In surprising fashion, Real Salt Lake came from behind 2-0 in this game to upset the reigning champs, Columbus Crew by a 3-2 margin to win the series and move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Crew opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a bizarre goal. Schelotto took a long free kick, and appeared to pick out a teammate in the box, but it went over his head and bounced inside the box. Rimando was left flat-footed and the ball bounded by him as he made a late dive to his left.
In the 35th minute, the Crew appeared set to pull away from the visitors as they scored off of a second mistake. A poor clearance from defender Robbie Russell led to Schelotto having the ball in a dangerous area, just outside of the box. He teed it up, and whipped a curling ball past Rimando into the right side of the goal. With RSL's poor road record this year, it was easy to assume that it was lights out for them.
RSL proved this theory wrong as they made a beautiful team play in the 37th minute. They made several quick passes around the final third. The final pass came with a short chip from Beckerman that found Morales alone behind the defense. He kept it low, and was able to put it away past Hesmer.
In the waning minutes of the half, Real Salt Lake received a penalty kick as Hejduk clearly took Espindola down in the box. Findley stepped up and easily put the ball past Hesmer.
In the second half, Columbus was pressing to score the series equalizer. However, it was RSL who put the game away with a goal by Andy Williams. The play came off of a short corner that Williams appeared to just be putting into the area. Eerily similar to the opening goal by Schelotto it bounded past everyone, catching the keeper by surprise and sneaking into the far corner of the goal.
Despite frantic pressure from that point on, Columbus couldn't find the net, and ended up on the wrong side of the upset.
RSL will play the winner of New England/Chicago this weekend in the Eastern Conference Finals. Either will be a road game, and RSL would need to accomplish something they've done only once before: win back-to-back road games.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Game Over. Season Over ... For Columbus
Quick Facts for Tonights Matchup and Lineup Info
A couple of quick facts as time for kickoff nears in Columbus:
Real Salt Lake away: 2-11-2
- With a 1-goal lead RSL merely needs to escape this match with a draw or better to advance to the ECF's. Unfortunately this is something that RSL only managed to do in 4 out of their 15 matches (26%) on the road this season.
- Columbus needs to win by 2 or more in order to ensure advancing something that they have done only 3 times this season (20%) at home. Unfortunately, RSL was one of those victims with their 3-1 loss on July 18th.
- The more likely scenario is that Columbus will win by 1-goal, something they have done 6 times at home this season (40%).
- This coupled with the fact that RSL has lost by a goal 5 times this season (33%) could cause someone to put down a few Benjamin's on a 1-0 or 2-1 result. Overtime and penalty shootouts would then ensue to determine who moves forward.
Despite all of this I'm sticking with a 1-1 draw. Why? Simply because Columbus isn't firing on all cylinders right now.
Lineups:
I'm expecting much of the same lineup from RSL, but Yura could start in place of Espindola. Why? He's a little better (and faster) at tracking back on defense when really needed, and then getting back out on the break when the opponent turns over the ball. Plus, he's shown to bring some magic to the show when it's needed most over the last two seasons.
In the case of Columbus you'll see Barros Schelotto and Moreno start in place of Lenhart and Rentaria. This will pump some offense into the team, but will also leave the team more vulnerable as GBS helps out little defensively. Ekpo will also likely start in place of Robbie Rogers who was ineffective in round 1.
RSL/Columbus: Round 2
Real Salt Lake had the chance on Wednesday to test out the venue for their upcoming second leg battle against the Columbus Crew. The team has been in Columbus all week in an effort to get focused for this match. Here is a video from their practice session including interviews with a couple of players:
What to expect in this one:
It’s a given that the approach by Columbus for leg 2 will be different than for the first match. A small crowd is expected according to the Columbus Dispatch,
“A crowd similar to the 11,153 that showed up for the Crew's first-round playoff victory over Kansas City last season is expected.”
The Columbus press claims that everyone is counting on RSL’s season long road woes,
“Win, lose or tie in Game 1, the Crew had planned to do the bulk of its scoring at home against Real Salt Lake, the league's worst road team.”
One thing is almost certain - reigning league MVP (until a new one is anointed later this month), Guillermo Barros Schelotto, will not be found hanging out on the Crew bench for this match.
Another certainty is that the Crew will be pressing for the much-needed equalizer early on in this match. If they are able to get it, then they can make a move for a second goal to take the series advantage.
KIR’s Keys to the Match
Here are a few of the many keys to this match:
- RSL can’t give up an early goal. The longer they can keep the Crew out of the net, the more likely they are to frustrate the Crew, and also open up the potential for a goal of their own.
- Close down Schelotto. GBS isn’t the speediest player, he’s not the most athletic, but he is one of the most dangerous near the goal. He can place a shot like Blanco, and he can pick out an open player like Beckham. When he has the ball, it’s important to close down the space, and not allow him to have room to maneuver and the time to pick out his options.
