Two of MLS's best meet in Primetime
Table-topping Crew, scorching Red Bulls come head-to-head
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COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM, Columbus, Ohio
Sept. 18, 2008 | 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2/DEPORTES)
WEEK # 26 | GAME # 169
Two of the hottest teams in Major League Soccer meet on MLS Primetime Thursday for a game that could have real implications on the Eastern Conference race when the Columbus Crew entertain the New York Red Bulls. The Crew have lost just twice in their last 13 games, and a victory could put them on the verge of securing their first spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs in four years. But the Red Bulls have lost just once in their last eight games, and could find themselves in the top three in the East with a victory at Crew Stadium.
REFEREE: Alex Prus. SAR (bench): Steven Taylor; JAR (opposite): Michael Salyers; 4th: Hilario Grajeda MLS Career: 134 games; FC/gm: 29.6; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 31; pens: 41
INJURY REPORT: COLUMBUS CREW - OUT: MF Cory Elenio (L quad strain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Guillermo Barros Schelotto (L hamstring strain); MF Brad Evans (R groin strain) ... NEW YORK RED BULLS - OUT: MF Dave van den Bergh (sports hernia surgery)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CLB: Andy Iro
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CLB: Frankie Hejduk, Adam Moffat, Guillermo Barros Schelotto ... NY: Andrew Boyens, Seth Stammler, Sinisa Ubiparipovic
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (44 meetings): Crew 19 wins, 51 goals ... Red Bulls 20 wins, 61 goals ... Ties 5
AT COLUMBUS (22 meetings): Crew 11 wins, 30 goals ... Red Bulls 9 wins, 32 goals ... Ties 2
• This is the second of three meetings between the teams this season, the only one of the season set for Crew Stadium. The teams conclude their season series in the penultimate weekend of the season, Oct. 18 at the Meadowlands.
• The teams split their season series last year, each team winning once (each at home), with the third meeting a draw. The teams opened the 2007 season against each other with a scoreless draw in Columbus.
• The Crew's last victory in East Rutherford came in the first meeting between the teams in 2003. In the nine meetings in the Meadowlands since, New York has won six.
• One team has been shutout in each of the last eight meetings in the series - covering the span of the last two seasons. Two of those games have been scoreless draws (the first meeting in both the 2006 and 2007 seasons).
• Coaches record: Juan Carlos Osorio vs. CLB: P3 W2 L0 D1 ... Sigi Schmid v NY: P22 W7 L11 D4
LAST MEETING (MLS):
4/5: NY 2, CLB 0 (van den Bergh 1, Goldthwaite 8)
• The New York Red Bulls got two quick goals and held out for a 2-0 victory in the first meeting of the season this year - all the way back on April 5.
• The home side got the start they were looking for, scoring after just 47 seconds. Dave van den Bergh took the ball in midfield and paced forward before letting fly from all of 30 yards. The ball skipped off the turf and past Crew 'keeper Will Hesmer for the quickest goal in Red Bulls history.
• By eight minutes in, it was 2-0. A corner kick from the right sailed by the back post, but Juan Pablo Angel got to it first and knocked it back into the goalmouth. Defender Kevin Goldthwaite was there, beating a defender to the ball to tap it in.
• The Red Bulls had a glorious chance to make it 3-0 in the second half, when Jozy Altidore was pulled down by Columbus defender Danny O'Rourke in the area. But Hesmer saved Angel's penalty kick, the second spot kick stopped in as many weeks by the Crew goalkeeper.
• Here's Osorio's team (3-4-1-2): Jon Conway - Chris Leitch, Jeff Parke, Kevin Goldthwaite - Luke Sassano, Seth Stammler, Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Danleigh Borman 46), Dave van den Bergh - Claudio Reyna (Mike Magee 79) - Oscar Echeverry (John Wolyniec 71), Juan Pablo Angel. Substitutes Not Used: Jozy Altidore, Chris Megaloudis, Carlos Mendes, Zach Thornton
• Here's Schmid's team (4-4-1-1): Will Hesmer - Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Danny O'Rourke, Stefani Miglioranzi (Ezra Hendrickson 66) - Robbie Rogers, Brian Carroll, Adam Moffat (Brad Evans 61), Eddie Gaven - Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Nicolas Hernandez 62) - Alejandro Moreno. Substitutes Not Used: Jason Garey, Andy Gruenebaum, Andy Iro, Duncan Oughton
COLUMBUS CREW
The Columbus Crew saw their winning streak come to an end but still kept their unbeaten run intact, coming back to claim a 1-1 draw with Toronto FC at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon. The Crew still lead the Eastern Conference and the race for the Supporters' Shield with 44 points from 24 matches, three ahead of the New England Revolution.LAST MATCH
• Toronto FC was looking to snap a four-game winless run and win for the first time at home in league play since June 14, a span of five matches, while the Crew came riding a four-game winning streak.
