Friday, July 5, 2013

Crew Rd 18: Late Game Mess, Loss

The Columbus Crew fall to the LA Galaxy 2:1 because of two late called fouls in the box.

1ST HALF
LA might have been a little surprised at how easily the gained possession and worked the ball just inside the Crew's half of the field. Matias Sanchez and Kevan George seemed a lost for large sections of the game and gave the Galaxy little trouble.

As the half worn on it started to resemble the Crew's previous game with Sporting KC. Columbus couldn't get anything and LA seemed to have open chance after open chance.

The first half wound up with LA seeing 13 shots vs. 1 for the Crew (vs. KC the week prior it was 12-3).

2ND HALF
More of the same to start. The Crew seemed to be a bit more aggressive but it was LA still driving the car.

Things changed in the 78th minute. Bernardo Anor received a free kick from Higuain and headed in a blooping header from about 15 yards, Crew +1.

The Galaxy seemed to ramp up a little but it was much more desperate than their easy going dominance in the 1st half. Columbus stiffened and it seemed like it might work until Jose Villarreal got nipped in the box and went down. Robbie Keane finished the penalty to even it up.

Not long after, in stoppage time, Keane went down easy when Anor leaned on him with his arm. It was a questionable call. Keane again stepped up to finish off the penalty and there it ended.


FINAL THOUGHTS.
These types of games happen too often in MLS. Messy and a lot of that has to do with the way the Crew played in the first half. It was just about as poor as I have ever seen them.

I don't have a lot to say about this one. In some ways it was a throwback type MLS game in that you had one team that couldn't finish against another who doesn't know what possession is, decided on two penalty kicks after the 85th minute in front of a capacity crowd just there to see the postgame fireworks.

A tough watch. On to Portland this Sunday in what will hopefully be a better game.

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