The best team in Major League Soccer faces the worst in the last MLS match of the weekend as the COlumbus Crew take on the New York Red Bulls.
Given the sad state of the Red Bulls it's almost a sin to remind folks that this is a rematch of last year's MLS Cup, but it is. The Crew is riding a XX-match unbeaten streak while the Red Bulls just won their first match in two months last week.
I will be providing commentary for the match (after a computer-related delay) so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action:
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FINAL– That's all from Giants Stadium. Please feel free to share your post-match thoughts in the comments section below.
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FINAL– Richie Williams, the Middletown Mourinho, improves to 2-0 since taking over for Juan Carlos Osorio, and 6-3-2 all-time as a head coach. Not bad, is it?
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FINAL- Red Bulls 1, Crew 0. The Richie Williams era continues undefeated and the win improves New York to 16 points. That means the REd Bulls will NOT have the worst record in MLS history.
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93rd minute– Boyens has had a game today. I've called him terrible in the past, but for tonight, he's been stellar.
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90th minute– Lenhart with the handball. Red Bulls have four minute of stoppage time to kill.
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88th minute– Schelotto is coming in for Hejduk. Interesting late sub. Schelotto can't really play on this turf too long.
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86th minute– Crew running out of time here. Moreno is trying to create something. Kandji commits a foul and is lucky not to get a second yellow. Crew with a long free kick.
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84th minute– Brunner with a yellow card for colliding with Kandji in the open field. Kandji is slow to get up.
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82nd minute– SAVE Coundoul. Stops a Moreno header.
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81st minute– Sassano comes in for Ubiparipovic.
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78th minute– Brunner misses a wide-open look on the back-post.
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76th minute– Andrew Boyens with another great play to break up a dangerous chance for the Crew. Columbus corner.
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72nd minute– Johnson gets a yellow for a foul on Moreno that looked worse than it was. Columbus is ready for a late push.
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72nd minute– Alejandro Moreno is coming in.
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71st minute– Tonight's attendance: 10,323. Okay, so it looks more like 5,000, but who's counting?
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70th minute– Robbie Rogers in for Adam Moffatt.
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68th minute– Here comes Robbie Rogers, about to sub in.
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67th minute– Wonder what Robert Warzycha is waiting for with subs.
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64th minute– Crew shot attempt is blocked and the Red Bulls broke out on the counter. Richards torched the Crew defense, juking Brian Carroll before sliding a shot past Greunebaum. Anybody else surprised that Richards actually finished that play off? That was 2008 Dane Richards, not 2009 Dane Richards.
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62nd minute- GOAL RED BULLS!!!! DANE RICHARDS with the finish off a LONG run. WOW. Red Bulls 1, Crew 0.
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60th minute– Wolyniec HITS THE POST!!!! Rocket of a left-footed shot hits the left post.
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59th minute– Mac Kandji is coming in for Jorge Rojas. What, you didn't know Rojas was playing?
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57th minute– For those wondering about new signing Walter Garcia and why he's not in uniform, the word I get is that he is woefully out of shape and is still several weeks away from match fitness. That signing is looking really good right now, isn't it?
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55th minute– One player who hasn't been terrible tonight is Andrew Boyens. He's held his own, though the Crew helped by not starting quick forwards.
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52nd minute– Ubiparipovic clips Gavens legs on the break and draws a yellow. The Crew starting to look a bit more dangerous here. The urgency is setting in. They have to realize this match is three points for the taking.
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50th minute- Ricardo Salazqar is the ref tonight, meaning there's still a good chance of a red card at some point.
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46th minute– We're back, no subs.
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HALFTIME– Columbus is playing like a team that just wants to get this road trip over with. The Red Bulls are playing like a bad team trying hard but still not playing well enough to beat a good team having a bad night.
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HALFTIME– Crew 0, Red Bulls 0. Not the most exciting match ever.
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43rd minute– Coundoul gets the start tonight. He has not really been tested yet.
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42nd minute– Danleigh Borman has had a good game so far today. He's settled into the left back job pretty well. Alfredo Pacheco isn't even dressed today, which shows you how far his stock has fallen.
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40th minute– No Schelotto or Robbie Rogers tonight, or Alejandro Moreno for that matter, and it shows as the offense is lacking some punch.
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37th minute– Here's the Crew's lineup today:
————-Lenhart——–Garey——————
Gaven———Carroll——Moffat———–Ekpo
Padula———-Brunner–Marshall———-Hejduk
———————-Gruenebaum——————-
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34th minute– Red Bulls have actually shown some flashes offensively, but the Crew are capable of burning New York on the counter.
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29th minute– Here is the Red BUlls lineup tonight:
——————-Angel——-Wolyniec—————-
—————————-Rojas————————–
Ubiparipovic—————————————Richards
————————-Stammler—————————-
Borman——–Petke————-Boyens————Johnson
————————–Coundoul—————————-
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———–Stammler————————–
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25th minute– Danleigh Borman clears a Chad Marshall shot off the line for New York.
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24th minute– It's 0-0, not much action to speak of so far.