COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew SC midfielder Federico Higuain is no stranger to milestones, but he is running out of Black & Gold legends to overtake on the various all-time lists.
A 3-0 victory over Seattle Sounders FC by Columbus on Wednesday evening yielded a goal and an assist for the Argentinian and landed him in the 40-goals, 40-assists club and lifted Pipa to third all-time in goals scored for Crew SC. Jeff Cunningham and Brian McBride are the only players in the history of the Black & Gold that are ahead of Higuain in both categories.
In the 10th minute of the match, Crew SC midfielder Hector Jimenez won a ball with a sliding tackle and assisted Higuain on a long-range golazo from the top of the box that found its mark with laser-like accuracy.
The goal, Higuain’s 44th of his career, tied him for third all-time with fabled Crew SC attacker Stern John. Ahead of Higuain and John are Cunningham and McBride with 64 and 62 goals, respectively.
Pipa’s next feat came in the 59th minute when he kickstarted a give-and-go between Crew SC midfielder Justin Meram and forward Ola Kamara that ended in a Kamara goal. Higuain was credited with a secondary assist on the play, the 40th of his career.
The uber-exclusive 40/40 Club includes only Higuain (44 goals, 40 assists), McBride (62 goals, 45 assists) and Cunningham (64 goals, 44 assists).
Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter spoke at length about his Designated Player following his historic performance against Seattle.
"I think he was great tonight,” Berhalter said. “I think he had an excellent game the way he was controlling the tempo of the game but still being dangerous, still making trailing passes, I thought there was a great balance between keeping possession and trying risky passes.”
According to Berhalter, Higuain’s 40th assist was one of his most impressive as a member of the Black & Gold.
“I think that one ball that he gave to Ola in the second half, the longer ball from the left side of the field, I mean that’s a ball you guys should watch again on video,” Berhalter said. “Not many people in the league can hit that pass and I thought that was great.”
With how often he rewrites the record books in Columbus, one question is becoming more pertinent as each match comes and goes. Where does Higuain stand in the history of Crew SC legends?
“As far as I’m concerned, he would go down as one of the better players, if not the best that ever played for Crew SC, with another Argentine and a forward and maybe a defender,” Berhalter said.
Following the match, the man himself spoke about his performance and his advancement in the Crew SC record books. As usual, Pipa showed nothing but modesty and a team-first mentality.
“Numbers are numbers, but I don’t look too much at stats. I’m really happy with the assist and I’m really happy because we’re bringing back our game. I’m really happy also because after a big loss, we came in front of our supporters and played like we did, I think it’s very good feeling for us.”
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.