- Don’t bunker. Although Coah Warzycha has drawn some heat for it, his lineup and tactical choice for the first match very nearly worked. Even with the result he managed to hold a very potent home version of Real Salt Lake to only 8 shots and 1 goal, far below the averages that the team saw during the regular season. The success came as a result of the Crew’s discipline and ability to stay compact and be physical. For Real Salt Lake, this isn’t their style of play, and they shouldn’t try to emulate the Crew. Instead, they must keep the Crew honest and create some danger of their own (without leaving themselves exposed).
- Create some magic. One word for this one: Yura. I don’t know how you look past his ability to make big plays in big games. He should get the start.
Prediction: 1-1 draw. The Crew will score. RSL must do the same.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Leg 1 Done, Now It’s Halftime
Real Salt Lake struggled to break down the savvy Columbus team on Saturday. They generated precious few chances. At times the team looked content to play direct, but with the compact formation and physical play of the Crew this was unlikely to be successful. Finally in the 88th minute, the team that had been beaten off of quick throw-ins 2 or 3 times during the regular season, turned the tables on an opponent and generated a goal from the situation.
Will Johnson's quick throw-in found second half substitute Yura Movsisyan, who did well with the chance, and whipped in a low cross with his left foot. Robbie Findley was able to get his foot on the cross at the near post, putting RSL ahead at halftime.
Halftime? Well, yes, halftime - of the series. To Real Salt Lake's credit, that is all they talked about after the game. The 1-0 lead is somewhat meaningless as the series is essentially at halftime, with the return leg being played on Thursday at Columbus.
As one of the seemingly few fans of Yura's recent form, I think he showed that he deserves more time on the pitch. As much as I love the hustle, tenacity and heart of Fabian Espindola, I just think that Yura brings a little more quality to the table.
Going into this match my thoughts were that RSL needed to finish this one with at least a two-goal advantage. I still think that may be the case, but I'm less sure of Columbus' ability to score goals, even at home. I'm starting to think that the lack of scoring by Columbus is a real concern to that team. Frankie Hejduk mentioned this on a conference call before the game, and Coach Warzycha mentioned this in his post game comments,
“Well we didn’t score any goals in the last 5 games and they (Schelotto, Moreno) were on the field, and so I felt like maybe we go with a different combination.”“Sometimes during the season you’re in a position that you are not winning, where everything you do is not working. Maybe that’s the time that we are in right now.”
Captain Kyle Beckerman, and Coach Kreis recognized that there may be some discord or frustration at Columbus due to the lack of scoring,
"But I don’t know the inside of the Crew locker room. I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t have all of the information that goes into that decision. But yeah, we’re feeling good about it. We felt good when he (Schelotto) wasn’t in the lineup, and we felt good when he didn’t come in late in the game. I thought for sure he’d come in late in the game.” (Kreis)I do think that RSL can manage to move on in this one, despite only leaving RTS with a one-goal advantage, but I don't think they can go into Game 2 with a mentality of living off of the one goal. It is very likely that they will need to score at least one to keep things as they are. Fortunately, several players, Coach Kreis and Garth Lagerewey referred to this,“They’ve been going through a little tough patch right now. They’re trying to find themselves again. And this isn’t the best time for that to happen, but it’s what they’re going through right now.” (Beckerman)
“It’s big. It gets our foot out there and I think it gives us a little cushion. Although I’m not sure that I’m going to approach that match thinking about that cushion to be honest.” (Kreis)
“it was important to get that one goal, but again going into Columbus it’s going to be tough. It’s not going to be an easy place to play. So we are glad that we got that one goal, but now it’s a new game. Now it’s a 0-0 game.” (Movsisyan)
“Right now it’s halftime – we’ve got a one-nil lead. We just need to stay focused, stay organized, and capitalize on any scoring chances that we get.” (Beckerman)
"The thing about Columbus is they are so disciplined, and you saw today even when they pushed they don’t leave themselves open at the back. They are very good at staying compact, and keeping the spacing in terms of the whole group pushing forward and pushing back. They are a tough team to break down that way, and look they are the Supporter’s Shield winners and the defending Champs for a reason and they are not going to go down without a fight." (Lagerwey)
The key to Real Salt Lake’s ultimate success in this series will likely be their composure. They showed that composure last year at Chivas when Chivas was desperate for a go-ahead goal in the second half. But this is a whole new level. Chivas was struggling last year. Columbus may have some struggles of their own currently, but they are a very dangerous team. They feature the current MLS MVP, they are reigning MLS Cup champs, and they won the Supporters Shield this year. It won’t be easy, that’s for sure, but thanks to the late magic created by Yura (again), they at least have a chance.
