Crew hoping that lessons from D.C. draw can help vs. FC Cincy
Crew coach Caleb Porter knew that with four road games in a five-game stretch, the past 21 days may have marked the toughest part of the Crew’s schedule.
Getting eight points out of those four road games, all without a loss, surpassed the minimum of what Porter wanted in that window.
But allowing a goal in the 92nd minute of a 2-2 draw at D.C. United was deflating enough to rob the team of the momentum they hoped to have heading into a home match with playoff implications against rival FC Cincinnati.
“It’s a game where I don’t quite know how to feel, to be honest with you,” he said. “If I’m honest, I just think it was kind of a sloppy game. I didn’t think we got good performances across the board. Yes, when the dust settles, it’s a draw. Yes, we’re seven unbeaten and on the road five unbeaten, but we didn’t – for me – play well enough.”
It was the second time this season the Crew allowed a stoppage-time goal off a set piece that turned three points into just one.
“It feels like a loss for me,” goalkeeper Eloy Room said. “For me, this has to be three points.”
The Crew wasn’t able to clear a corner kick as it came toward center back Jalil Anibaba as he was battling D.C. center back Brendan Hines-ike at the back post. (Both went to the ground, and the head referee later reviewed the play, controversially ruling Hines-ike had not committed a foul.) Taxiarchis Fountas then beat Crew midfielder Sean Zawadzki to the ball and sent it toward the front of the goal.
Right back Steven Moreira had the ball go through his legs inside the 6yard box, and it sat directly in front of the goal line where forward Ola Kamara won a joust against left back Pedro Santos for the tying goal. Room, standing at the near post and blocked out by defenders, was unable to make a save.
The goal itself was frustrating, but it was how the Crew managed the game with leads of 1-0 and a 2-1 that was most disappointing to Porter. Throughout the game, the broadcast captured him imploring his team to “keep the ball!”
D.C. United had 14 interceptions and won 75% of their tackles, 12 total.
“Just very careless giveaways. Very sloppy,” Porter said. “If we keep the ball, that game shortens and gets chewed up, and we’re out of there with no danger. We just start giving the ball away, forcing it forward, kicking it in the corners. There just wasn’t a lot of composure.”
Porter said there was a lot that could have gone better Kamara’s tally. The corner kick, for instance, Porter believes
never should have been conceded.
The Crew clearly missed center back and captain Jonathan Mensah, who was out due to yellow-card suspension, and midfielder Darlington Nagbe, who had to exit the game in the 82nd minute because of muscle tightness. They normally would have helped organize the team late in the game.
And the Crew were a disaster on setpiece defending throughout the contest, not just the final minutes.
“No matter who’s in the game, we have to do a better job of keeping the ball and making better decisions,” Porter said. “It’s very important we don’t just chalk it up to a point on the road because we have to be better. We also have to put it behind us quickly because we have three days then a very important derby game on Sunday at home.” jmyers@dispatch.com @_jcmyers