was able to close his legs in time to block his shot.
In the 39th minute, Ritchie Kotschau deflected a cross from Talley. Gaudette came out to quell the danger, but Jason Kreis beat the Crew netminder to the ball. Kreis quickly turned and fired a shot, but put it into the side netting from close range.
The Crew's injury woes continued in the first half's closing minutes with Thomas leaving the match with a strained left calf. Eric Vasquez entered the match, but barely had enough time to get on the field before the halftime whistle.
RSL missed another superb chance at equalizing the match in the 57th minute. Klein beat the Crew defense on the right wing and picked out Kreis with a low cross. With Gaudette at the near post, Kreis aimed at the open far post. However, Chad Marshall blocked the shot from the all-time leading scorer in MLS history.
On the Crew's ensuing clearance, Ngwenya beat Jack Stewart as the RSL defender slipped near the touchline. Ngwenya then rounded Kevin Novak near the top of the penalty box before Garlick parried his shot out for a corner.
While the RSL attack went through Cunningham most of the night, another former Crew player in Andy Williams set up the equalizer in the 75th minute. Williams corralled a loose ball in the middle third and found Klein wide open near the top of the penalty box. Klein quickly moved towards goal and his angled shot from the right side of goal found the inside of left-hand post, beating Gaudette for this fourth goal of the season.
It appeared as the Crew would luckily escape with a tie after Cunningham narrowly missed in the 89th minute when he had a clear look at goal from just inside the area, but a late strike from Talley broke the hearts of the Crew faithful.
Cunningham skipped past a defender and circled the Crew defense on the right flank before picking out Talley near the penalty spot. Talley one-timed the low cross into the back of the net to give the visitors the full points and the first three-game winning streak in club history.
John Kuhn is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
