Most would probably say Chris Birchall's first goal as a member of the Black & Gold was the top moment of Saturday night's 1-0 victory over D.C. United, but the moment that caught my eye was goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum's swat to keep the ball out of Chris Pontius' reach from a chipped pass from Crew right back Sebastian Miranda in the 76th minute to help keep D.C. scoreless and avoid the own goal. Here is Hammer's account of the sequence:
"I was calling for it, I was right there and Seba (Miranda) either didn't hear me or he was just reacting and too focused on the ball. Sometimes you're just so focused, you don't see anything else around you. He kind of chipped it, and I had to stop on a dime and turn around and scramble back to tip it wide. It was just pure athleticism, really. (laughs) I'm just kidding. I was just able to get back in time. Just lucky, I guess."
