COLUMBUS CREW v COLORADO RAPIDS
COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM, Columbus, Ohio
3 p.m. ET (TeleFutura; ClbSN; Altitude)
Sept. 2, 2007 (WEEK 22) / MLS Game #144
The teams might be separated into different conferences, but the Columbus Crew and Colorado Rapids face a massively important game for playoff positioning when they face off Sunday afternoon in the Ohio capital. The teams are tied for eighth place in the MLS overall table; under the new playoff format, only the top two teams in each conference are guaranteed postseason berths, with the next four in the overall standings qualifying. The Rapids come into the team riding a three-game winning streak, all by shutout, while the Crew haven't won in their last four.
REFEREE:
Tim Weyland. SAR (bench): Rob Fereday; JAR (opposite): Craig Lowry; 4th: Mikael Lundqvist
MLS Career: 73 games; FC/gm: 30.5; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 19; pens: 18
Games involving Crew: P15 W6 L7 T2; FC/gm: 29.9; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 4; pens: 2
Games involving Rapids: P15 W7 L7 T1; FC/gm: 29.1; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 1; pens: 8
INJURY REPORT:
COLUMBUS CREW - OUT: DF Chad Marshall (concussion); MF Brad Evans (L hip flexor strain); MF Brandon Moss (L knee ACL reconstruction); PROBABLE: MF Jacob Thomas (R ankle sprain/avulsion fracture); FW Andy Herron (L ankle contusion) ... COLORADO RAPIDS - OUT: DF Dan Gargan (R knee ACL tear)
SUSPENDED:
CLB: Marcos Gonzalez (through Sept. 2)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CLB: Frankie Hejduk, Guillermo Barros Schelotto ... COL: Pablo Mastroeni, Mike Petke, Brandon Prideaux
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CLB: Marcos Gonzalez, Stefani Miglioranzi, Danny O'Rourke ... COL: Mehdi Ballouchy, Bouna Coundoul, Facundo Erpen
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (26 meetings): Crew 6 wins (1 shootout), 30 goals ...Rapids 14 wins (2 shootout), 40 goals ... Draws 6
IN COLUMBUS: (13 meetings): Crew 5 wins (1 shootout), 20 goals ... Rapids 6 wins (1 shootout), 23 goals ... Draws 2
• This is the second of two meetings between the clubs this season, the lone meeting in Columbus.
• A year ago, the teams split their season series, each winning on their home ground. It was the second consecutive year the teams had split their only two meetings on the campaign.
• The Crew last won in Colorado on July 4, 1999 - their first appearance in the Fourth of July extravaganza held by the Rapids. Since then, the Rapids have won four of the eight meetings, with four draws. It's the only Crew win ever in Colorado.
• Coaches record: Sigi Schmid vs. COL: P26 W12 L9 D5 ... Fernando Clavjio v CLB: P12 W5 L5 D2
2007 (MLS):
7/4: COL 0, CLB 0
• The Crew remained the only team ever to take points in Colorado in Independence Day, as the teams played to a scoreless draw on July 4 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
• The Rapids started strongly and had much of the play on the night, but didn't greatly trouble Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer. The best chances fell to the Crew - in the first half, Alejandro Moreno picked up a half-cleared corner and beat Bouna Coundoul, but Colin Clark headed the ball off the line. Coundoul held his ground in the second after Jacob Thomas turned the corner and smothered his point-blank shot in the 84th minute.
• The Crew are the only team the Rapids haven't beaten in their annual Independence Day game. The Rapids are 10-1-1 all-time on July 4; the only loss came to the Crew in 1999, and the draw ended a seven-game winning streak for Colorado on the holiday.
• Here's Clavijo's team (4-1-3-2): Bouna Coundoul - Dan Gargan, Ugo Ihemelu, Facundo Erpen, Brandon Prideaux - Daniel Wasson - Terry Cooke (Nico Colaluca 73), Jovan Kirovski, Colin Clark (Omar Cummings 81) - Nicolas Hernandez, Jacob Peterson. Substitutes Not Used: Roberto Brown, Jose Cancela, Stephen Keel, Nick LaBrocca, Zach Thornton
• Here's Schmid's team (4-2-3-1): Will Hesmer - Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Marcos Gonzalez, Rusty Pierce - Danny O'Rourke, Ezra Hendrickson (Stefani Miglioranzi 68) - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Andy Herron 76), Ned Grabavoy, Kei Kamara (Jacob Thomas 59) - Alejandro Moreno. Substitutes Not Used: Jason Garey, Andy Gruenebaum, Andrew Peterson, Jed Zayner
COLUMBUS CREW
The Columbus Crew saw their winless streak reach four games, but still held on to split the points, getting a 1-1 draw with Houston Dynamo last Saturday at Robertson Stadium. The Crew still have 27 points from 22 games, sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, but more importantly, tied for eighth place in the MLS overall table with the Colorado Rapids, a point ahead of the Chicago Fire.
