although it ended in disappointing fashion in the MLS Cup Playoffs -- and early this season, Razov bolstered the attack in front of a still stingy defense.
"Scoring three goals against L.A. was very positive and we thought everything was going to go the right way," said then-assistant coach Robert Warzycha. "At that time, we knew Ross and Duncan were going to be out for the season so we knew it would be tough, but that was a positive start."
In fact, the Crew were never able to fully overcome the loss of two-thirds of their central midfield.
"It is unfortunate to say since we are a professional team and we should be deep enough to replace any two players, but really losing those two players hurt us an insurmountable amount," said Fraser. "We still could have made the playoffs without them and done well, but we were not the same team that we could have been with those two players."
Oughton had a breakout season in 2004 and logged a career high in minutes. He played much of the season in the defensive midfield and provided cover for fellow New Zealand international Simon Elliott to get forward more often than he was allowed in 2005. Also, the Crew were unable to maintain possession and create as many scoring chances without Paule's presence as a vital cog in the midfield.
"The year before, we had such a good understanding between Ross, Simon, and Duncan. Coming into this year, we lost two of them," said Warzycha. "Simon was by himself. We spent the whole season putting these three spots together. We were OK, but not as good as last year."
Columbus had its 19-match regular-season winning streak stopped in the second week of the season by the same team that knocked them out of the 2004 playoffs. The new kings of the Eastern Conference, the New England Revolution, had their way with the Ohio outfit with a three-goal second half that signified the passing of the torch.
The excitement about Razov's addition had cooled as well. He was deemed too similar to Buddle and the Crew were in the market for a quick, slashing forward in the mold of recently jettisoned striker Jeff Cunningham. They acquired Cornell Glen and he made his first appearance for the Crew against the Fire on April 30, which was also Razov's last start for the Black-and-Gold. He lost his job as a starter after five games and demanded a trade after two appearances on the substitutes' bench. After opening day, he had no goals and the Crew only scored two in his last six games.
Razov later got his desired trade to the MetroStars and had six goals and five assists in 18 matches there. He would also get his redemption against the Crew on June 18, just his second match for the MetroStars, as he scored a pair of goals in a 3-2 win against Columbus. The Crew received John Wolyniec for the disgruntled Razov and the MLS veteran scored three goals for the Black-and-Gold in 17 appearances.
With Razov in limbo, the Crew earned their first road point against the Galaxy on May 25. In an otherwise forgettable match, Columbus will remember it for the good and bad. On the good side, Chris Henderson made his Crew debut and went on to provide a much-needed spark on the flank over the rest of the season. However, Jon Busch suffered a knee injury and joined the increasingly lengthy list of players out for the season.
With backup netminder Matt Jordan also injured, the Crew went with their only healthy 'keeper, Bill Gaudette, and relied on MLS to send someone to backup the rookie and play in reserve matches. After a rough first start, Gaudette played well between the posts in his next four starts and earned his only shutout and win in June against the Rapids. However, the Crew smartly decided to bring in an experienced 'keeper.
Jonny Walker took full advantage of the opportunity he encountered in Columbus. He finished behind only MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Pat Onstad in goals-against average. Moreover, the former MetroStars shot-stopper posted shutouts in nearly a third of his matches. Most importantly, he displayed a veteran presence in the back that helped shore up a defense that had the tendency to give up weak goals.
Walker was acquired in the midst of an extremely tough stretch -- especially at the normally friendly confines of Crew Stadium -- that ultimately led to the firing of Greg Andrulis.
The Crew earned only eight points (only one against Eastern Conference rivals) in Andrulis's last 12 games at the helm. The period was particularly difficult for the fans at home games. The Fire, Wizards, and MetroStars all handed the Crew lopsided defeats during the low point of the season.
Another pair of home losses against D.C. United and the San Jose Earthquakes in early July not only sealed the Crew's first-ever losing record at home, but also brought the end of the Andrulis era in Columbus, as Warzycha was named interim coach in his stead.
"It is always tough when a friend is leaving," said Warzycha. "On the other hand, it was an opportunity for me to step up and lead the team."
"It is unfortunate to say since we are a professional team and we should be deep enough to replace any two players, but really losing [Ross Paule and Duncan Oughton] hurt us an insurmountable amount." |
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<strong>-- Robin Fraser</strong> |
Fraser thinks the coaching change helped the Crew to a respectable finish. "After Bobby took over, I felt that we started to get things turned around and had a decent second half of the season," he said.
Warzycha took over as interim coach with three matches remaining before the All-Star break and desperately needing points to get back into the playoff picture.
In his first match as interim coach, Warzycha led the Crew to a gutsy draw in Chicago. They backed up that performance with a pair of home wins against the MetroStars and the Wizards. The win against the MetroStars was particularly exciting as substitutes Jamal Sutton and Marcus Storey combined for the winning goal deep in added time.
"We felt like we started to turn the corner (heading to the break) and there were a number of good performances after the break as well," said Fraser.
Although Warzycha was known as an attacking player and seemed to never make a defensive substitution, the Crew were much better defensively during his stint as interim coach. The Crew allowed three goals only once under his guidance while it happened six times earlier in the season.
"Later in the season, we didn't give away as many goals, especially at home. Everybody was doing a better job defensively," said Warzycha. "We managed to get some shutouts and win some games."
Warzycha was also more willing to give his less-experienced players playing time. In addition to Danny Szetela and Chad Marshall, who were already getting minutes, Knox Cameron, Domenic Mediate, Marcus Storey, Jamal Sutton, David Testo and Eric Vasquez were all given increased opportunities under Warzycha. With Edson Buddle missing nine games through injury and a league suspension and no veteran striker taking full advantage of his absence, the opportunities were especially abundant in the attacking positions.
After sputtering a little in two away games, the Crew put together a three-match winning streak heading into Labor Day, including their first two away wins of the season, that gave the club hope it could snatch a playoff spot.
Unfortunately, the Crew then ran into the New England Revolution and some poor play at the end of matches that cost them crucial points at home. After New England easily romped past the Crew for the third time of the season on Sept. 10, the Crew had a pair of important home games. Against Chicago, Columbus gave up the winning goal with only a handful of minutes remaining and just four minutes after they had knotted the score. Just a few days later, the Crew allowed a Taylor Twellman equalizer well into added time that did everything but officially eliminate Columbus from playoff contention.
Even though the Crew came back with a win in their first visit to Salt Lake City, they followed up that performance with an embarrassing home loss to Chivas USA, the expansion club's first road win in history. After a defeat at FC Dallas in their next match, which officially eliminated the Crew from the playoffs, Columbus finished the season with a pair of good showings in their final two matches at Chicago and D.C. United.
The wins provided a semblance of a building block for the 2006 season, which will begin with Sigi Schmid at the helm. The veteran coach -- who won MLS Cup with the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2002 -- was named as the fourth head coach in club history on Oct. 20.
John Kuhn is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
