Zardes on fire, Crew stay alive
Perhaps it’s having nearly the entire lineup from last season’s MLS Cup championship back. Perhaps it’s the energy in a new stadium when the home team needs a win.
Those two things absolutely had something to do with the Crew’s 2-1 win Saturday against CF Montreal that kept the hopes of making the playoffs alive and well.
But above all else, the Crew (9-11-7, 34 points) looked confident and in control without any panic as forward Gyasi Zardes scored twice.
“I think what we’re showing now is there’s a belief of attacking from the start, not letting the game have to come to us,” center back Josh Williams said. “We’re taking the game to teams, and if we do that and we get everybody healthy — I think (coach Caleb Porter) said in the locker room — we’re a dangerous team. I think as we get the ball rolling here, I think teams — a little fear is going to creep in here.”
Aside from when winger Luis Diaz blew his defensive assignment and the Crew couldn’t clear the ball before Romell Quioto cut the Crew lead to one in the 92nd minute, the defense looked sharp. Montreal had 57.9% possession with 11 shots, four of which were on target.
Despite not having a ton of control in the attacking half in the first half, the Crew still found a goal in transition and looked lively throughout the second half. It was the kind of effort and efficiency on scoring chances that defined last season’s attack. The Crew had six shots on target.
“When we play the way we should play, we’re an attacking team,” Porter said. “There have been games where that psychology isn’t there. A lot of it has to do with — and I’ve said it — different guys in. It’s hard to gain continuity and belief when you have a bunch of new guys in. We’re developing that right now. We have that belief. We’re playing aggressive.”
Montreal (10-9-7, 37 points) remains ahead of the Crew with a game in hand, and one point ahead of Atlanta United for the final playoff spot, which also has a game in hand on the Crew. Porter said earlier this week the Crew will earn a playoff spot if it sneaks in, given five of their final eight games are against teams fighting to get in or to stay in.
“We looked life ourselves today,”
Porter said. “But it doesn’t get any easier.”
Zardes had a stellar one-touch finish in front of goal on a cross from Derrick Etienne Jr. in the 44th minute, then added a left-footed strike into the topleft corner in the 62nd minute.
Midfielder Darlington Nagbe made the pass to Zardes after winning a duel against midfielder Victor Wanyama,
and Zardes immediately sprinted to his left with the ball. Attacking midfielder Lucas Zelarayan made a run into the box to give Zardes the space he needed atop the semi-circle outside the box.
“If they’re going to give me time and space, I can shoot like that with my left or my right foot,” Zardes said. “I was glad it went in, but I need to do that more.”
It was his sixth goal of the season, third in two games.
In general, the Crew created more opportunities to score than the stats indicate. On 10 shots, the Crew registered a 1.0 expected goals, with Zardes’ first goal accounting for .66 of that total. However, there were several moments in the second half where the Crew had numbers forward and should have gotten a shot on goal.
Porter said wingers Etienne and Pedro Santos had their best games of the season, as did Zardes.
CREW 2, MONTREAL 1
Montreal 0 1—1
Columbus 1 1—2
FIRST HALF: 1. Columbus, Zardes 6 (Etienne) 44th minute. SECOND: 2. Columbus, Zardes 7 (Nagbe) 62nd; 3. Montreal, Quioto 6, 90th+3.
Shots: Montreal 11, Columbus 10. Shots on goal: Montreal 4, Columbus 6. Saves: Montreal, Pantemis 4; Columbus, Bush 3. Fouls: Montreal 7, Columbus 14. Offsides: Montreal 5, Columbus 1. Corner kicks: Montreal 4, Columbus 1. Yellow cards: Columbus, Williams 39th; Etienne 56th. A: 19,423.
Lineups: Montreal—pantemis; Brault-guillard, Camacho, Miller, Waterman (Lappalainen 80); Choinière (Ibrahim 68), Mihailovic, Piette (Miljevic 68), Torres (Bassong 68), Wanyama; Quioto.
Columbus—bush; Afful, Mensah, Valenzuela (Díaz 69), Williams; Etienne (Matan 83), Fraser (Zelarayán 59), Nagbe, Santos; Hairston (Abdul-salaam 82), Zardes (Berry 70).