When Philadelphia Union midfielder Vincent Nogueira’s shot caromed off the post and promptly got knocked into the net by teammate Andrew Wenger in the 75th minute of Saturday’s home meeting with the Columbus Crew, the 2-0 lead Philly enjoyed appeared unassailable. After all, in the 19-year history of the franchise, never has Columbus been able to win a game on the road conceding two goals while not scoring one themselves. Everything changed in a four-minute span that will forever be etched into the lore of the Black and Gold just a few days after a new chapter was written in the form of their much anticipated rebrand.
It all started in the 78th minute, when Ethan Finlay netted his tenth goal of the season. If there’s a textbook example of how three players contribute to a score with a mere three touches of the ball, this is it. Tony Tchani initiated the sequence with a wonderful service down the right flank to Hector Jimenez, who promptly centered it into the box where a surging Finlay was in perfect position to put it past Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath.
As is customary when a team halves a two-goal lead late in the game, Finlay quickly picked the ball out of the net, ran towards midfield and put the ball on the center circle to get play started and prevent time wasting. If he knew how quickly the equalizer was coming for the Crew, he probably wouldn’t have wasted the energy.
A little over a minute later, the score would be knotted up courtesy of Justin Meram. He’s certainly established a name for himself with his meat hook shots from outside the box that have found the goal on multiple occasions. This time, however, he would channel his inner Messi by slaloming through opposing defenders in a magnificent display of individual flare and brilliance after the referee played advantage on a Union foul.
The coup de grace, icing on the cake goal that would cement this unprecedented comeback victory for the Crew wasn’t far away after the equalizer. The reeling Philly back line was a wounded fish leaking blood in the ocean, and Columbus was a hungry shark circling ever closer to its meal for the day. The 82nd minute saw a third goal that was almost a mirror image of the Crew’s first, only it was on the opposite side of the field.
Instead of Tchani, Jimenez and Finlay combining for a magnificent goal that originated down the wing, this time it was Bernardo Anor on the initial pass, Tchani as the set up man and Jairo Arrieta striking the final blow, streaking the ball past MacMath for the improbable game winner.
With the unfathomable 3-2 comeback win, the Crew put to bed what fledgling hopes Philly had of qualifying for the playoffs. Couple that with Toronto FC’s 3-1 defeat to the New York Red Bulls, and Columbus need a single point from their final two games to clinch their first spot in the MLS postseason since 2011. All of these developments took place without their leading scorer Federico Higuain and back line stalwart Waylon Francis, both of whom were suspended due to cards in differing forms.
Speaking of those Red Bulls, they just happen to be next team on the docket for Columbus. The last of three consecutive matches away from the friendly confines of Crew Stadium and the regular season road finale for the Black and Gold takes place at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ on Sunday afternoon. Both sides will be dead set on positioning themselves favorably for an extended run in the playoffs.
The teams’ last meeting took place on July 12th. With the Crew massively shorthanded defensively due to Francis and the now departed Giancarlo Gonzalez having just led Costa Rica on a cinderella run in the World Cup, the Red Bulls romped to a dominating 4-1 home victory. The back four should be in much better shape for this match, but will still have to deal with league-leading goalscorer Bradley Wright-Phillips who’s a mere three goals away from breaking the MLS single season scoring record.
It’s quite possible that these two clubs could face each other two weeks after their meeting over the weekend in the four vs. five knockout round game. As we speak, the Red Bulls occupy the fourth position in the Eastern Conference standings with 47 points, with Columbus trailing by a single point. If those positions hold until next Sunday when the season concludes, the Crew will find themselves making a return trip to Harrison where they will be playing for their playoff lives.
I mentioned in a previous article about the month of September being the starting point for teams’ push for the postseason. Both Columbus and New York have been remarkably successful in this regard. The Red Bulls have gone 5-1-1 since September began which is tied with the surging New England Revolution for best in the East. The Crew are right behind them with a 4-1-1 record in that period of time. I’ve created a little chart to give you an idea as to which Eastern Conference teams have been playing the best over the past two months, which you can view below.
Eastern Conference Standings Since September 1st
New England 5-1-1 (+5 GD), 16 pts
New York 5-1-1 (+4 GD), 16 pts
Columbus 4-1-1, 13 pts
Houston 3-2-2, 11 pts
DC United 2-1-3 (+2 GD), 9 pts
Philadelphia 2-2-3 (+1 GD), 9 pts
Sporting KC 2-3-1 (+2 GD), 7 pts
Toronto FC 2-5-1 (-5 GD), 7 pts
Montreal 1-3-3, 6 pts
Chicago 0-3-4, 4 pts
Over the course of my career as a sports enthusiast (and writing about those sports as well), I’ve tended to latch onto the idea that teams in solid form late in the year tend to make noise in the postseason. It doesn’t happen all of the time, but to be honest you underestimate positive end-of-season momentum at your own risk. If you’re a fan of the Revs, Red Bulls or Crew, you have to be happy with the trend your respective teams are on right now going into the playoffs.
Though you may get the impression that Columbus is a virtual shoe-in for the postseason given the sentiment I’ve put forward here, it isn’t quite a foregone conclusion just yet. There’s a single worst-case scenario whereby which Toronto FC can somehow sneak into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. If Toronto get the full six points from their final two contests and the Crew’s impressive form completely tapers off with consecutive losses to end the season, both teams will be tied on points. Unfortunately, Columbus would have one less win than Toronto in this case which is the first tiebreaker. Do you see that happening having looked at the above standings since September began?
Two games remain in the 2014 regular season campaign, and it can’t be doubted that there’s still much to play for. The Crew could conceivably finish anywhere from second in the conference to out of the playoffs altogether. After a tremendous come-from-behind victory in Philadelphia, this group of guys has to feel pretty good about themselves as they prepare to face Thierry Henry and company in New Jersey.
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