Looking back at my last article I stated that if there was inclusive play by the forwards it would be a high scoring game. Well the score line proved me right with Columbus winning 1-0. Looking at the starting lineup one would surmise that Emilio Renteria was alone up top, however the game started with Eddie Gavin up there with Renteria, thus making the formation 4-4-2. This just does not work. Gavin is a midfielder. He does not work well with the goal at his back and you lose production on the wing with him playing forward. Being realistic this was not a 4-4-2 it was a 4-5-1. The Crew had their chances, mostly from midfielders, but they were squandered. Sporting Kansas City did seem to shore up their defense for the game but in the end it was not enough to stop the midfield of the Crew. That being said, the Crew still had no spark from the forward position and they continue to live and die through the midfield.
Though the forwards have had very little production the team still dominates on the defensive side of the ball. This has been a cornerstone of the Crew in recent years. The billing of this game promised a good ebb and flow due to Sporting KC having scored the most goals and the three game clean sheet streak, now four, of the Crew. The game did not pan out this way. It was a rainy cold night in Columbus and that is usually not conducive of a high scoring game. The Crew held the ball well and were able to pass it through the midfield. Sporting KC had their chances on some break aways but William Hesmer had another great game with a couple of great saves. In the waning moments of the game Sporting KC was pouring down the field to try and steal an equalizer and nick a point from Columbus. The Crew defense was able tighten up and preserve the shutout record.
I will leave on this final thought. The defense of the Crew is a tight cohesive group that is continually producing shutouts. A lot of times the threat of a striker who scores goals, i.e. Omar Cummings, Charlie Davies, etc., can make a defense even better. Look out MLS if the Columbus Crew start to have production out of the forward position.
Game grade: B
(image courtesy of thecrew.com)
