Crew vs. Rapids: Match Report

By: James | July 29th, 2008

Lenhart (Miglioranzi)22, Garey (Evans)75

Have you heard the supporters clubs chant “Ricky Bobby” when William Hesmer makes a save? Sunday’s game in Denver gave definitive proof: William Hesmer pisses excellence.

William Hesmer Ricky Bobby

Hesmer was credited with 7 saves, with the 2 best coming in the 12th and 90th minutes. He was clearly the man of the match. He had an exceptional night, but I think his performance also showed that his goals allowed stats are inflated by weakness in the defense rather than in his individual play. Colorado’s Bouna Coundoul, on the other hand, looked as poor last night as he did in Columbus a month ago.

The defensive effort looked better than in previous weeks, but it’s impossible to fully assess the new 3-5-2 formation’s impact since the Crew bunkered after Lenhart was ejected in the 42nd minute. In the first half Columbus was able to defend effectively with the a 3-man back line but struggled to keep possession or control the midfield. Colorado pressed offensively from the starting whistle but O’Rourke, Marshall, and Iro marked up well and were helped by midfielders eager to get back to defend. Defensively, the formation seems to suit them, but it will take another week to see if it sticks. It will make sense next week since Frankie Hejduk will serve a one-game suspension for accumulated yellow cards.

The second half was something of a revelation for me. Being a man down, the Crew bunkered into more of an 8-0-1 formation. Even Moreno dropped back to compress play into the Crew’s defensive third. Only Schelotto was left at midfield to seek out opportunistic attacks. He was replaced by Jason Garey in the 63rd minute.

Columbus crowded the field and really hampered Colorado’s ability to pass, shoot or develop an attack. There was simply no space for an attack. This strategy not only helped bring the shut out, but it seemed to counter balance the effects of the altitude. Late in the second half many Rapids players looked haggard while most of the Crew players seemed fresher than expected. In the last ten minutes the field even opened up for some offensive play from the Crew as the Rapids’ attack wore down.

I actually said out loud at one point, “Oh, that’s what bunkering is supposed to look like.” It seemed to be textbook perfect. If there’s is anything to criticize it would be that they had some chances to hold the ball in the midfield after clearances but didn’t. This was especially evident with Hesmer’s goal kicks which, like every goal kick early in the season, were sent directly to Rapids defenders and came back to the Crew’s defensive third in a matter of seconds. This is a minor criticism since bukering is about playing in your defensive third.

In the last several games where the Crew has looked beseiged in the second half and given up goals it’s possible that they had intentionally moved to a semi-bunkered stance. I sure didn’t get that at the time. And, if that was the intent, they did it poorly.

There’s not much to say about the offense or midfield. We didn’t see Corey Elenio since Sigi brought in first Lenhart, and then Garey as additional forwards. They are both up for Goal of the Week. Lenhart’s goal looked a lot like Espinoza’s goal against the Crew last week, with a well-tracked pass from Miglioranzi that threaded through a tight spot in the defense. Miglioranzi got the nod over Evans and performed well.

Evans came in for Miglioranzi to start the second half. Evans ended up with the assist on Garey’s goal. I like the idea of burning a midfielder in 45 minutes. Evans was carried of the field late in the game possibly with an ankle injury. That might keep Migs in the starting role next week, but it would be a shame to lose Evans given the other challenges in the roster.

Eddie Gaven played 90 minutes and seemed more prepared and on point that I expected after so many weeks out with an injury.

Lenhart worked well with Miglioranzi, Schelotto, and Moreno when the offense did break out but his elbow to Erpen’s face later in the half absolutely required his ejection.

Garey’s goal was amazing to me for one little detail. Garey beat a Rapids defender going into the penalty box but seemed to lose his footing as he closed in on the left post. Coundoul closed in on him. And that’s when it happened. Rather than doing the right thing and shooting with the inside of his left foot, Garey tapped the ball with the outside of his right foot. That impulse made all the difference. Coundoul might have reached a ball from Garey’s left foot, but the right-outside jab changed the angle enough to beat the keeper.

Other than those 2 goals, the offense and midfield were awfully quiet. That was by design in the second half, but in the first half the Crew often failed to make plays. The Rapids had them spread thin and playing a reactive game. How much of that can be attributed to the altitude and how much to the new formation I can’t say. With two offensive starters missing, it might be reasonable to play for the exploitative counterattack but I’d still like to see more emphasis on possession. They lack a sureness early in the last few game that they seem to recover when the pressure really comes on.

This game pulls the Crew within two points of first place, and five points ahead of Chicago. It was a disappointment to tie Kansas City, but I didn’t expect them to win in the mountains. This time next year the Crew will be playing in SuperLiga.