Columbus Crew Put It All Together In Victory Over Chivas USA (VIDEO)

Sep 7, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Crew goalkeeper Steve Clark (1) celebrates his team

Gregg Berhalter’s Columbus Crew rebounded from a tough defeat to the Montreal Impact with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Wilmer Cabrera’s Chivas USA at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The win gives Columbus a record of 9-9-9 (36 points) and keeps them in contention for a playoff spot. As for Chivas USA, with a record of 6-15-6 (24 points), it’s looking more and more likely that they will miss the postseason.

Let’s take a look at six things we learned, followed by player ratings, for the match between the Columbus Crew and Chivas USA.

1. A tense start to the first half

Early on in the first half, both teams were sizing each other out and the first chance on goal came in the 15th minute, when Federico Higuain had a right-footed shot that was blocked. In the 22nd minute, Chivas USA acquisition Nigel Reo-Coker had a right-footed shot from outside the box saved by Steve Clark. In the 28th minute, a through ball from Higuain to Waylon Francis was called back for offsides and in the 35th minute, the Crew’s Dan Paladini had an attempt blocked.

2. Higuain hits the woodwork late in first half

In the 37th minute, Francis had another attempt from outside the box sail too high. Andrew Jean-Baptiste was cautioned for a foul on Aaron Schoenfeld in the 40th minute of play. One minute later, Ethan Finlay was hoping to get on the scoresheet, but his attempt was blocked in the 41st. In the 45th minute, Tony Lochhead fouled Schoenfeld in the penalty area, but in the first minute of stoppage time, Higuain hit the bar on the conversion attempt.

3. Justin Meram sets things right in second half

The second half would see the Crew finally put the pieces together and take control of the match. In the 47th minute, Justin Meram had a right-footed shot from outside the box saved by Dan Kennedy, who would have yet another tough afternoon in goal. In the 50th minute, Ryan Finley tried a through ball but Felix Borja was called back for offsides. In the 52nd minute, Meram scored his sixth goal of the season with a curling shot that eluded Kennedy.

4. A brace for Justin Meram

More from Columbus Crew

As soon as the goal took place, Marvin Chavez came in for Finley in the 53rd minute, perhaps to counter the floodgates opening up. Schoenfeld had a header from the centre of the box saved in the bottom right corner in the 54th minute of play. Kennedy came up huge again in the 56th minute, denying Higuain. Chavez hoped to level the scores in the 58th but missed to the left. In the 59th minute, Meram scored his seventh goal of the season on a bad giveaway from Jean-Baptiste.

5. Bernardo Anor slams the door shut

In the 63rd minute, Chivas USA forward Luis Bolaños came in for Eric Avila. That same minute, Higuain’s rough afternoon at Crew Stadium continued with a shot just missing to the left. Jean-Baptiste tried a through ball in the 64th minute but Borja again was offsides. In the 66th minute, Crew midfielder Bernardo Anor came in for Meram.

Eric Gehrig was cautioned in the 69th minute following a miss to the right and a foul on Bolaños. At minute 72, Paladini’s next attempt from outside the box was blocked. The 76th minute saw Hector Jimenez come in for Finlay and Nathan Sturgis take over for Agustin Pelletieri. One minute later, Jairo Arrieta relieved Schoenfeld. Paladini’s sour afternoon of finishing continued in the 78th minute when he missed to the left. In the 80th minute, the aforementioned Anor delivered the exclamation point with a header that was poorly saved by Kennedy. That howler summed up the day’s efforts for Chivas, as well as the entire season for the Goats. Arrieta had a shot from the center of the box saved by Kennedy in the 87th minute.

6. One-sided match on the stats, too

Columbus dominated a number of key categories in this contest, including shots, corners, crosses, passing accuracy and possession. Despite winning their duels and tackles and being a clearance machine, Chivas USA were thoroughly outclassed and it’s not going to get any easier for this side, who are destined to fade into obscurity by the end of the year. As for the Crew, this is a win that keeps them in the hunt for November.

Team Statistics

Columbus Crew in gold, Chivas USA in red

16	Shots	3
7	Shots on Target	1
5	Shots off Target	1
4	Blocked Shots	1
10	Corners	0
31	Crosses	9
1	Offsides	2
10	Fouls	12
1	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
448	Total Passes	454
85 %	Passing Accuracy	82 %
51 %	Possession	49 %
36	Duels Won	39
12	Tackles Won	19
1	Saves	4
7	Clearances	27

Columbus Crew Player Ratings

Steve Clark 6, Eric Gehrig 6.5, Michael Parkhurt 7, Tyson Wahl 7, Waylon Francis 8, Dan Paladini 7, Ethan FInlay 6, Federico Higuain 7, Justin Meram 10, Kevan George 7, Aaron Schoenfeld 6, Bernardo Anor 8, Hector Jimenez 6, Jairo Arrieta 5

Chivas USA Player Ratings

Dan Kennedy 3, Akira Kaji 3, Andrew Jean-Baptiste 1.5, Eriq Zavaleta 3, Tony Lochhead 3, Agustin Pelletieri 2, Eric Avila 2, Marco Delgado 3, Nigel Reo-Coker 4, Felix Borja 3, Ryan Finley 3, Marvin Chavez 3, Luis Bolanos 3, Nathan Sturgis NR

Home/Columbus Crew