COLUMBUS - A pair of goals by Chicago striker Chris Rolfe proved too much for the Columbus Crew on Saturday night at Columbus Crew Stadium. Rolfe provided an early goal to disrupt the struggling Crew and then put a late dagger into the hearts of the Black and Gold just minutes after a Knox Cameron goal leveled the match.
The Crew's slim playoff chances were dealt an early blow by Rolfe, who put the visitors ahead after just five minutes. Rolfe won a free kick on the right, and Justin Mapp served the restart to Samuel Caballero. He headed the ball back across the front of the goal to Rolfe, whose low header was blocked by Jonny Walker. But the Crew 'keeper couldn't cover up the ball and Rolfe put away the rebound.
After referee Erich Simmons nicely allowed a Crew attack to continue in the 24th minute despite a foul on Cornell Glen, John Wolyniec set up Eric Vasquez who nearly leveled the match. Vasquez severely tested Zach Thornton from well outside the area, but the veteran 'keeper was able to parry the ball out for a corner kick.
The Crew followed up Vasquez's chance with two more close calls, but both Wolyniec and Frankie Hejduk held on to the ball too long in the penalty box and Fire defenders were able to clear the ball before a finishing touch could be applied.
Hejduk and Wolyniec nearly combined in the 30th minute following a Chicago turnover in their defensive end. Hejduk swallowed a loose ball and quickly fed it to the center striker who fired over the goal from 18 yards as Fire defenders began to close down the space.
A right ankle sprain for Vasquez forced coach Robert Warzycha to use one of his three substitutes just before the halftime break. Chris Wingert replaced the defensive midfielder.
Then in the 57th minute, still trailing by a single goal, Warzycha turned to Edson Buddle. Through injury and suspension, the Crew striker had not played since July 9. Buddle's comeback did little for Crew's attack as the amount of quality chances dropped dramatically in the second half.
Buddle did however team up with Kyle Martino in the 78th minute for a great chance, but his shot went straight into the chest of Thornton.
Just following the chance by Buddle, Knox Cameron entered as the Crew's final substitute and it took little time for the rookie to put his stamp on the match. Cameron took a pass from Martino as got in behind the Fire defense as they tried to hold a high line, beating Thornton with a low shot. Curtin tried to keep the ball from crossing the line, but his late slide was just unable to prevent the 80th-minute equalizer.
But the tie was short-lived. Less than a minute later, Logan Pause set off on a long overlapping run on the right flank before feeding Andy Herron in the box. Herron redirected the ball to the back post where an unmarked Rolfe slid in to poke the home while barely remaining in an onside position.
Still 13 points out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with just six matches left, the Crew desperately need victories, and their next chance comes Wednesday at home when they take on East leader New England Revolution. The Fire moved into third place in the East with the win and closed the gap on the Revolution. They head to the West Coast on Wednesday to battle Western Conference leader San Jose Earthquakes.
MLSnet.com Man of the Match: Chris Rolfe (Chicago Fire)
John Kuhn is a contributor for MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
