With nowhere to go but up, Columbus Crew SC went there.
Crew SC wasted little time in bouncing back from their worst league defeat in club history, scoring twice in the first 21 minutes en route to a 3-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday night as Justin Meram matched his career high with his eighth goal of the season.
Federico Higuain added his 44th career goal and his 40th career assist with Columbus, joining Brian McBride and Jeff Cunningham the 40/40 club for Crew SC, and Ola Kamara notched his eighth of the season. in the second half.
Crew SC, held without a shot on goal in Friday's 5-0 away loss to Toronto FC, went up 1-0 in the 10th minute after a Seattle turnover. Higuain capitalized with a shot into the lower left corner from the top of the area, and Meram doubled the lead in the 21st with a pretty run and drive from distance.
Meram and Higuain both earned assists on Kamara's goal in the 59th minute, a finish off the same post that denied him in the 51st after a pretty setup from Meram.
Goals
3 Things
- MERAM'S REDEMPTION: Justin Meram's big night on Wednesday had to be a little sweeter for what he went through on Friday at BMO Field. Meram was benched after just 40 minutes with Crew SC down 2-0, replaced by Artur – and while manager Gregg Berhalter characterized the move as a tactical shift rather than a punitive measure, Meram played like a man with something to prove against the Sounders.
- END OF A SHORT STRING: Seattle might be the defending MLS Cup champions, but they're struggling to build any kind of momentum this season. Wednesday night's loss ended their longest winning streak of the season -- at two matches. Then again, the Sounders struggled for much of last season before going on their late surge to their first postseason title.
- GET IN THERE, KID: Seyi Adekoya made his first MLS start on Wednesday for Seattle, given his shot by a raft of international absences and injuries on the Sounders' front line -- and promptly picked up a yellow card just three minutes in. Adekoya played the first half as a lone striker before manager Brian Schmetzer moved Alvaro Fernandez up top to help out after the break, but Seattle still couldn't find the net. The Sounders have scored just three goals in their last seven matches.
They Said It
Up Next
- Columbus - Saturday at Colorado Rapids, 9 p.m. ET (MLS LIVE)
- Seattle - Sunday vs. Houston Dynamo, 10 p.m. ET (MLS LIVE)
