COLUMBUS CREW vs TORONTO FC
COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM, Columbus, Ohio
August 17, 2013 (WEEK 25, MLS Game #224) 7:30 p.m. ET (FS-OH; SNet One)
The Columbus Crew and Toronto FC meet in the third Trillium Cup match of the season when the clubs face off Saturday evening at Crew Stadium with both needing wins to pull back into the playoff chase. The Crew snapped a three-game losing run last weekend with a 2-0 home win against the New York Red Bulls, while Toronto FC saw their two-game winning streak come to an end in a 2-1 home loss to Seattle Sounders FC.
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REFEREE: Ted Unkel. AR1 (bench): Sean Hurd; AR2 (opposite): Kermit Quisenberry; 4th: Chris Penso
MLS Career: 1 games; FC/gm: 25.0; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 0; pens: 0
DISABLED LIST: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CLB: Federico Higuain… TOR: Doneil Henry, Matias Laba
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CLB: Jairo Arrieta, Tyson Wahl, Kevan George, Danny O’Rourke, Bernardo Anor… TOR: Gale Agbossoumonde, Darren O’Dea, Darel Russell, Richard Eckersley, Reggie Lambe, Justin Braun
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (18 meetings): Crew 9 wins, 28 goals …Toronto FC 2 wins, 19 goals … Ties 7
AT COLUMBUS (9 meetings): Crew 6 wins, 18 goals … Toronto FC 1 win, 11 goals … Ties 2
2013 (MLS)
5/18: TOR 0, CLB 1 (Oduro 42)
7/27: TOR 2, CLB 1 (Osorio 87; Wiedeman 94+ -- Oduro (17)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. After a 1-0 Columbus win on May 18 at Crew Stadium, TFC took a dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 victory July 27 at BMO Field – their first win ever against the Crew on their home ground.
- The win in the last meeting was just the second for Toronto FC in 18 meetings all-time, the first since a 4-2 win Sept. 10, 2011 at Columbus Crew Stadium, which ended a 12-game TFC winless run vs. Columbus.
- Coaches record: Robert Warzycha vs. TOR: P12 W6 L2 D4 … Ryan Nelsen v CLB: : P2 W1 L1 D0
LAST MEETING (MLS)
- The Crew opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Dominic Oduro took the ball on the right wing and beat TFC 'keeper Joe Bendik inside the near post on a blast from 25 yards out.
- But the home side drew level just three minutes from full time when Jeremy Brockie took a through pass from Bobby Convey and laid it off for a charging Jonathan Osorio, who buried a left-footed shot past Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum.
- TFC then hit for an improbable late winner, four minutes into stoppage time, as Convey was once again the set-up man. He drifted a pass to the back post to the foot of a sliding Andrew Wiedeman, who redirected the ball past Gruenebaum for Toronto's first BMO Field win this year.
- TORONTO FC (4-4-2): Joseph Bendik - Richard Eckersley, Doneil Henry, Steven Caldwell, Ashtone Morgan (Alvaro Rey 76) - Jonathan Osorio, Matias Laba, Jeremy Hall (Reggie Lambe 46), Bobby Convey - Jeremy Brockie, Justin Braun (Andrew Wiedeman 46).
- COLUMBUS CREW (4-4-1-1): Andy Gruenebaum - Josh Williams, Danny O'Rourke, Chad Marshall, Agustin Viana (Chad Barson 79) - Dominic Oduro (Ethan Finlay 86), Wil Trapp, Matias Sanchez, Bernardo Anor (Justin Meram 90) - Federico Higuain - Jairo Arrieta.
COLUMBUS CREW
The Columbus Crew put an end to their losing streak after three games, taking a 2-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls on Saturday evening at Crew Stadium. The Crew are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 26 points from 23 matches.
LAST MATCH
- The Crew opened the scoring in the 61st minute after referee Allen Chapman adjusted Red Bulls defender Jamison Olave shoved a Crew player in the penalty area on a set piece, and Federico Higuain made no mistake with the spot kick, beating goalkeeper Luis Robles with a shot down the middle.
- The home side secured the full points in the 76th minute. Wil Trapp hit Higuain with a through ball behind the defense, and the Argentinean lofted the ball over an onrushing Robles with a classy chip from outside the area.
- Crew head coach Robert Warzycha made two changes to the team that fell 3-1 to the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium. Chad Barson came into the back four for Danny O'Rourke, and Justin Meram started in midfield in place of Matias Sanchez.
- COLUMBUS CREW (4-1-3-1-1): Matt Lampson - Chad Barson, Josh Williams, Chad Marshall, Agustin Viana - Wil Trapp - Dominic Oduro, Bernardo Anor, Justin Meram (Kevan George 81) - Federico Higuain (Tony Tchani 88) - Jairo Arrieta (Ethan Finlay 78).
TEAM NEWS
- The Crew won for the first time since July 7, following six losses in their previous seven matches. They have yet to win back-to-back games this season.
- “This is huge for us because the three losses in a row were a little tough,” midfielder Wil Trapp said. “To come home and play a complete game like we did, especially against a good team like New York, it was huge. We just have to build off of that.”
