Groundhog’s Day for Columbus Crew in 1-1 draw with Atlanta United

Photo via Julie Bennett – USA TODAY Sports

In a scene too familiar with Columbus Crew fans, the Crew conceded a goal in the waning seconds of the match to leave points on the board. Columbus left two points on the board last night in the 1-1 draw with Atlanta United. Had they been able to close out the match, the Crew would have clinched home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Instead, it will come down to Decision Day on October 21^st.

Painful Ending

The painful part for Crew fans was watching the scenario unfold, because it was all too familiar. The Crew were nursing a 1-0 lead during the 5’ of second half stoppage time indicated by the referee. Coach Wilfried Nancy makes a late substitution to bring in Kevin Molino off the bench. There’s additional stoppage time due to the substitution. In the 97^th minute, Molino commits a foul just outside the 18-yard penalty area.

Must I go on? Atlanta converts the free kick. The team and the fans go wild, especially the fans. The Crew players and fans are stunned. Moments later, the final whistle blows. In the final seconds of the match, Atlanta earned a point and the Crew lost two points.

Déjà Vu

The last time this happened was a road match against Orlando City on September 16^th. Molino was subbed in at the 80^th minute and the Crew holding a 3-2 advantage. The Crew gave up a tying goal in the 86^th minute, and Orlando City scored the game winner in the 97^th minute to win the match. The latter goal was scored off a free kick that was awarded due to a Molino foul.

There are other instances where a late Molino substitution backfired.

The draw is agonizing because the Crew played a very good match otherwise. For the game, the Crew held the advantage in shots (22 to 10), shots on target (6 to 4), and corner kicks (12 to 3). The Crew was called for offsides three times, one nullifying a goal, but it’s evidence of a team playing aggressively.

There was no scoring in the first half, but the Crew dominated possession and opportunities. Atlanta United goalie Brad Guzan made three good saves of shots by Columbus star forward Cucho Hernández. One save was in the first half, and two more in the opening ten minutes of the second half. Cucho broke through, however.

Cucho Hernández

In the 65^th minute, Sean Zawadzki found midfielder Aidan Morris in open space on the left-hand side in the attacking zone. Morris dribbled the ball forward and pulled up just inside the 18-yard box. With a touch off the front of his toe, Morris passed the ball forward to Cucho who was lined up in front of the goal. Cucho drove the ball home for his 15^th goal of the season, giving the Crew a 1-0. A lead that looked like it would hold up, but it didn’t.

Columbus has one more game in the regular season. The Crew play their final match on October 21^st at home against CF Montreal. If the Crew win their final match, they are guaranteed home-field advantage. There will likely be scenarios where the Crew could clinch top four with a draw, we’ll know more after Match Day 38 on October 14^th.