Second-half goals send Crew to semis

They play on.

In the first playoff game under a new ownership, front office and coaching staff, the Crew quickly responded from conceding the first goal and jumped on the Red Bulls to open the second half in a 3-2 win on Saturday at Mapfre Stadium to clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals next Sunday.

Allowing a 90th-minute goal to New York forward Brian White, the Crew sweat out an excruciating five minutes of stoppage time and nearly blew the lead if not for a foot save by goalkeeper Eloy Room.

The Crew could have unraveled early or late, but there was enough to see coach Caleb Porter's team through to the next round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Seconds into the second half with the score tied 1-1, midfielders Lucas Zelarayan, Derrick Etienne Jr. and Darlington Nagbe peppered Red Bulls goalkeeper Ryan Meara with shots, ending

with Nagbe's finding the back of the net followed by an explosion of euphoria on the Crew bench.

Forward Gyasi Zardes scored via a header across the goal into the rightside netting in the 68th minute off a cross from Etienne.

The Crew will face the winner of Tuesday's match between Toronto FC and Nashville SC.

The Red Bulls took advantage of an early blunder in the back to stun the Crew with the opening goal.

Right back Harrison Afful shanked his attempted clearance in the 23rd minute and the ball rolled directly to 17year-old midfielder Caden Clark, who finished the chance in the upper righthand corner of the net.

From there, the Crew played with added intensity and quickly leveled the match after Santos drew a foul and the penalty in the 25th minute, beating Meara to his left.

The Crew connected its passes well in the buildup and the attacking part of the field, but couldn't go ahead before the half. Out of the break, the Crew punched the Red Bulls squarely in the mouth.

Zelarayan hit the left post on a shot from atop the penalty area, followed by Meara's save on Etienne, and finally finished by a smash from Nagbe, all in a matter of 24 seconds.

It was a bit of a mystery as to which version of the Crew would show up, having won two of the final three games but only three wins in the last 10 matches.

What Porter got was what he expected — a team that understood the stakes and delivered. jmyers@dispatch.com

@_ jcmyers

ADAM CAIRNS/COLUMBUS DISPATCH Crew forward Gyasi Zardes fights for a header with Red Bulls midfielder Dru Yearwood, left, and defender Kyle Duncan.

ADAM CAIRNS/COLUMBUS DISPATCH Crew goalkeeper Eloy Room makes a save in front of Red Bulls forward Tom Barlow during the first half.