• With their full complement of internationals back in the lineup, two combined to give TFC the lead after just six minutes. From a freekick well out from goal on the right, Amado Guevara played the ball along the ground toward the top of the restraining arc. Carl Robinson came on to strike a curling, dipping first-time shot that Crew 'keeper William Hesmer just couldn't keep out, the ball ticking off the underside of the bar into the goal.
• Then the Crew won a penalty kick. But with Guillermo Barros Schelotto injured and unavailable, with four goals from the spot on the season, the opportunity fell to Alejandro Moreno. His effort, though, was stopped by Greg Sutton.
• But the Crew pulled level in the 40th minute. Pat Noonan went on a long dribbling run toward goal, cracking a low drive from just outside the area in the lower left corner of Greg Sutton's goal for his first goal since returning to MLS this season.
• Columbus head coach Sigi Schmid made four changes to the team that defeated the New England Revolution 4-0 the previous Saturday. Frankie Hejduk came in for Andy Iro on the backline and Stefani Miglioranzi for Brad Evans in midfield - and there was a new strike force, with Alejandro Moreno back in the lineup along with Pat Noonan, in place of Steven Lenhart and the injured Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
• Here's Schmid's team (4-4-2): William Hesmer - Frankie Hejduk, Danny O'Rourke, Chad Marshall, Gino Padula - Eddie Gaven, Stefani Miglioranzi (Emmanuel Ekpo 71), Brian Carroll, Robbie Rogers - Alejandro Moreno, Pat Noonan (Jason Garey 78). Substitutes Not Used: Andy Gruenebaum, Andy Iro, Steven Lenhart, Duncan Oughton, Jed Zayner
TEAM NEWS
• For Pat Noonan, it was his first MLS goal in nearly a full calendar year - his last came Sept. 15, 2007 with the New England Revolution. It was his first in five games (two as a starter) since returning to the league from Aalesunds FK of Norway's Tippeligaen.
• "I'm hoping to just come in and contribute," Noonan said. "There's a lot of guys fighting for spots and tonight I was able to get a start and get a goal. I'm happy to be here."
• With Guillermo Barros Schelotto hampered by a hamstring injury and not in the 18-man gameday roster, Noonan filled the underneath striker role with Alejandro Moreno back in the team.
• "One of the reasons we brought Noonan here was because we knew he could play in that position. He scored a great goal today," Schmid said. "Stefani [Miglioranzi] stepped in [for Brad Evans]. Emmanuel Ekpo, he's only been back a little more than a week after being gone for a month with the Olympics, we're trying to round him into shape but everyone saw his quality in the last 15 minutes of the game. I've never been disappointed about our depth."
• Still, it was another slow start on the road for the Crew. Columbus has allowed a league-high eight goals within the first 15 minutes of games this season. The trend gets worse on artificial surfaces -- four of those early goals allowed came in three games in New York, Salt Lake City and Toronto.
• "We've played four games on turf this year and in three of them we've conceded a goal in the first 10 minutes of the game," Schmid said. "So this time being able to come back form that was a positive. Dealing with the psychological blow of missing a penalty kick, you know, was also something we needed to come back from. I was proud of that. I was also disappointed, in a way, because we created some chances and had the run of play at times and should've done a bit better with our chances."
• However, Schelotto will miss his second consecutive match Thursday because of a sore hamstring. "I feel better. The next game against New York I couldn't play but I feel I can play at Boston,' he said, referring to the Sept. 27 match at New England. "I will start training Monday."
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls returned to their winning ways, coming back from a first-half deficit to record a 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake on Saturday evening at Giants Stadium. The Red Bulls now have 35 points from 24 matches and now hold sole possession of fourth place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of D.C. United and three points behind the Chicago Fire.LAST MATCH
• The Red Bulls were returning home after seeing their seven-game unbeaten run put to an end in Chicago the week before. Real Salt Lake were on the road for a second consecutive week, getting just their second draw (to go with just one win) away from home the week before at the LA Galaxy.