LAST MATCH
• Houston Dynamo had put an end to a two-game losing streak and four-game winless run with a victory against FC Dallas in their top-of-the-table clash the previous weekend, while the Columbus Crew were making a second trip to Texas in three weeks, having lost two games on the trot.
• The Crew took a deserved lead after 17 minutes. Guillermo Barros Schelotto somehow skipped past two defenders at the edge of the area and drew two more toward him before laying a square pass to a completely unmarked Alejandro Moreno at the penalty spot, and the ex-Dynamo man lashed home a low shot for his second goal this season against his former club.
• But the Crew went a man down in the 38th minute when Marcos Gonzalez was sent off for a second bookable offense within six minutes, both on fouls from behind on Houston striker (and former Columbus player) Joseph Ngwenya.
• Dynamo laid siege to the Crew goal but couldn't find a way through until the 79th minute. Ngwenya somehow escaped the attention of a pair of Crew defenders at the corner of the box and played a quick one-two with Ricardo Clark. He fired a low shot that Will Hesmer was able to get a hand to, but the Crew 'keeper couldn't hold it and Nate Jaqua swooped in to stab home the rebound from close range.
• Crew head coach Sigi Schmid made three changes to the team that lost 2-0 to D.C. United the previous Saturday. Marcos Gonzalez came back into the rearguard, for Stefani Miglioranzi, while Duncan Oughton came into the midfield for Danny Szetela, and Eddie Gaven replaced Ned Grabavoy.
• Here's Schmid's team (4-2-3-1): Will Hesmer - Frankie Hejduk, Marcos Gonzalez, Ezra Hendrickson, Rusty Pierce (Ned Grabavoy 68) - Danny O'Rourke, Duncan Oughton - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Danny Szetela 77), Ricardo Virtuoso (Stefani Miglioranzi 46), Eddie Gaven - Alejandro Moreno. Substitutes Not Used: Jason Garey, Andy Gruenebaum, Kei Kamara, Robbie Rogers
• "We started the game well. We were pressuring them, and then we scored a goal," said Alejandro Moreno. "Then the red card came and changed the face of the game. From then on, they attacked a lot and they created a lot of opportunities. We leave with a point that is very valuable to us, and we're content with the result. Now we're going to look for positive results at home."
TEAM NEWS
• Seeing Gonzalez sent off before the end of the first half brought on many changes for the Crew. First, with the heat in Houston and down a man, the Crew had to adjust how they attacked.
• "Obviously we have to be a little more judicious about when we attack. It's very warm, it's very humid, and it expends a lot of energy from your team," Schmid said. "We knew we had to weather the storm a little bit at the start of the second half, then we felt we could launch counter-attacks, and that's really what we were starting to do in the second half. It's tough against Houston; they're a good team. Playing a man down is not the ideal situation."
• Then there were adjustments Schmid had to make in his substitution pattern. "We tried to play a 4-3-2. We tried to stay together and stay compact. We had Guillermo drop off of Alejandro a little bit to join the attack. It didn't help us in the second half when Rusty Pierce had to come out due to cramps. We were hoping to make a substitution up front, one more substitution to get us fresh legs to join the attack, but that was impossible once we had to take Rusty out of the game."
• And while Gonzalez was sent off for the two cautionable fouls on his former teammate, the Crew coach felt his team didn't see the same sorts of decisions.
• "Obviously we would've wanted to keep the ball in the other side of the field, but there were a lot of situations that looked like they were fouls," Schmid said. "I don't think we got a lot of breaks today on the calls. We were unlucky with the officiating. If you look at Alejandro, he's got cleat marks on his back, so that's just something that happens and at times I felt that we were playing against more than the 11."
• It left the Crew wondering what could have been if they had stayed level with men on the field. "Houston played better in the second half when we were a player down," Barros Schelotto said, "but when it was 11 against 11, we were winning and Houston didn't have a single goal opportunity against us."
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids won for the third consecutive match, all at home and all by shutout, defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-0 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park last Sunday evening. The Rapids are still in fourth place in the Western Conference with 27 points from 22 games, but more importantly, are tied for eighth place in the MLS overall table with the Columbus Crew, a point ahead of the Chicago Fire.
