COLUMBUS – Crew SC returned home to MAPFRE Stadium on Wednesday night and sent its supporters home happy after a 3-0 victory over the defending Major League Soccer Cup champion Seattle Sounders FC. But not every fan will remember the same unique detail of the match when they look back.
Some supporters will remember a Hector Jimenez milestone and assist. Wednesday’s match marked the veteran midfielder’s 50th start as a member of the Black & Gold.
The landmark start was not enough for Jimenez. In the 10th minute Jimenez slide tackled a ball that yielded a huge result for Crew SC. The ball was won by the midfielder from Bell Gardens, Calif., and ended up at the reliable feet of Federico Higuain before booting home on a long-range goal that put the Black & Gold ahead 1-0 early.
“Hector is a guy that when he plays on a limit is an excellent player in this league,” Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said. “That’s something we’ve been encouraging guys to do is be aggressive. His passing I thought was outstanding in the first half. His competing was outstanding. A play like that, you get a goal out of virtually nothing with a guy just competing. It was great to see from Hector and he played a great game.”
Other supporters will remember a new career high set by midfielder Justin Meram in the victory. A hesitation move in the open field in the 21st minute from outside the box yielded Crew SC a 2-0 lead. Meram’s eighth goal of the season matched his highest single-season total of his career while Crew SC still sits near the halfway point of the 2017 campaign.
Berhalter said that the team goes as Meram goes.
“For this team to be successful, Justin Meram has to be successful,” Berhalter said. “The success of Justin is closely tied to team success. You see when we play well and win, he plays well. We were looking for something from him today and he brought some special qualities at key moments.”
In Berhalter’s eyes, Meram’s success this season is due to offseason preparation and is still an unfinished work of sorts at this point.
“One of the things we challenged Justin with in the offseason was scoring more goals,” Berhalter said. “This year he’s done that, and I think he still has a ways to go. He’s not finished and I hope to see more good things from him.”
Maybe the most memorable story of the night was a remarkable show of grit by midfielder Artur.
For a few seconds at the beginning of the second half, Crew SC was playing with only 10 men. That was when Artur came running out of the tunnel late and joined his team and continued to play for the remaining 45 minutes of the victory.
“He was on Brazilian time,” Berhalter joked. “He was actually sick at halftime if you can believe that. We weren’t sure if he was going to come out. But he was adamant that he was coming out to play and he made it in the nick of time only a couple minutes late.”
While Berhalter joked about Artur’s intermittent absence, the coach of the Black & Gold praised his midfielder’s gutsy performance.
“He’s a warrior,” Berhalter said. “He’s a fighter and you can see that. A lot of guys would’ve stayed in the locker room and he came out and competed.”
Berhalter was not the only one singing Artur’s praises on Wednesday night. The veteran Meram was impressed with Artur playing through illness and with the 21-year-old Brazilian’s performance as a whole this season.
“I’ve been a fan of this kid since he came in,” Meram said. “He does so much for us as a front, he covers so much ground. He’s so confident on the ball. He can dribble through lines and pass through lines. He breaks up plays. We have a star and he’s just going to keep growing and he’s so passionate about each and every game.
According to Meram, Wednesday’s inspiring moment is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Artur’s young career.
“His will to come out after being sick just shows how much playing the game and playing for us and for this club means to him,” Meram said. We’re definitely proud of him. He’s still got a lot of room to grow and you’re going to see the progression game after game.”
After Crew SC's midweek 3-0 victory over Seattle Sounders FC, Columbus will travel to face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, June 3, with a 9 p.m. ET kickoff. A June 17 match in Atlanta against MLS-expansion side Atlanta United comes next with a 7 p.m. ET kickoff. Crew SC next plays the Montreal Impact at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday, June 24 with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. Enjoy half-off select beers (for supporters ages 21-and-over), Pepsi products, brats and pretzels through the 15th minute.
concession items subject to change
The Black & Gold welcome German Bundesliga-side and DFB Pokal-finalist Eintracht Frankfurt to MAPFRE Stadium for an international friendly on Monday, July 17. The match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m.