• But it was the visitors who took the lead in the 38th minute. A long ball out of the back was flicked on by Robbie Findley, and Yura Movsisyan raced in alone on goal before nicking it past goalkeeper Jon Conway for his third goal and second in as many games.
• The Red Bulls just four minutes after the second-half restart. A long headed clearance sailed over everyone and Juan Pablo Angel was first to it on the left, carrying into the area before flicking an outside of the foot shot past Nick Rimando for his ninth goal on the season.
• New York then hit for the winner in the 64th minute. A clearance went only as far as Dane Richards well outside the area, and he pumped the ball back into the area, somehow finding Dave van den Bergh all alone at the right corner of the six. van den Bergh coolly collected the ball and curled home a close-range shot inside the far post.
• Red Bulls boss Juan Carlos Osorio made four changes to the team that lost 1-0 to the Chicago Fire the weekend before. Kevin Goldthwaite came back into the team from suspension, along with Mike Magee, John Wolyniec and Jorge Rojas, back from international duty. Seth Stammler was rested while Diego Jimenez and Sinisa Ubiparipovic returned to the substitutes' bench, and Hunter Freeman had been traded to Toronto.
• Here's Osorio's team (3-4-1-2): Jon Conway - Jeff Parke (Chris Leitch 53), Gabriel Cichero, Kevin Goldthwaite - Dane Richards, Mike Magee (Carlos Mendes 67), Juan Pietravallo, Dave van den Bergh - Jorge Rojas - John Wolyniec, Juan Pablo Angel. Substitutes Not Used: Danleigh Borman, Danny Cepero, Diego Jimenez, Luke Sassano, Sinisa Ubiparipovic
• "I think the team believing in what we do; we said at halftime we would get our chances," Osorio said. "We need to be patient, we need to pass the ball better and I think all the guys showed that we really are becoming a better team.
TEAM NEWS
• Heading into Saturday's game, the Red Bulls were 0-6-1 after trailing at the half. The goals from Angel and van den Bergh meant it was just the eighth time this year an MLS team had come from behind after a halftime deficit.
• "It was difficult to take but we had a little chat at halftime and the adjustments that we made paid off and I think through 90 minutes, it was well deserved and I'm very pleased with the effort and the result of the guys," Osorio said.
• Said van den Bergh: "I think it shows the team has character. We can be a very offensive team, but I think we also proved we can defend the lead now and that's very comforting going into the final stretch of the season and the postseason."
• It was also a good response to the loss to Chicago the week before, and since July 10, the Red Bulls have lost just that trip to Chicago. They have allowed just four goals in the last seven matches. "I think the last six, seven games have been great for us. We've been looking more compact and more organized, more dangerous and it's right when we need it," Angel said.
• After the trip to Columbus, the Red Bulls finish with three of their final five games at home down the stretch, including back-to-back home contests against Colorado and Toronto. "This is the time that we needed to pick up points," Angel said. "Still, everything is very close there and we want to keep on winning games. Hopefully, we get into a safe playoff position sooner rather than later."
• The Red Bulls were among the busiest teams as the MLS roster freeze deadline approached on Monday. After trading fullback Hunter Freeman to Toronto FC on Friday, the Red Bulls signed highly touted Macoumba Kandji, a 23-year-old Senegalese striker, from the Atlanta Silverbacks of the USL First Division.
• The Red Bulls also signed Matthew Mbuta, a speedy winger who last played for Crystal Palace Baltimore of the USL-2. The 22-year-old Cameroonian winger, who scored seven goals in 33 appearances for Crystal Palace Baltimore over two seasons, was signed to a developmental contract. To make room for Mbuta, the Red Bulls waived forward Chris Megaloudis.
• The club signed goalkeeper Terry Boss, who last played for the Charlotte Eagles, where he was named USL Second Division Goalkeeper of the Year. The 27-year-old has also been capped by Puerto Rico.
• The Crew's current position was started with a run of six wins in seven starts to open the season. The lone loss? To New York at Giants Stadium. "They are red hot but you know, I think we have proved that we can beat them. It's a different team that they have and that we have but still, I think it's very possible that we can get a result out there," van den Bergh.