LAST MATCH
• The Rapids came into the game off back-to-back shutout victories against the two conference leaders, while the Galaxy had lost four in a row after the Thursday night home loss in the Super Clasico against Chivas USA and had been shut out in four of five games.
• Missing seven first-team players to injury with an eighth suspended, the Galaxy had just 16 available players, two shy of the allowed number. The Rapids exploded for three goals in a 18-minute span to put the game away before halftime.
• In the 26th minute, a neat touch from Jovan Kirovski sent Conor Casey free behind the Galaxy back line, and he went haring into the area. As a defender came over and goalkeeper Joe Cannon raced off his line, Casey cut inside to the center of the box and banged the ball home past a pair of retreating defenders.
• Eight minutes later the Rapids doubled the lead. Terry Cooke was sprung down the right flank and swung in a low cross. A Galaxy defender saw it bounce off his foot right in front of goal, and Colin Clark lashed it home inside the right post for his first MLS goal.
• Two minutes before halftime Colorado made it 3-0. Cooke swung in a corner from the right, and Cannon barely got a fist to it as he tried to punch it away. The ball fell to the feet of Mike Petke, who poked it home to put the final touch on the win.
• Rapids head coach Fernando Clavijo made three changes to the team that defeated Houston Dynamo 1-0 the previous Saturday. With Dan Gargan injured, Facundo Erpen came back into the team. Mehdi Ballouchy came back from suspension and Conor Casey also returned to the starting lineup, as Herculez Gomez and Jacob Peterson returned to the substitutes' bench.
• Here's Clavijo's team (4-1-3-2): Bouna Coundoul - Ugo Ihemelu (Tony Sanneh 57), Facundo Erpen, Mike Petke, Brandon Prideaux - Pablo Mastroeni - Terry Cooke, Mehdi Ballouchy (Herculez Gomez 57), Colin Clark (Daniel Osorno 82) - Conor Casey, Jovan Kirovski. Substitutes Not Used: Omar Cummings, Nicolas Hernandez, Jacob Peterson, Zach Thornton
• "We're excited. We're finding different people to come in and help us win games. We're putting the ball in the back of the net. We're not allowing people to have many chances. We're playing good soccer, and I'm very pleased," Clavijo said.
TEAM NEWS
• Facing a LA Galaxy team with seven first-team regulars out to injury, and an eighth suspended, put Clavijo in a difficult situation in planning for the game.
• "To be honest, having LA come out and play against us with a depleted team, was one of the most challenging things we've faced all year. We did not know what to expect, or how to look at this," Clavijo said. "The most important thing for them right now is to win SuperLiga, and I respect that. It is tough when you play a team who is playing on a lower level because we often lower ourselves to that level, but that did not happen tonight."
• Conor Casey had not played in six consecutive games before making a very late substitute appearance against Houston. But he's now started the last two games and finally hit for his first MLS goal against the Galaxy.
• "Conor Casey has been superb the last two gamesThe last game he was not able to see his name in the scoring sheet, but today he did. He does a lot of stuff: he creates, he holds the ball up front, and that's what why we brought him in. We haven't been able to see him that way," Clavijo said. ""I was very upfront with him, I said in the beginning he wasn't showing up very well. 'We didn't bring you here to be on the bench. You have to show me you can do better than what you're showing right now,' and I think the last two games he has done it. He's been around for a long time, but he's a young guy who has a lot of things that we can use and give us to make a good run now for the playoffs."
• Casey said it's been easy to fit into the team over the past few matches. "The way we've been scoring the last two or three games has been a lot better," Casey said, noting the team's two three-goal performances coming in their last two games. "We've been playing a lot more direct and simpler. It's been fun to play, and that's really the main thing."
• Early on, the Rapids looked like a team to be contended with, but they then lost their way with a long winless streak. The Colorado players say the last few weeks should make the rest of the league take notice.
• "Right now the confidence is up to the sky. We beat the top two teams, Houston and New England and then we just destroyed LA," said goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul. "Everybody is going to start playing a little more attention to us now. Everyone on the team is happy, and we are having fun and you can tell. We all have to look at the way we've been playing. We need to have pride, and people are paying money to come watch us. New stadium, nice facilities and the fans are expecting wins from us."
• The three-game homestand was great for the Rapids, who took all nine possible points. But they are home for only three of their final eight games on the season, including traveling for four of their next five.
• "You get a win and you start getting momentum," Casey said. "I think everyone's pretty pleased right now. We got to keep working at it, because we have a lot more games to go. We're still in a tough spot. I think everyone's aware of it. We have to keep working for it."
