PHOENIX, Arizona - The Columbus Crew continued its impressive run of form in the 2007 preseason Sunday night, with a 4-1 defeat of FC Dallas in front of 3,600 people at Grand Canyon University's soccer stadium.
The Crew asserted their dominance early on in the game with a Kei Kamara goal in the 7th minute off an assist from Eddie Gaven. The Columbus scoring continued in the 15th minute when Jose Retiz hooked a corner kick into the box, which was headed into the back of the net by Eddie Gaven. Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum found himself facing a one-on-one situation with a Dallas forward in the 20th minute but assured a first-half clean sheet by thwarting Dallas's best early opportunity with a great save. Columbus would close its flurry of first-half goals in the 31st minute when a nice cross by Jose Retiz was headed home by Kamara for his second goal of the night.
Mass substitutions ensued after the break as both teams looked to give plenty of players the chance to contribute. Dallas would strike first in the 47th minute of the second stanza as Dax McCarty, assisted by David Wagenfuhr, beat the Crew defense for Dallas's only goal of the game. Kei Kamara would cap his wonderful performance in the 60th minute, by taking a Ned Grabavoy pass and sending it into the back of the net for the impressive hat trick.
The Crew will continue their preseason schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 21, against Mexican Primera A (second division) club Indios de Juarez. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. ET.
Columbus Crew vs. FC Dallas
Preseason Exhibition Match
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Grand Canyon University soccer stadium (3,600 in attendance)
Scoring:
CLB - Kei Kamara (Eddie Gaven), 11th minute
CLB - Eddie Gaven (Jose Retiz), 15th minute
CLB - Kei Kamara (Jose Retiz), 31st minute
FCD - Dax McCarty (David Wagenfuhr), 48th minute
CLB - Kei Kamara (Ned Grabavoy), 60th minute
Crew Lineup - Andy Gruenebaum (Bill Gaudette 45), Marc Burch (Leonard Griffin 45), Ezra Hendrickson (Chad Marshall 45), Marcos Gonzalez (Rusty Pierce 45), Aaron Chandler (Jose Retiz 45), Danny O'Rourke (Duncan Oughton 45), Jose Retiz (Danny Szetela 45), Joseph Ngwenya (Eddie Gaven 45), Eddie Gaven (Ned Grabavoy 45), Kei Kamara (Andy Herron 65)
