Facing a rejuvenated Los Angeles Galaxy side, the Columbus Crew seemed to have a challenging match on Saturday.
Then, Ezra Hendrickson was sent off in the 29th minute and the hosts gained a greater advantage.
However, neither the opponent nor the red card was enough to stop the Crew at The Home Depot Center. Chad Marshall, Ned Grabavoy and Alejandro Moreno scored as the visiting Crew walked away with a 3-2 victory.
"Although we have been playing well, we weren't getting results," Moreno said. "Today we showed some character, we showed a lot of positives. Even with 10 men, we were carrying moments of the game."
The victory was the Crew's second consecutive win and third overall of the season. With Toronto FC losing and Chicago off, the Crew went from seventh to fifth place in the Eastern Conference with the victory.
For Crew coach Sigi Schmid, the victory was meaningful for two reasons.
"I grew up in Los Angeles so coming back here and winning is rewarding," said Schmid, who led the Galaxy to the 2002 MLS Cup title. "But what's most rewarding is for our team because we've had just a series of bad luck early in the season but now it's starting to turn around."
After a stunning come-from-behind 3-3 draw at New England a week ago, the Crew have now picked up seven points in three games. With each passing game, Schmid said the team is familiarizing itself with Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The one-time Boca Juniors legend picked up his sixth assist when he picked Marshall out of a group of players on a free kick in the 15th minute that the center back headed in off the post.
"Our understanding of Guillermo is much, much better," Schmid said. "He got fouled three or four times in the first 13 minutes and he did that part for us well."
Where Barros Schelotto has particularly excelled is on set pieces. The Crew actually scored two goals on set pieces on Saturday but Barros Schelotto was on the bench when Moreno headed home a corner kick from Eddie Gaven.
"We went through the longest stretch, something like 18 months, where we hadn't scored a goal on set pieces and now we've got like four in the last four or five games," Schmid said. "That's something that's really been helped by Guillermo and what he does on set pieces for us, his service and delivery. That's the key on set pieces, you've got to have delivery. Since he's come on board, the runs are there and the ball is there."
But even after controlling the early part of the game and Marshall's second goal of the season, the Crew were dealt a potentially lethal blow when Hendrickson was sent off after a rough challenge on Kevin Harmse.
It was a call that Schmid did not necessarily agree with.
"It was a huge blow for us to lose Ezra," Schmid said. "There were other fouls similar to that in the game that had already occurred and he didn't punish him with a red card."
When faced with an obstacle like that, though, the Crew players showed resiliency.
"It was a little bit harsh but those things happened and we reacted well," Moreno said. "We could have chosen to go in a different direction and put our heads down but we chose to work and really stick together and get the job done."
Still, the Crew were awarded a penalty kick when Gaven was taken down inside the penalty area by Kyle Veris. Grabavoy stepped up to the spot but the shot did not go well.
"Unfortunately I missed a PK. I took one against Joe (Cannon) in the preseason and I made it. I thought he made a pretty good save but I've got to put that one away," Grabavoy said.
Schmid, though, said that the Galaxy goalkeeper's leap off the line before the shot was struck was one he's seen too often in the past.
"That's what Cannon always does," Schmid said. "I've told the league referees about that and they've never done anything about it. They don't watch and they're never going to call it back."
In the second half, the Crew scored twice but after each time the Galaxy countered. Grabavoy tucked a shot past Cannon in the 58th minute but Gavin Glinton answered in the 66th minute. Moreno seemingly put the game out of reach in the 84th minute but former Crew forward Edson Buddle answered in stoppage time.
The Galaxy, though, ran out of time as their last-ditch comeback effort fell short. As the Crew squad improves with each passing game, Barros Schelotto said the team has the makings of a championship contender.
"This is a team that is capable of making the playoffs," Barros Schelotto said. "Once we get in, we'll see where we can go."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
