The weather has been a major topic in the city the Columbus Crew calls home for the past five days.
First, there were the severe wind shears that tossed the team's plane on the return from Toronto on Sunday and caused nausea among the passengers before the pilot aborted a landing and flew to Cleveland. Then there was ensuing the power outage from the hurricane-level winds that blanketed nearly all of central Ohio and still has some players' dwellings in the dark.
"The guys have been great. They've been on an even keel. It's been tremendous," Crew coach Sigi Schmid said.
Finally, somebody had something nice to say about the weather following the Crew's 3-1 against New York on Thursday night in Crew Stadium that has the club on the verge of its first playoff appearance since 2004.
"We don't have an asterisk next to our name (for clinching) but we definitely have a checkmark. We're moving forward," Schmid said.
Defender Frankie Hejduk, who along with midfielder Duncan Oughton and defender Chad Marshall are the only holdovers from the Crew's last postseason qualifier, scored his first goal in a little more than three years to tie the match at 1-1 in the 41st minute then assisted on the final tally by Eddie Gaven in the 85th. Robbie Rogers also scored for the Crew in the 46th minute while Juan Pablo Angel had earlier put the Red Bulls ahead in the 21st minute.
Hejduk's 11th goal in his 161st MLS game was his first since Sept. 10, 2005, at New England. That the two came post-Labor Day might not be a coincidence.
He usually tests as the fittest player on the team and his ability to run the flank seemingly without a sweat is legendary but he admits the scorching days of summer are not conducive to his game.
"I wish every game was played in this type of weather," he said of the kickoff temperature of 74 degrees that quickly dropped into the mid-60's once the sun had set by the start of the second half. "Hopefully one day we get to play in the winter, not the summer. The game's faster, guys are more in tune with the game because they're not tired from the sun or the heat or the humidity. I felt like I could run a total another game out there. If you play in weather like that, the weather soccer is supposed to be played in, it makes it much easier.
"You saw that from everyone. Everyone had a lot more energy. The game was more exciting. I thought the fans were more into it; everyone was more pumped up and a lot had to do with the weather being the way it was. It was perfect soccer weather."
That could bode well for the streaking Crew as they head into autumn. They are 5-0-1 in the past six matches and improved to a league-best 47 points with five matches left. What's scary for the rest of MLS is the Crew have scored four goals without leading scorer Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who has been out with a hamstring injury for the last two games.
"We're a tough team to play against because you can't focus on one guy," Schmid said. "If you focus on one guy somebody else is going to be the one to come through and put the ball in the back of the net."
Four different players have scored in Schelotto's absence.
"One great thing about this team is how many great players we have," Rogers said. "(Schelotto's) a great player, he adds so much but we have some young players who can attack and be creative and do the things he does."
Hejduk countered Angel's stunning 35-yard free kick by chipping a shot with his right instep from just outside the penalty area. Hejduk took a loose ball on the right side, faked midfielder Jorge Rojas into jumping to block a shot then dribbled several times before lofting a ball that could have been misconstrued as a cross but nonetheless sailed over goalkeeper Jon Conway into the left side netting.
Rogers said it was a planned shot all the way.
"I wasn't surprised when it went in," he said. "If you look at it, you see Frankie take a look where the 'keeper is. That's experience. The 'keeper thought for sure he was going to cross it and Frankie just caught him off the line."
It was about time, said Hejduk of his long goal drought.
"It was long overdue. I ate my Wheaties this morning. Before the game I felt great. It's great to be in that weather. My body felt good. Everything felt positive before the game and I think a lot of it has to do with the way it was with the weather and how much easier it is to run," he said.
The goal gave the Crew momentum going into halftime and Rogers shocked the Red Bulls with his long-range drive just 19 seconds into the second half. It was the fastest Crew goal ever to begin a half.
Rogers took a short pass from defender Gino Padula near the left sideline and did the work from there. Rogers went past two defenders and with plenty of space; he got behind a 30-yard right-footed strike.
"My first touch wasn't great," he said. "The defender took a step and then he hesitated. He was flat-footed. I pushed it inside. That bad touch set it up for me."
The Crew are idle until playing at New England Sept. 27 and should have Schelotto back by then. However, midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi could be out after a sliding collision with Mike Magee left him with 20 stitches to repair a gash in his right shin.
Craig Merz is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
