COLUMBUS, Ohio - When they needed a win to set a good tone, the Columbus Crew gave up four goals Saturday for the first time at home in 2014 and only the second time in the entire season.
And after a week full of confidence, the club was quickly sent back to Earth in the MLS Cup Playoffs presented by AT&T, being dispatched handily by the New England Revolution with a devastating 4-2 scoreline in the first leg of their Eastern Conference semifinals series at Crew Stadium.
"We talked a good game this week, and we didn't play a good game this weekend, and that's an issue to me," head coach Gregg Berhalter said after the match. "We're talking about who we are and what we do, and to me it's about executing; that's what's most important. The last thing I saw today, especially in the first half, was execution. It was the reverse of that. And that's disappointing to me.
"If you talk, you've got to back it up. If you're saying you're going to make a run at a championship, you have to back it up. And we didn't."
That confidence wasn't lost on the Revolution, who apparently used the Crew's posturing as bulletin board material.
"We didn't do any talking this week, with all the media trying to build up a story and trying to get us to react to what Columbus were saying," Revs forward Charlie Davies, who bagged a brace Saturday, told reporters after the game. "But we stayed focused, came out and were hungry and we showed what we're capable of."
The mood was no better among Crew players, who didn't need Berhalter to tell them that their performance was disappointing.
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"It's embarrassing," Columbus' Justin Meram said. "All the fans and everybody were all excited for us, and we disappointed everybody. Giving up four goals, it's just unacceptable, especially in the format where away goals count. That killed us."
Tyson Wahl, one of the young Crew's most experienced players, said he thought the squad's youth showed.
"Leading up to the game, we were training well and we were pretty sharp," he said. "But I think we showed all-around, top to bottom a little bit of immaturity. They came in and set the tone and physically outplayed us. They deserved to win."
Valid point or not, the Crew are now in a big hole that they will have to dig themselves out of in next Sunday's decisive leg (5 pm ET; ESPN2) thanks to a disappointing performance that few could have predicted.
