Following three straight matches on the road, Columbus Crew SC recorded its first win of 2016 with a 3-2 victory over New York City FC at MAPFRE Stadium. The Black & Gold earned all three points with some impressive play and clutch defense. With that being said, let’s look at some stats from the match.
1
Two Crew SC players made their debut for the Black & Gold on Saturday night. Midfielder Rodrigo Saravia and defender Amro Tarek came off the bench in the final minutes of the match. Tarek replaced Federico Higuain in the 88th minute and Saravia came on for Mohammed Saeid in added time.
2
Justin Meram earned Barbasol Man of the Match honors after recording the first two-assist match of his MLS career. It was also the first match of Meram's career with a combined three goals and assists. Meram created five chances, according to the League's official statistician, Opta. That is a personal single-match career-best dating back to his Black & Gold debut on May 28, 2011.
24
Midfielder Ethan Finlay opened the scoring in the seventh minute. It was his first goal of the 2016 season and his 24th overall for the Black & Gold. With the goal, Finlay broke a tie with Brian Maisonneuve to move into 10th place in team history.
29
Forward Kei Kamara scored his 29th all-time Crew SC goal this evening, breaking a tie with Dante Washington to move into eighth place in all-time club history. Overall, Kamara recorded seven shots, tying NYCFC’s David Villa for the most in the match.
30
Goalkeeper Steve Clark recorded his 30th win for the Black & Gold since joining the club back in 2014. The Black & Gold goal-stopper also made three saves in the match, with the most crucial stop coming in stoppage time of the second half to secure the victory.
