COLUMBUS, Ohio – It might prove too little, too late, but Columbus Crew SC is still fighting to keep their season alive, posting a dominant 3-0 win over the Chicago Fire in their home finale Saturday night.
Thanks to a devastating midweek loss to DC United, Columbus’s playoff hopes hang by a thread. But the club were able to put together one of their most complete performances of the season to stay mathematically alive, red line in sight.
After the match, Crew SC coach Gregg Berhalter admitted that the entire team is irritated they couldn’t have put together a performance like Saturday night’s when their destiny remained in their hands.
“The whole thing has been frustrating, and the guys will tell you that as well,” Berhalter said. “But we don’t give up; we’ll keep going. We don’t feel bad for ourselves; we don’t make excuses for ourselves. This is the situation we’re in, and we’re going to deal with it and try to get wins from here on in. We’re not out of it yet, so we’ll keep playing.”
Berhalter said he’s preaching a one-game-at-a-time mentality in the locker room. He said each of the team’s final three matches are about earning “the right to be able to play for something next week.”
Midfielder Dilly Duka, who notched his first goal of the season in the win, said it’s difficult to keep from looking at standings and playoff scenarios. But at this point, Crew SC doesn’t have any other option.
“As a locker room, we believe we’re a better team than the standings show,” he said. “But we’re not in control of our own destiny, so we’ve got to just take it one game at a time and finish the season strong, just for our fans, our club and ourselves as players.”
Despite a disappointing season, Columbus fans celebrated the win with a record-setting sixth sellout of the season. In a campaign containing many disappointing home results, Berhalter has said he wished the team had given the fans more, and thanked them for their support.
“I have a lot of respect for the fans; I thank the fans a lot for sticking with us and getting behind us,” he said. “We’re disappointed with the year, they’re disappointed with the year and to show you’re a true fan, you come to the stadium.”
And while a playoff berth seems like a Herculean task, the ever-optimistic Berhalter isn’t ruling it out.
“We’re not done yet,” he said. “We’re going to keep fighting. We’ve got three games yet and hopefully we can make this a little interesting.”
