CARSON, Calif. -- Despite a number of absences due to international call-ups and injuries, Columbus Crew SC went into Saturday night’s match against LA Galaxy at StubHub Center looking to steal three points from a squad with similar issues.
However, it wasn’t to be, as a late wondergoal from Baggio Husidic and a chip shot from Giovani dos Santos sprung LA to a 2-1 win. Adam Jahn tapped in a rebound off a penalty kick in stoppage time as a consolation for the visitors.
Crew SC head coach Gregg Berhalter credited his squad for a valiant fight, despite being shorthanded in depth. Columbus only had 17 players available, and no central midfielders. Tony Tchani, Justin Meram, Harrison Afful and Rodrigo Saravia were all away on international duty, and Wil Trapp, among several others, was out due to injury.
“I don’t want to make excuses for who was on the field, I don’t think that’s fair to the group,” Berhalter told reporters. “We put 11 guys on the field that we felt could get the job done, and we came up a little short. I’m still proud of the way we worked, I’m proud of the way we approached the game, and I’m proud that we didn’t give up, even when we went down 2-0. We hung in there, and kept going.”
Jahn came on as a substitute in the 77th minute, just a minute before Husidic’s superb strike. Even down two after just a few minutes on the field, he wouldn’t give up.
“Going two down on the road is tough,” Jahn admitted. “But in MLS, I’ve seen some crazy games, and you can’t lose hope. Earlier this year I think Orlando was down 2-0 and they scored two goals in stoppage time, so that is what I was thinking when I went in, and we almost did.”
Now, the focus for Columbus moves to a late playoff push, as they’re only six points out of the last spot in the Eastern Conference. Jahn knows that they’ll have to take care of business away from home.
“It's just getting results and getting results on the road,” said Jahn. “I think we only have three home games, so we are going to have to find a way to win on the road, and I think we will. It's going to be tough, we are going to have to grind out some results.”
On their playoff chances, Berhalter was straight to the point.
“The key is going to be winning games.”
