Tuesday night at Crew Stadium the 4402 fans in attendance were treated to a blast from the (recent) past.  If you didn’t know any better, you’d think you were watching the Crew team from 2008.  On their path to the Supporters Shield and MLS Cup triumph, that year’s squad made a name for itself with dramatic, come-from-behind victories.  The end result Tuesday may not have been actual victory, but the Black and Gold showed they can still pull off late game heroics.

The starting lineup was not exactly what everyone expected, but wasn’t too far off pre-game predictions either:

—————-Hesmer—————

O’rourke–Iro—Brunner–Padula

—————-Carroll—————–

Gaven———Moffat———Rogers

——-Lenhart————-Ekpo——-

The back four were wholly predictably considering there really weren’t any other bodies to take their place.  The middle of the park was also predictable. The only real surprise was the forward pairing of Steven Lenhart and Emmanuel Ekpo.  Ekpo is generally one of three players challenging for time on the wing but is rarely used as a target striker. 

The match started well for the home side.  They had a majority of the possession, made smart decisions when passing the ball around the pitch and were patient in choosing their moments to attack.  As the game continued, however an old problem reared its ugly head.  Despite chance after chance, the Crew just could not manage to put the ball between the pipes.  Toluca however had no such problems and after only 19 minutes took the lead.  Toluca captain Antonio Naelson stole the ball around the midfield line, then made one quick give-and-go pass around Iro. He then proceeded to dodge Eric Brunner by making another short pass to Nava who quickly heeled the ball back to him.  Naelson then took the ball to just inside the 18 yard box where he faked once to throw off Danny O’Rourke and then slotted the ball along the ground to the left and just past the outstretched arms of William Hesmer. 

After that, the Crew resumed dominance of the game and it appeared they would be going into the locker rooms only one goal down.  But in the 45th minute, Nava won an aerial battle against a poorly-positioned Brunner and redirected the ball toward Rios, who buried it in the upper 90 off a gorgeous volley. Toluca 2, Crew 0.

On the concourse at half time you could tell spirits were down.  Not that a scoreline similar to this wasn’t expected, especially with the team missing most of its big names.  But few in attendance would have expected the home side to dominate the match so thoroughly only to enter the locker room two goals down. The Nordecke supporters section rallied the troops, chanting, singing, banging their drums and blowing their horns.  The team took the energy from the fans and demonstrated what it means to be America’s hardest working team…

The second half began much as the first, with the Crew maintaining most of the possession.  As the half went on there was a noticeble drop off in play by Toluca while the MLS club stepped it up.  In the 64th minute Isaac Brizuela collided with Gino Padula and Brian Carroll and came up with his right eye bloodied.  The teams converged and a small scuffle ensued, which ended with Danny O’Rourke and Vladimir Marin receiving yellow cards.

Finally around the 66th minute Columbus found the net.  Ekpo received the ball about 28 yards out on the right side.  He faced two defenders and stalled for a moment before flicking the ball into the air to Lenhart at the top of the box.  Despite being pressured by three defenders Lenhart managed to direct the ball towards goal with his chest then volley it just underneath the crossbar.

The first substitution of the game came in the 72nd when Emilio Renteria replaced a visually exhausted Ekpo. The difference in play became immediately apparent.  Toluca was already having a hard enough time controlling Lenhart’s massive frame and now they had to also contend with Renteria’s strength, resilience and undying work rate.

Both teams made changes again in the 78th minute right before a corner kick. Toluca replaced Marin with Esquivel while the Crew sent in Jason Garey for Rogers.  Nothing amounted of the corner kick but the Crew used their final sub, bringing on Kevin Burns for Moffat.

The Crew had been pressuring all half but stepped up their efforts after pulling a goal back and infusing three fresh players into the mix.  In the 84th minute they were rewarded. Renteria and Lenhart, the two self titled Luchadores, combined to tie the game. Renteria received the ball with his back to goal about 40 yards out. He turned and took a few paces forward before spotting Lenhart lurking near the top of the box. Renteria put it between two defenders and directly onto the feet of Lenhart who turned and calmly placed the ball just inside the far post out of the reach of Diego Novaretti.

The Black and Gold pushed on, trying to pull off the unthinkable and earn a ‘W’.  But the Red Devils held their ground and after 93 minutes the game ended 2-2.

There is a lot that can be taken from this match.  If there was any question as to whether Columbus could challenge for the MLS Cup and Supporters Shields again this season, this should remove all doubts.  Columbus is still the team to beat in this league.  Not only did they dominate a majority of the game against one of Mexico’s storied clubs, but they came back from a two goal deficit without the help of four of their best players.

When the Columbus Crew travel to Toluca, Mexico next week for the second league of this quarterfinal series all bets are off.  No MLS team American team has ever won a match on Mexican soil, but after their performance last night, nobody can deny that the Crew might just have the best chance yet at ending that streak.  With Schelotto and Hejduk returning to the lineup, the Crew will be going in guns blazing.  They’ve got something to prove.

Player Ratings

Hesmer: 7 (With the exception of the two goals he wasn’t really tested. Probably should have saved the first goal.)

O’Rourke: 5 (Was being relied on to be a solid dependable leader in the back but didn’t exactly step up like he should have. Should have stopped Naelson on the first goal.)

Iro: 7 (Provided some unexpected leadership and stabilized the middle.)

Brunner: 4 (Was out of position on the first goal and lost the aerial battle that lead to the second.)

Padula: 6 (Nothing terrible but nothing fantastic. A typical solid performance from the pirate.)

Carroll: 6 (Had a rough first half but seemed to get back into the groove of things as the game progressed. Seemed to be having a lot of difficulty controlling his first touch.)

Gaven: 6 (Didn’t do much worth mentioning but made some dangerous runs and crafty passes to help bypass the Toluca defense.)

Moffat: 7 (Played a better game than Carroll. Did lots of tracking back to help defend while playing a key role in the attack, especially in the first half. Five of the eight shots taken in the first half came from his foot.)

Rogers: 6 (Managed to sneak in behind the defense numerous times but seemed nervous when it came to taking on defenders 1v1. His service on free/corner kicks left a lot to be desired.)

Lenhart: MOTM 9 (Was the bull in the china shop during the first half. Held the ball well while other people made their runs. Was positioned fantastically for both goals and showed an incredible amount of composure when it came to finishing under extreme pressure.)

Ekpo: 6 (The striker experiment didn’t really work out. His fancy foot work and unmatched speed would have been more useful on one of the wings.)

BENCH
Warzycha: 8 (Utilized the combined speed of Ekpo, Gaven and Rogers and the relentless and unmerciful play of Moffat and Lenhart to wear Toluca down. Made some odd choices when it came to substitutions. Brought the team back from a heartbreaking first half.)

Renteria: 7 (Made smart decision when on the ball and hustled to get it back whenever the Crew lost it. Incredible work rate.)

Garey: 5 (Didn’t make much noise in the small amount of time he spent on the field.)

Burns: 6 (Didn’t a decent job assisting a tired Carrol in holding down the middle of the park during the final 15 minutes)

Schoeni, Oughton, Herrera, Duka: Did not see field time