Zelarayan, Berry stand out on Crew’s offense
The last time Miguel Berry scored against FC Cincinnati — the only other time he scored in MLS before Friday night — he felt it was more necessary to showcase the name on the back of Lucas Zelarayan's jersey.
Zelarayan was just as integral in this rendition of the “Hell is Real” rivalry, but Berry had earned his own moment after the game when the Nordecke supporters' section chanted the name on the back of his jersey.
The Crew ended its six-game losing streak with a 3-2 win against FC Cincinnati, their first meeting at Lower.com Field. Berry scored goals in the 81st and 83rd minutes to complete a comeback that was more than necessary.
It took an individual top-class strike from Zelarayan in the 45th minute and a couple of fortuitous bounces off Cincinnati goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer for Berry to finally put the Crew back in the win column.
"We got a little break, obviously, with the deflection on the second goal,” coach Caleb Porter said. “That was a break we hadn't gotten for quite some time. If you do the right things, then eventually you'll get rewarded. I thought we got rewarded today and I thought this was a result we deserved, honestly."
Berry would be the first to admit he's far from a top player on the team.
“I let Lucas do what he needs to do, Pedro (Santos) do what he needs to do, and I help them,” he said.
But all he's done in his short time with the Crew is be solid and mistakefree and score goals in big moments. In six games (two starts) and 193 minutes,
Berry is now the third-highest scorer on the Crew with three goals.
Berry entered the game for Bradley Wright-phillips in the 73rd minute, less than 60 seconds before Cincinnati took a 2-1 lead. That's quite the situation to step into for a 23-year-old.
But Berry didn't waste time. The shot from Santos in the 81st minute was spilled by Vermeer and Berry was the first to the ball. Goal.
Two minutes later, a shot from Alex Matan went off Vermeer's hands, then off Berry's chest and over Vermeer's head.