A year removed from having a variety of factors contribute to missing the playoffs, Columbus Crew SC are on their way back to the postseason.
In front of 17,350, the Black and Gold upended D.C. United 2-0 on Saturday to clinch a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the third time in Gregg Berhalter’s now four-year tenure. It extends the club’s unbeaten run to eight games, the longest such stretch since 2010.
Columbus Crew SC Clinches Third Playoff Berth of Gregg Berhalter Era With Win Over D.C. United
Berhalter made a single change to the starting XI from last week’s 3-2 win over the New York Red Bulls. Artur made his first start since August 12th, replacing Mohammed Abu in the box-to-box midfielder role. When healthy, the Brazilian’s quality at winning second balls has been on full display as he’s one of 21 MLS players averaging over 7.5 recoveries per 90 (minimum 1,000 minutes played).
Against the Red Bulls, the Crew SC centerbacks made their presence felt in emphatic fashion. Both Jonathan Mensah and Josh Williams contributed goals in the win. For the season as a whole, five goals have come from defenders, the highest total since Berhalter took over. That trend continued on Saturday.
14 minutes in, Williams once again figured prominently on the score sheet. And it came in scarily similar fashion to last week’s tally. The 29-year-old Northeast Ohio native came onto a Federico Higuain corner with his head, slotting it past former Crew SC goalkeeper Steve Clark to put Columbus up 1-0.
2️⃣ GOALS IN 2️⃣ GAMES!! @josh3williams getting it done. 👏 #CLBvDC #CrewSC pic.twitter.com/G9xLFXFgIZ
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) October 1, 2017
The only difference between the two goals was the fact tonight’s Higuain assist came from the right corner flag instead of the left. But the tandem of scores in as many weeks represent a sudden spike in goal-scoring form from the Crew SC defender. In his previous eight seasons in MLS, Williams managed just four goals with his last coming on April 27, 2013.
Crew SC’s 1-0 advantage would remain as the two clubs headed into the locker room for halftime. The home side knew full well that an insurance goal could play a huge part in cementing the full three points and, by extension, a spot in the playoffs. And they showed plenty of purpose at the onset of the second stanza, putting two shots at Clark in the first ten minutes.
That onslaught at the D.C. net reaped dividends not long thereafter. And this time, it came from a familiar face with respect to the Crew SC goal-scorers in Justin Meram. The dynamic wide player continued to showcase his sparkling form in 2017 with a 57th minute golazo. His curling shot from the upper left corner of the box beat Clark far post to make it 2-0.
An inch-perfect beauty from @JustinMeram of @ColumbusCrewSC #CLBvDC https://t.co/XaP8WdVzmJ
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 1, 2017
The Black and Gold continue to make waves under Berhalter. Saturday’s result gives Columbus its 12th win at MAPFRE Stadium in 2017, setting a new single-season franchise record. The now fourth-year Crew SC manager has also exhibited a fair bit of success against Ben Olsen, now moving to 5-2-3 all-time against D.C.
The result also further reinforces Crew SC’s dominance in Columbus over D.C. United. The Black and Red’s last victory in Columbus came over a decade ago, a 2-0 win on August 18, 2007.
With the 2017 Crew SC home schedule now complete, the club now hits the road for their final two games of the season. First up is a tussle with Orlando City SC for the third and final time of the year. That’s followed up with the season finale at Yankee Stadium for their second meeting with New York City FC.
Photo credit: Columbus Crew SC Communications
