From start to finish, Charlie Davies and the New England Revolution dominated the Columbus Crew en route to a 4-2 win in the opening leg of their Eastern Conference semifinals series.
The four goals on the road, on top of the two-goal advantage in the aggregate, set New England up with a healthy lead heading into next Sunday’s second leg (5 pm ET; ESPN2), and Davies’ brace book-ended an all-around complete game from the second-seeded Revolution as they kicked off their run in the MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T.
“Charlie was excellent,” said coach Jay Heaps. “I thought he worked hard, I think he could have had more. He was close to putting away a couple of other chances.”
With intensity and chippy play dictating the early portions of the game, and much of it thereafter, Davies stretched the Columbus back line early and kept the Crew defenders on their toes.
Columbus paid the price when they lost him on a free kick, as he curled in behind the line and sent a beautifully whipped in ball from Kelyn Rowe into the back of the net with a diving header in the 34th minute.
“Once I was able to get a great ball and was able to put it into the back of the net, we were able to calm it down and keep the ball and play our game,” said Davies, who became the first New England player to score twice in a postseason match. “It was a bit of a relief, because I think we all felt that we settled into the game”
Things got better for Davies and New England in the 78th minute. With the Revolution leading 3-1, Davies picked up a pass from Scott Caldwell just past midfield, turned and saw only two yellow kits in front of him. Finding space between them, the forward sprinted ahead and from about 25 yards out blasted a curling shot past Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark, off the post and in.
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“I got the space and knew that I could have taken a couple more steps, but I felt that the timing was right,” said Davies. “I was happy with how I was able to strike the ball.”
Added Jermaine Jones: “He works hard for the team. Today he was there, and he scored and he was amazing. I’m happy for him and happy for the whole team.”
Davies' multi-goal performance was his first in MLS since September of 2011, when he netted a hat trick while with D.C. United.
Craig Forde covers the New England Revolution for MLSsoccer.com.
