Columbus 2-0 Los Angeles: Post-Game

By: Chris | September 28th, 2009

On a stormy Saturday night in Columbus, 21,000 fans packed into Crew Stadium hoping to see one of two things: 1) A Massive win extending an unbeaten streak to 24 games, or 2) David Beckham. I’m not going to say who was in the majority, but I will tell you that only one of those groups got what they come for.

I don’t want to focus on the fairweather fans too much, because bandwagon jumping is the eighth deadly sin and those guilty of it should be ignored, but what Crew defender and hometown boy Danny O’Rourke said needs to be repeated: “I think it is pathetic that fans buy tickets just to come see (Beckham). Come out to the regular games, you know?…I wanted to keep my mouth shut about it but it’s embarrassing. Credit to the Nordecke. I don’t know what it is with everybody else.” Well said, Danny O.

Now, about that game that most people came to watch: The Crew were straight-up dominant.

It was as though they took notes as Cruz Azul were dominating them on Wednesday night and then put those newfound skills to use against LA on Saturday. Fast, abusive forwards? Check. Controlling midfield that can distribute at will? Check. Defense that chokes opposing advances and bends but never breaks? Check.

Watch the highlights. You’ll see a Columbus team on cruise control just playing their game and an LA team that was frustrated all night long.

The most surprising thing about the Crew on Saturday wasn’t that they won so handily, it was that they did it without their big names. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Robbie Rogers, and Alejandro Moreno were on the bench, while Chad Marshall was out with an injury. Alejandro did come in as a sub in the 68th, for Emilio “I’ve Got More Muscles Than You” Renteria, but he could have stayed on the pine and no one would have missed him. This team really showed their depth, using two guys who have never started an MLS game to knock off the best road team in the league.

Coach Bob: “We don’t have reserves. We have 23 players right now that can step up anytime.” If that isn’t the best thing a fan of any sport can hear from a head coach, I don’t know what is.

So the Crew kept rolling and, thanks to a helping hand from everyone else in the league, became the first team to clinch a playoff spot. The Massive now holds a 3-point lead in the race for the Supporters Shield over Houston, and has a 5-point lead in the Eastern Conference over Chicago – with one fewer game played than both of those teams.

October is going to be a busy month around MLS, with six points separating second place from eighth and the playoffs looming. But, here in Cowtown, we’re on our way to some more hardware while everyone else fights for second place.

[Quotes via Shawn Mitchell]