Crew wary of trap game vs. United
With a 3-3 tie at the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday night, D.C. United was mathematically eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff race.
A team without a playoff spot to clinch, however, is not a team with nothing to play for.
D.C. United reportedly could play as many as 12 consecutive road games to start next season while it waits on the construction of a stadium. A three-game
road swing that started Wednesday in New Jersey and will wrap Oct. 15 in Portland will test D.C.’s resolve on the road.
D.C. (9-17-5) will also use its final three games, starting with a game Saturday night at Mapfre Stadium against Crew SC (14-12-5), to build momentum for next season and attempt to spoil the playoff chances of its opponents.
Crew coach Gregg Berhalter agreed that his team wouldn’t need much of a lecture before the game on the importance of not overlooking an opponent.
“Still, you have the tendency to think it’s a home game, it’s against D.C. who’s eliminated, it could potentially be an easier game, but that’s not going to be the case,” Berhalter said. “Looking where the standings are, looking at what we have left, it’s a big game for us, no question.”
A loss to D.C., which has scored seven of its 30 goals in its last two games, wouldn’t necessarily spoil the Crew’s playoff plans but could delay them by two weeks. A win would earn the Crew a playoff spot outright; with any other result, it would need some help.
A Crew tie would require a tie or loss from Montreal for Columbus to clinch a playoff spot. A Crew loss would require a tie or loss from both Montreal and New England on Saturday to push Columbus into the playoffs.
“They’re not playing for a spot in the playoffs, so they’re just coming to just have fun
Crew — GK Steffen; D Raitala, Mensah, Williams, Afful; MF Trapp, Artur, Meram, Higuain, Santos; F Kamara. United — GK Clark; D Korb, Opare, Birnbaum, DeLeon; MF Canouse, Sarvas, Arriola, Acosta, Stieber; F Mullins.
D.C. has an Eastern Conference-low 30 goals but has scored seven of those goals in its last two games. … Forward Patrick Mullins has five goals in 17 games, but all came in the last two
and you know it can be dangerous for us,” Crew defender Jonathan Mensah said. “We just have to be tuned in, locked in and go really, really hard on them because that’s what they’re going to do.” games. … United is 7-17-7 all time in Columbus.
The team seeks its first eight-game unbeaten streak since the start of the 2010 season. … With a win in its final home game, the Crew would set the club record for home wins in a season (12). … The Crew has won its final regularseason home game three straight times as well as eight times in the last 10 seasons. Lately, the Crew has shown an ability to score with consistency. So has D.C., which tied the New York Red Bulls 3-3 on Wednesday night. Don’t expect a clean sheet from Crew SC, but if it can stay composed long enough to wear down D.C., a win or tie is realistic.
Said defender Hector Jimenez: “D.C.’s a team that’s got nothing to lose. Those are the difficult teams that sometimes you struggle against.”
United has played loose in each of its last two games and punished its opponents in key moments. Patrick Mullins, who didn’t score in his first 15 games, buried the San Jose Earthquakes in a 4-0 D.C. win last Saturday with four second-half goals in 31 minutes. In the tie against the Red Bulls, D.C. twice came back from a goal deficit and forced a New York own goal in stoppage time to earn a road point.
A lot more than Columbus failing to beat D.C. United would have to transpire over the next three weeks for the Crew to miss the playoffs. Still, leaving Mapfre Stadium on Saturday without a playoff spot in hand would turn up the pressure.
“Our job is about dealing with pressure,” Berhalter said. “We’re in professional sports. The higher the pressure, the more we should be able to deal with it because this is why we do the job, to play in big moments like this.”