Crew stumble in postseason opener

Late goal unravels champions in first leg of semifinal series

Robbie Findley was able to sneak in front of Eric Brunner and tap in Yura Movsisyan's cross from the left corner, giving Real the lead ahead of Thursday's second leg at Crew Stadium.

RSL started the match as the stronger side, and they had two good scoring opportunities in the opening six minutes from center back Nat Borchers. Borchers' fourth-minute shot from the left side off a free kick was deflected out of play by Frankie Hejduk, and two minutes later a dangerous bending cross went just out of his reach.

The Crew had their first good scoring chance of the match in the ninth minute. A defensive breakdown by Salt Lake sprung Robbie Rogers down the left flank. Rogers made a centering pass to Steven Lenhart, who beat two defenders to find himself one-on-one with Nick Rimando. Lenhart tried to curl the ball inside the far right post, but he missed just wide.

In the 23rd minute, again Salt Lake nearly opened their account for the night. A nice bit of combination play by the RSL midfield corps just outside the penalty area resulted in Andy Williams getting a good look from the right side of the penalty area about 20 yards out. Like Lenhart 15 minutes earlier, Williams tried to curl the shot inside the far post, but goalkeeper Will Hesmer read it well and was able to make the save.

Columbus played a smart game for most of the first half. They played conservatively on defense but avoided falling into a shell by concentrating their forces in the midfield. But the Crew were not afraid to take their opportunities going forward -- having bodies in the midfield enabled them to go forward with numbers when they gained possession, as well as looking for set pieces to capitalize on.

From one of those set pieces in the 41st minute, Columbus had their best opportunity of the match to that point. From 50 yards out on the left wing, Gino Padula sent the ball into the box where Lenhart was unmarked a mere eight yards from goal. He flicked a header on goal, but it went straight to Rimando who made the save.

In first-half stoppage time, Columbus again nearly took advantage of a RSL giveaway as Eddie Gaven had a decent look at goal, from the right side about 22 yards out. He took a low, hard shot, but again Rimando was right there to make an easy grab.

The second half featured more of the same from Columbus: a disruptive defense and good decision-making on offense. Real Salt Lake were constantly frustrated on the attack as the Crew took away passing lanes and forced the home side out of their preferred style of attack.

Columbus continued to be patient and take advantage of opportunities to attack as they presented themselves. In the 65th minute, the Crew had a good string of passes that resulted in Hejduk putting a dangerous cross into the penalty area. Jamison Olave headed it out of immediate danger but right to Danny O'Rourke who was lurking 25 yards out from goal.

O'Rourke hit a hard volley on the bounce with his first touch. His shot had Rimando beaten and appeared destined for the side netting, but it missed by just a few inches.

Salt Lake continued to search for the home lead they wanted, and in the 74th minute they again almost found the elusive goal. A good bit of one-touch soccer between Movsisyan, Williams and Javier Morales resulted in Morales taking a hard strike from just inside the penalty box. The shot wound up flying just over the crossbar.

Over the final minutes of the match, Real played with increasing urgency, pushing forward with more and more numbers and putting the Crew under heavy pressure. A through ball by Clint Mathis found Findley streaking in behind the defense. Findley was one-on-one with Hesmer, but Chad Marshall was able to get back and disrupt Findley just enough that Findley's shot hit the side netting.

But Findley continued his torrid run of form, and in the 88th minute, he made Columbus pay. After a quick throw-in on the right side to Movsisyan, Movsisyan played a low cross toward the near post. Findley made a diagonal run and slid onto Movsisyan's cross, pushing it under Hesmer and into the net for the lone goal.

Jeremy Horton is a contributor to MLSnet.com.

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