—Columbus, Ohio — The Columbus Crew SC are climbing up the Eastern Conference table in MLS. A 3-1 victory over New York City FC gives Columbus three points in tight competition in the Eastern Conference. Three different goal scorers made the difference for the Crew.
Artur was first for the Crew, scoring in the first half. The Brazilian nutmegged NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson for the opening goal of the contest. Artur originally played the ball to Gyasi Zardes, who ran into trouble inside the box.
Opening up the second half, Pedro Santos scored on Johnson, off an assist from Derrick Etienne that skipped past every blue-shirt player inside the NYCFC box. However, the final goal of the night came from Zardes on a penalty kick. Artur drew a foul inside the box from defender Maxime Chanot.
New York City FC had one goal from Valentín Castellanos in the 55th minute, just five minutes after Santos’ goal.
Zardes stepped up to the spot and hit it at a diving Johnson, who comfortably made the save. However, Zardes was able to pick up his own rebound and slot it past the U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper.
The goal is Zardes’ 1oth goal of the season. He is currently second in MLS right now with the most goals scored, behind Diego Rossi of Los Angeles FC, who sits at the top with 12 goals. Hot in Zardes’ heels is Raul Ruidiaz of the Seattle Sounders, who is currently in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 in Peru.
The victory was special for Columbus, too, in regard to their head coach. Caleb Porter secured his 100th victory as a head coach in MLS. The win also locks Columbus in for the MLS Cup Playoffs.
What’s next for the Columbus Crew SC and NYCFC?
Right now, the Crew sit third place in the Eastern Conference with 34 points.
New York City FC is in sixth place with 27 points.
Columbus has some time to rest before their next competition. On Saturday, the Columbus Crew will head south to face the Houston Dynamo, who faced off with Minnesota United FC on Sunday night. The match will begin at 9 p.m. EST.
As for NYCFC, they will also feature on Saturday night, hosting the Montreal Impact at Yankee Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
The Goals from Columbus vs. NYCFC
.@arturl33 went 5️⃣-hole! pic.twitter.com/cja468RxzG
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) October 18, 2020
.@Pedro32santos DRILLS IT PERFECTLY!
And that pass from @detienne_10 👌 pic.twitter.com/xsnI0Ke192
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) October 18, 2020
.@tatycaste11anos got us on the comeback 🙌⚽️ #NYCFC pic.twitter.com/4B0knIXzkf
— New York City Football Club (@NYCFC) October 18, 2020
.@gyasinho makes it 3️⃣-1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/wXMEQyHZHl
— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) October 19, 2020
