both at home -- while the Crew hadn't won in six games, including a pair of losses in a row.
• The game exploded into life, with three goals in the first 17 minutes. After the Revolution went close a couple of times early, the Crew took the lead on the counter through Robbie Rogers in the ninth minute when he ran onto a ball played over the top by Ned Grabavoy and slotted home from inside the area.
• It took New England just four minutes to pull level, as Adam Cristman ran onto a deflected free kick, raced past the Crew defense and hit a shot that took another deflection on its way to goal. Then it took the Revs just four minutes to pull in front. Andy Dorman lofted a ball over the Crew back line and Pat Noonan ran onto it, curling a shot around 'keeper Will Hesmer and inside the right-hand post for his first league goal since Sept. 9, 2006.
• Yet in stoppage time before the break, the Crew got a goal back. A cross from Alejandro Moreno was neatly brought down by Grabavoy, and he fed Guillermo Barros Schelotto on his left, who sent a pinpoint strike home inside the right post for his first MLS goal.
• The Crew then grabbed a share of the points with the leveler five minutes from the end. Freed on the right, Schelotto whipped in a cross that Moreno acrobatically dove forward to meet, twisting a header inside the post to the right of Revolution 'keeper Matt Reis for his second goal in as many games with Columbus.
• Crew head coach Sigi Schmid made two changes to the team that lost 2-1 to Houston Dynamo the weekend before at home. Will Hesmer made his first start of the season, coming into the goal in place of Andy Gruenebaum, while Danny O'Rourke returned from suspension, starting in place of Andy Herron.
• Here's Schmid's team (4-2-3-1): Will Hesmer -,Rusty Pierce (Stefani Miglioranzi 46), Chad Marshall, Marcos Gonzalez, Tim Ward - Danny O'Rourke, Duncan Oughton (Danny Szetela 56) - Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Ned Grabavoy (Eddie Gaven 64), Robbie Rogers - Alejandro Moreno. Substitutes Not Used: Jason Garey, Andy Gruenebaum, Kei Kamara, Jed Zayner
• "We started the game doing the things we wanted to do and then you have the counterattack goal. That's like déjà vu, it's been the way our season has been going," Schmid said. "We lost our heads and concentration and gave up two more goals, but I was proud of our character overcoming all that we had to overcome tonight. Hopefully we build on this."
TEAM NEWS
• After conceding just four goals in the opening six matches of the season, the Crew had allowed 11 goals in their last four entering the Revolution match, so Schmid gave the start in goal to Will Hesmer. Hesmer had made just three league appearances previously, all in 2006 with the Kansas City Wizards.
• "We just figured we needed to change something. (Goalkeeper Andy) Gruenebaum has been playing well when he's been in there but we only have one win to show for it," Schmid said. "It was just a decision on my part because we needed to shake things up to get the results we believe we are capable of getting."
• In his three appearances with the Wizards in 2006, Hesmer had allowed four goals and gotten one shutout - against the Crew, on June 10, in his MLS debut.
• "It was good to get out there but it was tough giving up three goals. I didn't feel too out of place, I felt pretty sharp," Hesmer said. "The first and third goals were real tough for me as a goalkeeper to stop. The first was a deflection off of Chad (Marshall). He did a great job getting to the ball, but it just took a bad bounce. The second goal was one as a goalkeeper I'd like to think I can stop and it can be a difference between a win and a loss."
• After coming back to get the result, the Crew felt it could a match they look back upon at the end of the season as the turning point of the campaign.
• "This wasn't so much about the result but how we reacted," Alejandro Moreno said. "This is a group of guys with more character than people think. We believe in what we're doing and what the coaches are telling us to do."
• However, Schmid will have some real personnel decisions to make for the Wizards - especially in the back four. Frankie Hejduk is already on national team duty and Ezra Hendrickson still slowed by a groin injury. Against the Revolution, Rusty Pierce picked up a yellow card that will leave him suspended for the Wizards game, and Tim Ward has been named to the U.S. team for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
• Ward will be joined on the U.S. team by Danny Szetela and Robbie Rogers, who made his third start in a row and scored a goal while adding an assist, along with the other two members of the Crew spearhead (Moreno, Schelotto). "As much as I want to play for my country, I want to help all the guys here. That was such a great effort Saturday, and I'm a little bummed I have to leave," Rogers said to The Columbus Dispatch.
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards returned to action after a week off and still had on their goal-scoring boots, hitting the New York Red Bulls for three goals again before being forced to settle for a 3-3 draw Saturday at Giants Stadium. The Wizards are still in second place in the Eastern Conference with 20 points from 10 matches, a point behind the Red Bulls and a point ahead of third-place New England Revolution.
LAST MATCH
• The teams were meeting for the second time in two weeks after the Wizards took over first place in the East with a 3-2 victory in K.C., though the Red Bulls had played twice in between to jump back into the conference lead.
