While the Columbus Crew aren't happy with the result in Sunday's match against Chivas USA, the team was proud of its resilience in a second half that saw them go a man down.
After a straight red card was given to Andy Iro in the 54th minute, just minutes after Chivas USA took a 2-1 lead, the Crew's 10 remaining men pushed hard in the final 30 minutes of play. They prevented the home side from scoring again and nearly earned a draw at The Home Depot Center.
Lead by charismatic midfielder and team captain Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Columbus refused to lie down against the Western Conference co-leaders, threatening the Chivas USA net on a number of occasions, even while playing with the disadvantage, though they were unable to find an equalizing goal.
"Even with 10 men, we were trying to push and score a goal," said Columbus head coach Robert Warzycha. "We still created a couple of chances. Luck wasn't on our side today; sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way."
Iro was at the center of all the Crew's major incidents Sunday, scoring the Crew's only goal but also earning the red card that left the team a man down.
"I thought it was a 50/50 chance for me to get there," said Iro of the 54th-minute foul on Chivas USA defender Carey Talley that earned him a dismissal from referee Kevin Stott. "I certainly don't think you could say that I went in to injure him."
Iro's goal came in the 37th minute when he volleyed an Emmanuel Ekpo cross past Zach Thornton to tie the score at 1-1.
"The ball dropped and I knew Emmanuel was going to be able to put it back in the box," said Iro. "I just reacted first and was able to get a shot off."
Iro was in the lineup for the first time this season in the absence of U.S. international Frankie Hejduk, who played 90 minutes in both the 3-0 victory against Trinidad and Tobago and in the 2-2 draw with El Salvador.
But after returning from the national team, Hejduk was carrying an injury that kept him out of the lineup on Sunday. Iro came into central defense alongside Chad Marshall and Danny O'Rourke moved to right back.
"Frankie is a great player, but we have a lot of quality on the bench," said Iro. "We did more than OK last year when Frankie was gone on international duty or with injury. He'll be back soon enough and that will be good for the team, but until then, we have enough quality to deal with it."
The fitness of usually-reliable Robbie Rogers was also a factor for Columbus, with the midfielder being substituted in the second half due to a lingering hamstring injury.
"Robbie was bothered by the hamstring a bit," said Warzycha. "That's why we took him off in the second half. He's usually creating chances and going after opposing defenders, but today he wasn't doing that. Hopefully in the next game, he will."
Columbus will be glad to return home after a road trip that saw them concede six goals and score just two, losing to Real Salt Lake 4-1 on Thursday night. The Crew lost at home only twice last season and came away from their lone home match this year with a 1-1 draw against Toronto FC, and now head back to Crew Stadium to take on Colorado on April 11 and Chicago on April 25.
"Last season was last season," said Warzycha. "Everything was bouncing our way. This year, we are facing some obstacles. We have to bounce back. But as long as we work hard like we did in the second half of today's game, we're going to get some points."
Jeffrey King is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
