The New England Revolution had not won in 10 matches. The Columbus Crew had not lost in six. With one result, both streaks are over.
The Revolution found a way to cool off Designated Player Federico Higuain and the red-hot Crew, earning a 2-0 home victory to snap a franchise-worst winless skid and halt Columbus' momentum in the race for a postseason berth.
Despite playing without starting strikers Saer Sene (torn ACL) and Jerry Bengtson (international duty), the Revs received valuable contributions from forwards Diego Fagundez and Dimitry Imbongo, with Fagundez' 53rd-minute shot pinging off the post to Imbongo in the center of the box, where he finished for his first MLS goal.
The game was put out of reach with a bizarre own goal in the 74th minute, as Chad Marshall attempted to head back a ball to on-rushing goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum. He then stopped in his tracks while it appeared that he had a chance to clear the ball before it bounded into the goal to give New England a 2-0 lead.
The loss keeps the Crew, which could have jumped to third place in the East with a win, at 42 points and in fifth place, level with fourth-place Houston on points (behind on the goals-scored tiebreaker) and a point ahead of sixth-place D.C. United with all three having seven matches remaining in the season.
Match highlights are after the jump:
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What did you think of the match? Surprised by the result? Are you second-guessing the Crew's playoff credentials after tonight? Still wondering what Marshall was doing on that own-goal?
Share your thoughts below.
Awful own goal by Marshall…It’s hard to believe this was the defender of the year at one point.
Watching the replay, I see no reason for him to not finish the play. Someone above mentioned that it might have been a hamstring issue. Unless he had immediately left the field (the play happened in the 75ish minute) there’s no injury sympathy here. If you can’t make that play you aren’t in a position to help your club the rest of the game.
milo couldnt complete a pass and birchall couldnt make a forward pass if their fatigued lives depended on it.
These midweek games are always bizarre…Shift them to Friday
Can we talk about the new prolific strike partnership?! Imbongo (great when Matthew Doyle had to eat his words) actually looked somewhat polished and Fagundez was unlucky to not score on the scissor; great save by gruenebaum. In all seriousness though this was an ugly game I am glad they had to grind out. The turf needs to go, the ball was in the air for about 45 minutes last night. Crew just looked flat and the back four dealt with Higuain well.
I would hope he was hurt on that play because if he wasn’t then he flat out quit on a play he could have made. Looked like Josh Beckett out there just not giving a kcuf.
You could be right. The Crew were playing their seventh game in three weeks, and they all looked fatigued.
I have a lot of respect for Chad Marshall, but I would love to hear his explanation for why he did not try to clear his own goal off the line. Former MLS greats Alexi Lalas and Jim Curtin suggested on Twitter that he should have been able to get to it, and they weren’t the most agile players either.
If this had happened in the EPL, it would have definitely been the talking point of the week.
I was at the game tonight. I think that Marshall pulled up before the ball crossed the line because he has a hamstring issue that he was worried about stressing. As in, it feels weak, and I think I’ll pull it if I have to move the wrong way. He was massaging and clutching at his hamstring multiple times throughout the second half. I mentioned it my friend moments before the play, and we noticed it several times after.
About time to see a piece of luck go the Revs way – it’s been an extremely unlucky season.