• After a quarter-hour, the Red Bulls were already two goals to the good. First, a deflected corner kick was pumped back in, and Juan Pablo Angel snapped home a powerful header at the back post (8). Then some neat work on the right between Dane Richards and Seth Stammler saw the rookie send in a rolling pass in front of goal where Clint Mathis came sliding in to prod it home.
• But just before the break, the Wizards pulled a goal back when Carlos Marinelli stepped over the ball on the dribble and Kerry Zavagnin ripped a curling, dipping drive from well outside the area for his second goal this year.
• Yura Movsisyan came on for Scott Sealy early in the second half, and scored twice within nine minutes to nose the Wizards in front. First, Ryan Raybould drove in a low cross from the right corner and Movsisyan deflected inside the far side netting from the near post (70). Then the second-year Armenian-born striker ran onto a long ball played by Sasha Victorine from well inside the Wizards half, and sent an audacious chip over New York goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus from outside the box.
• But a minute from time the Red Bulls got the equalizer. On a long cross from the left, Jose Burciaga Jr. and John Wolyniec tangled while chasing the ball, and referee Abbey Okulaja pointed to the spot. Angel converted with ease for his ninth goal in seven MLS games, now one game away from tying the league record for consecutive games with a goal, having hit in six in a row.
• Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo made one change to the team that defeated the Red Bulls two weeks earlier. With Eddie Johnson on national team duty after scoring six goals in two games, Scott Sealy was again healthy and started in his place.
• Here's Onalfo's team (4-4-1-1): Kevin Hartman - Jack Jewsbury (Ryan Raybould 69), Jimmy Conrad, Nick Garcia, Jose Burciaga Jr. - Davy Arnaud, Sasha Victorine, Kerry Zavagnin, Michael Harrington - Carlos Marinelli (Kurt Morsink 84) - Scott Sealy (Yura Movsisyan 55). Substitutes Not Used: Aaron Hohlbein, Eric Kronberg, Ryan Pore, Tyson Wahl
• "I think anytime you're off on the weekend and then you have to go ahead and play on this surface, there's going to be an adjustment there. The hope is that it takes 15-20 minutes to get into the game and you're not down by two goals and [the fact that we were] was unfortunate for us," Onalfo said. "We showed a lot of character in coming back and credit to the guys - this team doesn't give up and we don't get frustrated. We always find ways to do well."
TEAM NEWS
• For the home game against New York, Movsisyan was not included in the 18 players available for the match. He made the trip to the Meadowlands, and scored two goals in his substitute appearance.
• "Great athletes in any sport respond well to that kind of adversity. He's only 19 years old and he couldn't have responded any better. He spent the last 10 days working his tail off and trying to prove the coaching staff wrong and we felt like he was a guy who could come into the game and really make an impact and he certainly did," Onalfo said.
• Movsisyan downplayed the significance of being left out of the gameday group for the June 2 match. "You know what? Being part of the 18 or not doesn't matter. You have to come out and do your job day to day," he said. "Whoever is doing well during that day, during that week, that person is going to play. Coach put me on and I just tried to do my job, which is to score goals and help the team. That's what I came here to do and I got lucky today."
• While bringing on Movsisyan for Sealy was a straight switch, Onalfo also made another tactical change just before getting the second goal on the night.
• "Adding to that, Ryan Raybould came into the game as well," Onalfo said. "We asked him to play as a right back and really push forward to make us look like we had a 3-4-3 formation, pushing Davy [Arnaud] up the field and he really did exactly what we said and got the assist on the tying goal."
• The game capped a three-game gauntlet against New England and New York (two), where each case the Wizards were facing the top team in the Eastern Conference. Kansas City took seven of a possible nine points and scored 10 goals, while allowing eight.
• "We had a great result at New England coming back from two goals and happened to get three points in that game scoring three consecutive goals. We showed great character in this game coming back, especially against a good team in New York," said Kerry Zavagnin. "I think it took us a little while to get going and I think that was the cause of the two goals early. Once we gathered ourselves, I think we make a good account of ourselves and I think in the second half, we had a chance to steal the game so credit to our guys to hang in there. This team seems to be doing it week in, week out."
ALL-STAR COACH UPDATE
If the Wizards defeat the Columbus Crew on Wednesday, Curt Onalfo will be the coach of the MLS All-Stars when they take on Scotland's Celtic FC on July 19 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. (9 p.m. ET; ESPN). The All-Star coach will be the one whose team has the most points per game after the games of June 24, but if the Wizards get a minimum of two points from their two games this week, Onalfo will clinch the honor.
A look at what each coach still eligible need to happen to have the honor of leading the MLS All-Star team:
Curt Onalfo (Kansas City Wizards) needs two points from KC's remaining two games.
Steve Nicol (New England Revolution) needs to win and hope that KC earns no more than one point in its two games.
Tom Soehn (D.C. United) needs to win, hope that KC earns no more than one point in two games, and hope that NE loses or ties.
Preki (Chivas USA) needs to win, hope that KC earns no more than one point in two games, and hope that NE and DC lose or tie.
Bruce Arena (New York Red Bulls) needs KC to lose both games and for NE, DC and CHV all to either lose or tie.
