The Columbus Crew scored two goals after going a man down before holding on for a wild 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center on Saturday night.
Ezra Hendrickson was sent off in the 29th minute with the Crew leading 1-0 through a goal from Chad Marshall, but the Crew overcame his ejection when Ned Grabavoy doubled the lead after the break. Gavin Glinton cut into the Crew's lead in the 66th minute but Alejandro Moreno answered with six minutes remaining to seal the match. Edson Buddle scored a late goal to make the last few moments interesting.
The game also saw each goalkeeper save a penalty kick in the first half, Crew 'keeper Will Hesmer stopping Kyle Martino just before Hendrickson was sent off, then Galaxy goalkeeper Joe Cannon denying Ned Grabavoy a short while after the red card.
With the win, the Crew jumped over both Toronto FC and Chicago in the standings and are now in fifth place on 15 points.
The Crew dealt with the absences of Tim Ward and Robbie Rogers for the second consecutive match. Along with Danny Szetela, Ward and Rogers are with the United States under-20 national team for the upcoming FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Early on, though, the Crew dominated the possession and pace of the match as the Galaxy had little of the ball in the opening minutes of the match.
Marshall found the back of the net on the quarter-hour mark. Guillermo Barros Schelotto won a free kick a few yards to the right of the penalty area. Barros Schelotto picked Marshall out of a crowd of players and the defender powered a header off the inside of the far post and in the back of the net.
For Marshall, it was his second goal in five games this season. Marshall has been limited to five games this season because of a concussion he suffered before the season started. Barros Schelotto, meanwhile, notched his sixth assist on the play.
Less than a minute later, Hesmer kept the Galaxy from equalizing. Newly arrived Chris Klein ripped a shot from the corner of the penalty area but Hesmer did well to dive and push the ball over the crossbar.
The Galaxy, though, had a chance to equalize later in the half when referee Michael Kennedy awarded the hosts a penalty kick. Kennedy whistled Marcos Gonzalez for a foul as Gonzalez made contact with Galaxy defender Abel Xavier before the former Liverpool star hit the ground.
Former Crew midfielder Martino did not hesitate to step up to the spot. His attempt, however, left a lot to be desired. Martino's shot went softly to the right corner as Hesmer dived and easily kept the ball from crossing the goal line.
However, the Crew suffered a much bigger blow in the 29th minute when Hendrickson was sent off. Hendrickson slid and knocked down Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein in the middle of the field. Kennedy ruled that Hendrickson had come from behind and gave the former Galaxy defender a straight red card, much to the protests from the Crew bench, who stood up in unison with arms raised in questioning the call.
The Galaxy, though, did not immediately take advantage of the 11-on-10 edge. Instead, it was the Crew who nearly scored the next goal. Galaxy defender Kyle Veris knocked down Gaven inside the penalty area and Kennedy awarded the Crew a penalty kick.
Ned Grabavoy, who was acquired a year ago from the Galaxy in exchange for Martino, also did not hesitate to step to the spot against his former team. But like Martino, Grabavoy did not score, as Cannon did well to dive to his right and knock the shot away.
The Crew finally countered the man disadvantage in the 56th minute when Crew coach Sigi Schmid replaced Barros Schelotto with Rusty Pierce.
Two minutes later, Grabavoy doubled the Crew's lead. Duncan Oughton and Xavier went up for a header just outside the penalty area. Oughton won the header and the ball fell to Gaven. The Copa America-bound midfielder slotted the ball to an unmarked Grabavoy who slammed the ball into the back of the net.
Martino nearly cut into the Crew's lead in the 65th minute. Hesmer was caught well off his line as he tried in vain to cut down a cross. Martino raced onto the ball and grazed the left post as he had an open net to shoot at.
Gavin Glinton scored in the 66th minute to cut into the Crew's lead. Cobi Jones found space down the right flank and whipped a cross to the front of the goal. Glinton powered an acrobatic diving header into the back of the net past a helpless Hesmer.
Schmid took Grabavoy out in the 78th minute and replaced him with Jason Garey. But it was Moreno who made noise late in the game. Gaven swung a corner kick to the front of the goal and Moreno beat Harmse to the ball and powered the shot past a helpless Cannon.
The Galaxy weren't finished yet. In stoppage time, a cross came into the box and Hesmer weakly punched it out. Still in the area, Buddle swung his leg and sent a bounding ball back through the crowded goalmouth and into the back of the net.
Substitute Peter Vagenas then nearly pulled out a last-gasp equalizer, ripping a drive toward the near post from the left side of the area, but Hesmer turned it around the post with a dive at full stretch and the Crew ensured a second victory in four days after winning just once over the first 11 weeks of the season.
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
