Columbus Crew SC 3, DC United 1 | 2018 MLS Match Recap

Phil West

Federico Higuain made history, getting his 50th assist to officially join MLS's 50-50 club, as Columbus Crew SC cruised to a 3-1 win over DC United on Saturday evening at MAPFRE Stadium.

The Higuain-assisted 40th minute goal, a corner kick headed in by MLS veteran Ricardo Clark, put the Crew SC up for good during a flurry of first-half action. Milton Valenzuela and Yamil Asad traded goals for the teams in the 20th and 30th minutes respectively.

Two minutes after Clark's goal, Pedro Santos gave Columbus a cushion on a deftly-worked counter-attack goal to close out the scoring for the half — and, as matters would develop, for the match.

Goals

20' – CLB – Milton Valenzuela Watch
30' – DC – Yamil Asad Watch
40' – CLB – Ricardo Clark Watch
42' – CLB – Pedro Santos Watch

Three Things

THE BIG PICTURE:
With the win – and NYCFC's
road draw
earlier in the day to the New England Revolution – Columbus are on top of the Eastern Conference
standings
, level on points in pole position after four matches. D.C. United, meanwhile, have yet to win in 2018.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH: With MAPFRE Stadium already buzzing following Higuain's milestone 50th assist, Cristian Martinez raced down the left flank, sprung on a pass by Higuain, and sent in a cross that found Santos for the Crew SC's second goal in two minutes. That turned a 2-1 lead into an insurmountable 3-1 advantage.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Though plenty of Crew SC players contributed to the win – including Clark, who got his 36th goal in a lengthy MLS career – only one of them joined the 50-50 club on what would be the game-winning assist, and was credited a second assist for good measure. Take a bow, Pipa.

Next Up

Columbus Crew SC: Saturday, March 31 vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (3 pm ET | TV & Streaming Info)
DC United: Saturday, March 31 at Sporting Kansas City (8:30 pm ET | full TV & Streaming Info)

Phil West -

@philwest

Columbus Crew D.C. United