Columbus Crew SC 0, Philadelphia Union 0 | 2018 MLS Match Recap

In the race for fourth place in the Eastern Conference — and a 2018 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs home game — Columbus Crew SC remained one point ahead of the Philadelphia Union.

On Saturday night at MAPFRE Stadium, with big playoff positioning implications on the line, Columbus and Philly battled to a scoreless draw.

A defensive stalemate, there were only two combined shots on target (both from Columbus) with Union goalkeeper Andre Blake preserving the shutout with a spectacular leaping save on Harrison Afful in the 90th minute.

The Union thought they had taken a lead late in the first half on a Jonathan Mensah own goal. But the goal was disallowed after Video Review due to Cory Burke committing a foul on Lalas Abubakar on the buildup.

Goals

• None

Three Things

THE BIG PICTURE: Fresh off a heartbreaking loss in the U.S. Open Cup final for the third time in five years, the Union can take solace in grinding out a club-record fifth straight road result in league play. Crew SC, meanwhile, missed a good chance to put some distance between them and Philly, but still have a slight leg up for that coveted fourth-place spot. In other words, there’s a decent chance these two teams will get together soon at the same location for the Knockout Round.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH
: Blake showed again why he’s one of the league’s best goalkeepers with his huge save on Afful, giving him his career-high 10th shutout of the season.

MAN OF THE MATCH: There were some solid defensive performances on both sides but Blake is the reason the Union left Columbus with a point despite finishing with zero shots on target for the first time this year.

Next Up

• CLB: Saturday, October 6 at Montreal (3 pm ET | TV & streaming info)
• PHI: Saturday, October 6 vs. Minnesota (7:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info)