With their backs against the wall, the Columbus Crew began Saturday evening's 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire in the worst possible manner -- by allowing an early goal.
"It was disappointing to give up an early goal like that," said Frankie Hejduk.
Since the Crew are now 0-11 when opponents score the first goal and average only one goal per game, the early deficit might seem insurmountable, but tonight it got the Crew into the match.
"It is not always bad to give up an early goal," said Hejduk. "It made us a more organized. It woke us up a bit."
The Crew dominated much of possession and play after going down early, but it unfortunately took the Crew most of the match before finally capitalizing on their chances.
"We did have a lot chances and didn't cash in on them. A handful of guys missed some good opportunities," said Hejduk. "We needed to get the goal back earlier."
Through substitute Knox Cameron, the Crew finally equalized after trailing for 75 minutes.
"When we scored that goal, I thought we were going to continue to push and get another one," said interim coach Robert Warzycha.
Columbus needed to stretch for the winning goal in order to gain valuable points against the Fire.
"When the season is on the line, you have to do things that you normally wouldn't do," said Warzycha. "How many games do you play with four forwards?"
The Crew may have even finished with a more attacking thrust if Eric Vasquez had not injured his right ankle just before halftime.
"That was an unnecessary sub," said Warzycha. "Eric would have likely finished the game."
The Crew also welcomed back striker Edson Buddle following a lengthy layoff.
"It felt good to be back with the guys," said Buddle.
Added Warzycha: "He didn't start today because he is just back from a long break. I think his performance was good. He had that chance to score a goal and Zach [Thornton] made a great save. Overall, I thought he had a good 25 minutes."
With the Crew pushing forward so hard for the late victory, a goal for either the Crew or for the Fire on a counterattack was likely. Unfortunately for the home squad, the latter proved to kill any lingering playoff hopes.
"We got caught on a counterattack trying to get another goal," Hejduk said.
John Kuhn is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
