Crew SC dropped its regular season finale to New York City FC at Yankee Stadium Sunday night. The Black & Gold fell behind 1-0 just before the halftime whistle, then tied it up in the 59th minute. They continued to press forward and create chances, getting countered for a couple NYC finishes. The match ended 4-1 with NYCFC sealing the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Let’s take a look at then 2016 season finale by the numbers…
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Nineteen-year-old midfielder Cristian Martinez and goalkeeper Brad Stuver started their second straight matches after making their MLS starting debuts last weekend against the New York Red Bulls.
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Federico Higuain returned to Crew SC’s lineup for the first time since September 3 in LA. He played the first 76 minutes of Sunday’s contest and led his team with four shots.
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Hector Jiménez started at left back for the Black & Gold before switching over to the right side in the second half. Along with continuing to showcase his versatility, he served five of Columbus’ six total corner kicks on the night.
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Crew SC did not go easy on NYC’s Norwegian goalkeeper, Eirik Johansen, who was making his debut for the hosts. The Black & Gold forced him to make six saves on the night. Each team had six shots on target and Columbus served in six corners.
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As NYCFC mixed things up playing in a 3-5-2 formation, Crew SC was able to get in behind their backline on several occasions — but they were a bit fast for their own good, getting called offside 10 times.
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Midfielder Justin Meram added to his career-best and team-leading assist tally with his 13th tonight. It was his third against NYCFC all-time.
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Columbus peppered Johansen with 15 shots, coming from nine different players.
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Striker Ola Kamara returned to the lineup as well tonight, making his first start since September 28 at D.C. United and his first appearance since October 1 against the Chicago Fire. He continued his goal-scoring ways adding his 16th of the season against NYCFC
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Kamara also made his 25th MLS appearance for the Black & Gold at Yankee Stadium. Defender Corey Ashe also had a secondary assist on Kamara's goal, notching his 25th career helper.
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Thirty-four matches later, Crew SC’s 2016 season has come to a close. Columbus Captain Michael Parkhurst made his 34th start against NYC, making him the only player on Crew SC’s current roster to start every single match for the Black & Gold this season. Midfielder Ethan Finlay also appeared in every match for Columbus in 2016.
