Late in the first leg of the 2015 MLS Eastern Conference Finals, Columbus Crew SC found themselves at the tip of a possible double-edged sword.
Though enjoying a 1-0 lead over the New York Red Bulls via a scintillating Justin Meram goal that occurred just nine seconds after kickoff (an MLS playoff record), the Black and Gold knew that if the game ended as is, they’d be in front although only by the slimmest of margins. The regularly high-scoring Red Bulls would only need one to equalize at home on aggregate. Chasing a second would put Crew SC in such a more favorable position to advance to their first MLS Cup Final since they won it all back in 2008.
And so Crew SC head coach Gregg Berhalter made a shrewd decision regarding the personnel on the field. In the 80th minute, he subbed Ethan Finlay for Cedrick Mabwati to see if the Congolese winger’s speed and athleticism could be successfully run against what had to be tired legs among the RBNY back four late in the game.
The gambit would pay off a mere five minutes later, as Mabwati would take a square ball from right back Harrison Afful and slalom his way around two Red Bulls defenders, then flare off towards the right and blast a shot at net which was initially saved by goalkeeper Luis Robles. The resulting rebound would fall right at the feet of striker Kei Kamara who may have had one of the easiest finishes of his career to make it 2-0, sending the Crew SC playoff record crowd of 21,617 into a frenzy.
When you combine that immensely important second goal with the fact that Black and Gold goalkeeper Steve Clark kept a clean sheet, it positions the club that much more favorably towards that ultimate goal of the title game.
Getting Second Goal in First Leg Important for Columbus Crew SC, But Still Much More To Be Done
Crew SC sporting director and head coach Gregg Berhalter discussed the mindset in bringing on Mabwati, particularly with respect to what was observed on the field from a few of the Red Bulls defenders.
“A lot of credit goes to our assistant Josh Wolff who pointed out how fatigued (Ronald) Zubar and (Kemar) Lawrence were,” Berhalter told the Columbus Dispatch during the post-game press conference. “They were struggling, and Cedrick was the perfect weapon to put in at that time.”
Mabwati, like a few Crew SC players including Meram and right back Harrison Afful, have had a busy travel schedule in helping out their respective national teams during last week’s World Cup Qualifying dates. Nevertheless, all three continue to go about their business in the most professional manner, doing whatever it takes to help both club and country despite the multitude of airline miles logged.
It was something Berhalter praised in discussing their continued contributions on the field for Crew SC.
“When you look at Justin, when you look at Harrison, when you look at Cedrick (and) the miles that these guys have put on, they don’t say a word about it,” Berhalter told Andrew King of MLSSoccer.com “They don’t complain about it. They just want to be on the field.”
Despite that two-goal edge on aggregate, the focus heading into the all-important second leg with RBNY is to remain committed to the task at hand of executing the game plan.
“I don’t think you’re going to see us sit back, by any means, but I do think it gives us a little bit of breathing room,” Finlay told Last Word on Sports. “But I also believe that the first goal at Red Bull (Arena) is gonna be crucial for whichever team it is. Whether it’d be early or at any point in the game, things are gonna switch really quickly for both teams.”
Berhalter added that despite the late insurance goal, you certainly shouldn’t expect complacency to set in from this group that appears to be playing its best soccer at the right point in the season.
“We’re still gonna have to play. This series is not over, trust me,” he emphasized. “They’re going to come out hot in Harrison and it’s going to be a tough game and we’re going to do our best to try and score a goal. We’ve been scoring away from home virtually all year, so we’re going to try and do that again and put some pressure on them.”
Crew SC will return to action on Sunday, November 29th (7:30 PM, FS1) at a sold out Red Bull Arena for what promises to be a fascinating return leg. A win, tie or 1-0 loss would send the Black and Gold to the MLS Cup Final on December 6th. Combined with a Portland Timbers win over FC Dallas in the Western Conference Finals, the championship game would be held in Columbus.
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