For the second time in a week, Columbus Crew SC let a possible win slip away late.
The Black and Gold drew DC United 1-1 in front of a sold out crowd of 20,065 at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday. Despite a 63rd minute Ola Kamara goal assisted by Harrison Afful and Tony Tchani, the club was unable to get the full three points from the game. An 89th minute Fabian Espindola goal for DC ensured the two sides would share the spoils.
Harrison Afful Assist, Red Card Highlight Another Crew SC Home Draw
But the main story out of this game was a 74th minute sending off of Afful by referee Silviu Petrescu. The Ghanaian right back went in for a challenge against DC defensive midfielder Marcelo Sarvas. Replays appeared to show that Afful got all ball. But the studs-up nature of the challenge compelled Petrescu to pull out the red card.
Down to ten men, Crew SC was always going to be vulnerable in the defensive half of the field. And the unit remained solid throughout most of the time they were short-handed. But Tyson Wahl got caught ball-watching on a Steve Birnbaum header from the left that came to 71st minute sub Alhaji Kamara. That left plenty of space for Espindola to bury the resulting deflection.
Columbus head coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter was reticent to make his feelings fully known regarding the call.
“I saw the play, I feel a certain way about it and I’m going to keep that private,” Berhalter told the Columbus Dispatch.
The game started off with Crew SC owning the lion’s share of possession. The Black and Gold had the ball for 64.6 percent of the time in the first half. But they were only able to manage one chance created and just two total shots, neither of which were at goal.
Berhalter noted the inability to generate any noteworthy challenges in the first 45 minutes.
“I thought the first half was a little bit too slow,” he told ColumbusCrewSC.com. “I think as the second half went on, we started to open them up and wear them down, creating a number of chances.”
That purposefulness was noticeable immediately out of the locker room. Just 55 seconds into the second half, Kamara took advantage of a well-placed through ball into the box by Mohammed Saeid. His one-timed shot would beat DC goalkeeper Bill Hamid, but not the left post.
The breakthrough finally came 18 minutes into the second stanza.
It began at the feet of Tchani, who delivered a fantastic diagonal ball towards an overlapping Afful. He in turn sent it into the box towards Kamara who made no mistake putting it by Hamid.
Afful’s helper means that he has now appeared on the score sheet in two consecutive games. Against Toronto FC on Wednesday, his 54th minute strike was the lone score of the game for Crew SC. The dynamic full back now has a goal and three assists on the year.
Berhalter was complimentary post-game on the skill set Afful brings to the team both attacking-wise and on defense. There have been times this season where has influence on games has had a tendency to wane. But overall, the Crew SC boss likes what he brings to the table.
“To me, he’s been effective all year,” Berhalter told Last Word On Sports. “He has a lot of shots, a lot of crossing opportunities. And you can attribute that to his hard work and his skill set, being very comfortable on the ball and able to deliver a very good ball.”
But irrespective of Afful’s exceptional play, the club continues to struggle getting results. The single point obtained from the game means that Crew SC remains winless since a 4-3 triumph over Real Salt Lake on May 28th. And Columbus has just two points to show from two of three straight at home.
The Black and Gold return to action next Saturday when they host Orlando City SC. It marks the first meeting between the two teams this season and just the fifth all-time since Orlando joined MLS last season.
Photo courtesy of Columbus Crew SC Communications.
