On Saturday, for the third time in four MLS games this season, the Columbus Crew did not allow a goal. This time, though, the result was the team's first victory of the year, a 1-0 victory against D.C. United at Crew Stadium.
While some Crew fans might be tempted to glorify second-year goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum, Crew coach Sigi Schmid continues to emphasize team defending and tight marking.
"Obviously I think we made some good decisions in the back. I thought Ezra [Hendrickson] and Marcos [Gonzalez] were solid tonight and did a great job," Schmid said.
"We knew they were going to come more centrally than on the flanks so we wanted to make sure that we bottled up the middle. I thought Ned [Grabavoy] did a very good job defensively in the midfield as well as [Danny] O'Rourke. Overall we did a good job and Andy [Gruenebaum] made some good saves and a couple of good decisions coming out of the box."
Ten-year veteran Hendrickson opened the scoring for Columbus in the 28th minute. After intercepting a ball in the midfield the lanky St. Vincent & Grenadines native played a pass wide to Ngwenya, sprinted straight down the middle of the field and was rewarded with the ball in optimal scoring position.
His first shot was cleared off the line by United defender Devon McTavish, but he found the back of the net with his second.
"It was instinct. The first time I didn't hit it too well, and luckily it came back to me so I knew the second time I had to put it away," he said. "Hopefully today we have gotten some momentum going into the rest of the season and we can keep picking up maximum points at home."
Said Schmid: "[Hendrickson] is just a tremendous competitor. There is nobody who is more intense than Ezra, and nobody wants to win a game more than he does. To see a guy like him score a goal and give us our first win, it makes me happy because there is nobody that wants to give more for the team than he does."
The Crew had to wait a little longer than usual to celebrate the victory, as the game was suspended for nearly a half-hour with just six minutes left in normal time after a thunderstorm hit Columbus.
"We were able to keep warm and stretch in the locker room, so we were ready when we came back out," Hendrickson said. "Fortunately, we were able to withstand their pressure for the last few minutes and close the game out with the win."
The excitement in Crew Stadium on Saturday night was palpable, Gruenebaum said.
"We noticed a buzz going on all week, especially before the game -- you could tell that we were going to go out there and get our first victory," he said. "It came against a very good team, so now we just have to keep the momentum."
When asked to compare the team at this point in the season with last year's team after four games, Schmid let out a slight chuckle and a smile. A year ago it also took the Crew four games to record their first victory, but instead of three ties, they started the campaign with two losses then a draw.
"We're definitely better than we were last year. Every game we've played we've been in, even last year we were in some games early and we found a way to beat ourselves at times and that's something we're doing a good job of, not finding ways to beat ourselves," Schmid said. "As long as we maintain that fighting spirit we'll give ourselves more chances to win games. At this point with six points, we are still in contact with everyone we want to be in contact with."
Nathan Linton is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
