The Columbus Crew have advanced to the knockout stage of the MLS is Back Tournament with a 2-0 win over the New York Red Bulls. Here are three things we learned.
After the second round of matches, the Columbus Crew currently top Group E following an impressive 2-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls. While Caleb Porter and the Crew were able to continue their form from their rout of FC Cincinnati, the Red Bulls failed to build on their success against Atlanta United.
New York’s attacking efforts were left without an end product, failing to record a shot on target. The likes of Daniel Royer and Tom Barlow were visibly frustrated with their lack of opportunities and their performance should raise some questions ahead of New York’s final group stage game.
Here’s what we learned from this Group E battle.
3. ZZ Top strike again
After contributing three of the four goals against FC Cincinnati, the duo of Gyasi Zardes and Lucas Zelarayan both found the back of the net again against the New York Red Bulls. Zardes, who was coming off a brace, opened the game’s scoring with as routine a Zardes goal as possible.
The 28-year-old hovered along the Red Bulls backline while the Crew reset on the right side with a throw-in. Pedro Santos’ decision to let the ball roll past him tempted New York center-back Aaron Long to step up, leaving space in behind. Santos easily beat Long before finding an open Zardes who cleanly finished with his left.
Although the opportunity became so deadly due to a stroke of luck, the Crew’s second goal was a great display of making the most of a counterattack. Amro Tarek’s attempted clearance just two minutes into the second half went only as far as the leg of former Red Bull Derrick Etienne. Etienne’s run and eventual cut back along the left-wing gave time for Zelarayan to get forward.
The Argentine’s run was especially impressive. As the ball turns over, the three Red Bulls defenders immediately turn into a head-down sprint back to their box. Jason Pendant marked the run of Pedro Santos, Tarek ran at Etienne’s heels, but Aaron Long ran into empty space. By the time Etienne made a cutback, Zelarayan had slowed his run down to allow considerable space between him and Long, the nearest defender.
Just like his run, Zelarayan’s shot was beautifully timed. The 28-year-old let the ball run past him before shooting with his first touch, finishing in the bottom left corner after a presumptuous Long and David Jensen expected the midfielder to continue running right.