The New York Red Bulls came into Crew Stadium on Saturday evening as one of the hottest offensive units in the league, led by Juan Pablo Angel, who was looking to tie the MLS record of consecutive games with a goal at seven. What they found on the field was a rejuvenated Columbus Crew squad determined to avenge a 4-0 thumping the last time the teams met.
Columbus was able to get a second-half strike from Kei Kamara and hold on for the victory, as Will Hesmer recorded his first shutout for the Crew in only his third start for the team, all wins.
"It felt great to get the win and the shutout, but there wasn't a lot for me to do tonight," said Hesmer of his first clean sheet. "The guys in front of me did a great job and made it easy for me tonight.
"They really took care of [Angel]. They were really concentrating on him and it worked. We were really proactive against him instead of reactive. We've been working on that and I think it really showed."
The Crew had just one win in their opening 11 games. They've now won three in a row.
"What this team needed was a couple of wins to get some confidence, and now we are starting to get our confidence," said Crew coach Sigi Schmid of his team's turnaround. "I thought today, overall, when you look at the whole game, we were the better team."
Said Crew captain Frankie Hejduk: "Earlier in the season we just weren't over that hump yet. We were getting ties when we should have gotten wins and losses when we should have gotten ties. But now the breaks are coming our way."
The timing couldn't be better for the Crew, who only two weeks ago were in sole possession of last place in the East, and are now in fifth, only two points behind D.C. United.
"The summer months are when you have to start to play well," said Schmid. "It is important that you get points there. Last year, for sure, we didn't get points there, and that's what took us out of it. This year we are trying to do the reverse."
Schmid appeared to make a great decision in the second half, bringing Andy Herron on as a substitute only two minutes before he would assist on the game-winning goal, sending a beautiful cross to the head of Kamara.
"Anytime your teammates trust you, if makes you feel good," said Herron. "You know your coach trusts you, your teammates trust you and your fans support you. All you can do is take the field and try to do your best for your team, and that's what I did."
The Crew are clearly playing better as team now than they were at the start of the season, but are far from having secured a place in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
"We are just finding ways to win, whether it's 1-0 or 3-2," said Hesmer. "However we have battle through to get the win, we just want results."
This is a team that knows from experience that results do not come easy, as Ned Grabavoy pointed out after the game. Once known as "America's Hardest Working Team," the Crew are looking to make that reality.
"We're getting the feeling amongst the team that no matter what happens in the game everyone is going to work hard for it, and we are going to control what we control, which is our effort and our work rate," Grabavoy said.
Nathan Linton is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