- Federico Higuaín scored his first goal since June 22, converting his fifth penalty kick (out of seven attempts) this season. It was Higuaín’s third multiple-goal game in his two MLS seasons.
- “He’s a special player. To be honest with you when he took that shot I was like “oh, don’t do it.” Then I looked at the goalkeeper and he was a good seven or eight yards in front of the line and I was like “if you’re going to do it, do it right now.” Probably he had this in mind way before I looked at the goal,”said Warzycha. “We had Guillermo [Barros Schelotto] a few years ago who was capable of scoring goals like this too. It’s nice to watch.”
- Making a fifth consecutive start in a deep-lying midfield role, Wil Trapp collected his first MLS assist.
- “He usually plays that position so that he has more space, because there is space over there. Wil is a very good player. It’s one thing to use space but you have to find space. He’s finding that space very well,” said Warzycha. “He’s complimenting Chad [Marshall] and Josh [Williams] and he’s creating that triangle which is always valuable. He’s keeping the ball for us.”
- After not being part of the starting lineup for two consecutive matches, rookie Chad Barson returned to right back with Danny O’Rourke injured. Josh Williams returned to central defense.
- The Crew started the match with Dominic Oduro in a wide position and Jairo Arrieta as the spearhead striker, but reverted back to the twin-striker approach Warzycha had used recently.
- “I think [Oduro] is quicker than Higuain. His positioning is better when he’s a little bit deeper when he can pick up the ball and run at people. So that’s why we asked him to play behind Higuain,” said Warzycha. “In the first half when [Higuain] was with [Jairo] Arrieta we asked him to go upfront and stay as high as possible and stay in the middle ‘cause that’s where he’s dangerous. … Going into Toronto next week, we will see.”
- Matt Lampson came back in between the posts for a second consecutive match, his second shutout in three league appearances.
- “I think he had a little bit in the first half when there were those corners at the end of the half and there was a lot of traffic in front of him,” said Warzycha. “We asked him at halftime to be more vocal and to have more presence in the box and maybe scare some of the guys going for the goal. In the second half he was very solid.”
TORONTO FC
Toronto FC had their winning run stopped after two games, Seattle Sounders FC claiming a 2-1 victory on Saturday evening at BMO Field. TFC sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with 20 points from 23 matches.
LAST MATCH
- Sounders FC took the lead in the 16th minute. A cross from Brad Evans found Eddie Johnson at the back post, and he headed back across the box to an unmarked Mauro Rosales, who easily put the ball home.
- Seattle doubled their lead in the 40th minute when TFC defender Doneil Henry redirected a cross by Lamar Neagle into the back of the net for an own goal.
- Toronto FC pulled a goal within the opening minute of the second half. Jonathan Osorio took a cross from the left flank, popped the ball back in front of goal and poked a shot that Seattle defender Leo Gonzalez just couldn't keep from crossing the line.
- TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen made no changes to the team that got the game’s only goal for a victory against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium
- TORONTO FC (4-4-2): Joseph Bendik - Richard Eckersley (Justin Braun 89), Doneil Henry, Steven Caldwell, Ashtone Morgan - Reggie Lambe (Alvaro Rey 71), Jonathan Osorio, Matias Laba, Bobby Convey - Andrew Wiedeman (Robert Earnshaw 56), Jeremy Brockie.
TEAM NEWS
- Toronto FC had their winning streak snapped after two games, their first consecutive victories since winning three in a row July 11-18, 2012, when they defeated Vancouver, New England and Colorado in succession.
- “We are who we are at the moment,” TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen said. “It was just two silly goals off two silly errors. I’m very disappointed in the first goal. The second goal was a bit unfortunate and unlucky, but the lead up wasn’t good.
- Jonathan Osorio scored his second goal in the last three matches and pulled into a tie for the team lead with five goals, along with Robert Earnshaw.
- “We have lots of weapons on our team and we are playing well together for 90 minutes but we were unlucky to give up those two goals,” Osorio said. “Matias [Laba] beside me is great, he has been great beside me all season, and he is very consistent and makes my job a lot easier. Playing with those players is a lot of fun.”
- Making his second start of the season, both in the last two games, Andrew Wiedeman collected his first assist of the season.
- “I thought they played really well. They kept possession really well and were really creative going forward. When you are down 2-0 to Seattle with the individuals they have, you could go one way and it could have got a bit ugly,” said Nelsen. “They came out and they were determined and showed character and belief. I’m just devastated that they didn’t get what they deserved from that game.”
- TFC conceded an own goal for the first time this season for the eventual match-winner, coming off the boot of defender Doneil Henry.
- “I thought he had a great game today,” Nelsen said. “He’s playing against a U.S. international, a Nigerian international who has played at the highest level in the English Premier League and a player who was one of the most sought after players in Europe when he came home. I thought he handled himself really well. He has only just turned 20. When I turned 20, I was nowhere near the level of what he is doing. He is such a bright spark for this club and he will only get better and better.”
