The result might have been the same for the Columbus Crew on Saturday night. But the way they got there was very different -- and that holds great promise for the future.
The Crew played to their fourth draw in six games, reaching a 1-1 result with Chivas USA. But both of the Crew's recent acquisitions, Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno, saw significant playing time in front of the home fans in Crew Stadium.
"Overall I thought [Moreno] and [Scholotto] certainly made a difference to our team and to our attack," said coach Sigi Schmid after the game.
"[Moreno] makes a big difference to us because his ability to hold the ball allows our midfielders to link in with the attack, and [Schelotto] certainly showed that he is a great player. His leadership he gives us on the field is very important."
Schelotto took virtually every free kick and corner kick for Columbus Saturday, and was an obviously calming presence in the Crew attack. He also gained his first MLS assist, getting the ball on the right, attracting a couple of defenders before sliding a pass that Ned Grabavoy bounced off each post before crossing the line for an 18th-minute equalizer.
But despite the obvious skill and leadership he brings to the Black & Gold, he is choosing to do it in what coach Schmid called a "quiet" leadership role.
"I'm happy to be part of the assist and all the other [chances] that the team had," said Schelotto through a translator, "but would really be happy if the team could get the full points for the win."
Moreno, having only been acquired earlier in the week from Houston, only had a few practices to get to knew his Crew teammates but seemed to fit in well up front with Schelotto. Along with Eddie Gaven, it gave the Crew a new-look front line that included an Argentinean (Schelotto) and a Venezuelan (Moreno).
"It was our first time, obviously, playing together. It seems like we got along very well and we were in sync." said Moreno. "Whether or not that is because of our backgrounds, we seem to understand soccer in a similar way."
The Crew defense played a solid final 88 minutes of the game Saturday, after Ante Razov opened the scoring with a free kick goal in the second minute. Captain Frankie Hejduk was mostly pleased with their efforts.
"The only thing we gave up was a free kick in the first minute. After that we played very good defensively," said Hejduk. "I don't think defensively we have a problem at all. We've got to score. Period. The goals will come and it's almost kind of like building a new team here with our new additions, it's going to take a game or two to adjust."
Said Schmid: "It's tough to take a goal like we did that early, that was a real unfortunate one for us.
"I think we showed some character coming back and tying the game up and I think we were a lot closer to getting the second goal than they were."
Nathan Linton is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
