FORWARD THINKINGPROGRESS With two games to go, Crew looking for its mojo
Crew grinds out gutsy win, needs more improvement
Crew goalkeeper Eloy Room made eight saves in what was a remarkable individual performance Sunday. He had a windshieldwiper save on ball that was behind him, he made a cat-like kick save from point-blank range, he flew to make a fingertip deflection on a ball that went off the post …
Room did all of this and more in a 2-1 victory over first-place Philadelphia at Mapfre Stadium. It conjured 2017, when a string of stellar performances by then-crew goalie Zach Steffen carried the team to the Eastern Conference final – and the phrase “Save the Crew” took on added meaning.
Room’s biggest save Sunday may have been the reflexive dive that doused another hot blunder by Jonathan Mensah, in the eighth minute – when Mensah lost his sense of
“It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely a playoff-type game, some crazy conditions with the wind, some mistakes both ways. But that’s to be expected certainly from our end getting back into a rhythm with that (lineup) being together for the first time in quite some time.”
Caleb Porter Crew coach (above)
Jacob Myers
Those who dreamed of the Crew hoisting a trophy or a shield at season’s end had their expectations tempered recently. Over the course of seven games the Crew had one win and just five points, dropping from atop the Major League Soccer standings to third in the Eastern Conference
Sunday’s 2-1 win over the Supporters’ Shield-leading Philadelphia Union at Mapfre Stadium in the third-to-last game of the season may have again inspired belief in the Crew for a potential run in the MLS Cup playoffs.
It also showed that the Crew remains a work in progress as it tries to return to the form that earned it the league’s best record through more than half the season.
“Overall in a game that’s windy, against a team that presses and likes to deny you time and space … I thought we did a pretty good job, actually,” Crew coach Caleb Porter said. “But certainly not perfect.”
The win held the Crew at a tie for third place with Orlando City and six points behind Toronto FC and Philadelphia for first.
Two unexpected scorers in midfielder Artur and forward Krisztian Nemeth made the most of the Crew’s seven shots, only three of which were on goal. Defensively, the Crew allowed too many dangerous chances for Philadelphia, which could be a team the Crew has to face in the postseason.
Center back Jonathan Mensah had multiple defensive errors that led to chances, including a foul in the box that was an obvious penalty and eventually leveled the score 1-1 in the 57th minute.
As Porter indicated, the cold, windy and sometimes snowy weather certainly played a role in the match, but Philadelphia seemed unbothered. As the game wore on, the Crew created more opportunities in the attack but struggled with the end product.
Porter said there were good moments offensively, but also times where the Crew should have done better with some opportunities and didn’t move the ball as well as he wanted.
In the first game since Sept. 2 with its regular starting lineup — ironically, also a win against Philadelphia at home — the Crew seemed to regain some chemistry in its attack. It has two more games this season to get fully comfortable together on the field again.
“It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely a playoff-type game, some crazy conditions with the wind, some mistakes both ways,” Porter said. “But that’s to be expected certainly from our end getting back into a rhythm with that (lineup) being together for the first time in quite some time.”
But what made Sunday’s match a “playoff-type game” was that the winning team made the most of its opportunities even when the Crew wasn’t the better team for most of the match. Now facing Orlando City on Wednesday for the right to host a playoff game, Porter has a win that should supply more confidence.
“We’re facing two really difficult teams that once the playoff starts are going to be around (a championship),” Porter said. “I think that will really help us going in.”
jmyers@dispatch.com, @_jcmyers