INTO THE 2ND LEG WITH 3-GOAL LEAD
Following Tuesday’s 4-1 win against New York City FC at MAPFRE Stadium in the First Leg of the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals, Crew SC heads into the Second Leg with a three-goal lead on aggregate score. Should the Black & Gold win on aggregate score over the two legs of the series, they would advance to the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Championship against the winner of the Toronto FC - New York Red Bulls Eastern Conference Semifinals series. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, a three-goal lead after the First Leg has never been overturned in the history of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
UNBEATEN IN 12
Tuesday’s 4-1 home win over New York City FC at MAPFRE Stadium brought Crew SC’s undefeated streak to 12 consecutive matches (7-0-5) across all competitions, dating back to a 3-1 regular-season win against the Chicago Fire at MAPFRE Stadium on August 12. Over that span, Crew SC has outscored its opponents 23-11, registering four shutouts.
ARTUR SCORES 1ST GOAL
Midfielder Artur scored his first professional goal in Tuesday’s Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals match against New York City FC. Artur scored in the 58th minute when he received a pass from Federico Higuain inside the box, which he then sent to the back of the net to score the game-winning goal. During the post-match press conference, Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said the following when asked about Artur’s goal: “It was great. He’s been pushing for it; I know that. Not only that, the way he has adapted to the country, the way he has adapted to the team, to the city has been phenomenal. He’s a young player, people forget that but, tremendous work rate, and it was nice to see him rewarded with a goal tonight.” In addition to his goal, Artur played 90 minutes, registering 71 touches, attempting 49 passes with a success rate of 83.7%, and making seven tackles, the most out of any player on the field for either team.
KAMARA SCORES 19th GOAL
Forward Ola Kamara scored his 19th goal of 2017 across all competitions for Crew SC in Tuesday’s Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals match against New York City FC. Kamara’s goal came in the sixth minute when he pounced on a rebounded shot and put it past goalkeeper Sean Johnson to give the Black & Gold an early 1-0 lead. This was Kamara’s first Audi MLS Cup Playoffs goal since joining the Black & Gold ahead of the 2016 MLS regular season. In addition to the goal, Kamara also provided the assist on Justin Meram’s 69th-minute goal, as he played a through ball which Meram then blasted to make it 3-0 for Crew SC. In 2017, Kamara has made two appearances (all starts) in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, tallying one goal and one assist.
MERAM SCORES, ASSIST
Midfielder Justin Meram scored Crew SC’s third goal of the evening in Tuesday’s Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals match against New York City FC. Meram blasted the ball past Sean Johnson to make it 3-0 in favor of the Black & Gold in the 69th minute, assisted by Ola Kamara and Federico Higuain. This was Meram’s third all-time Audi MLS Cup Playoffs goal, as the midfielder previously scored a goal in the 2014 and 2015 editions of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. In addition to his goal, Meram also provided the assist on Harrison Afful’s goal, which Afful scored in the third minute of second half stoppage time. Meram played the entire 90 minutes and tied with Federico Higuain for most attempted shots for the Black & Gold on the night, with four.
AFFUL SCORES 1ST GOAL OF 2017
Defender Harrison Afful scored his first goal of 2017 in Tuesday’s Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals match, as he tallied Crew SC’s fourth goal in the club’s 4-1 victory over New York City FC. Afful scored the goal in the third minute of second half stoppage, as he dribbled past four NYCFC players before putting away his chance. This was Afful’s first career Audi MLS Cup Playoffs career goal in six appearances (all starts). In addition to scoring the goal, Afful played the entire 90 minutes, creating one goal-scoring chance and making three tackles.
TRIO OPENS PLAYOFFS GOAL ACCOUNT
Forward Ola Kamara, midfielder Artur and defender Harrison Afful all scored their first career Audi MLS Cup Playoffs goal in Tuesday’s Eastern Conference Semifinals match against New York City FC. Kamara scored the opening goal in just the sixth minute of the match, as he pounced on a loose ball to give the Black & Gold a 1-0 lead. Artur extended Crew SC’s lead in the 58th minute when he put away a pass from Federico Higuain. Meanwhile, Afful scored in the third minute of second-half stoppage time as he dribbled past several NYCFC defenders to make the final score 4-1 in favor of the hosts.
HIGUAIN'S 2 ASSISTS
Midfielder Federico Higuain registered his first two assists of the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs as he provided the helper on Artur’s 58th-minute goal and a secondary assist on Justin Meram’s 69th-minute goal in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over New York City FC. Higuain’s two helpers brought his all-time Audi MLS Cup Playoffs assist tally to four, as he previously provided two assists during the 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs. In addition to providing the helper on Artur’s goal, Federico Higuain attempted 52 passes – the most out of any Crew SC player in Tuesday’s match – with a success rate of 88.2% and tied with Justin Meram for most attempted shots, with four, two of which were on target.
HIGUAIN SETS SINGLE-MATCH CAREER HIGH
With his two helpers against New York City FC in Tuesday’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, Higuain set a new MLS Cup Playoffs single-match careerhigh in assists. Higuain had recorded two previous assists during the 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, first during the Second Leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Montreal Impact (November 8) and later setting up Crew SC’s lone goal against the Portland Timbers in MLS Cup 2015. Notably, Tuesday’s match marked Higuain’s fourth assist in the Black & Gold’s last two matches against NYCFC, as Higuain also registered two assists during Crew SC’s regular-season finale, a 2-2 draw against NYCFC at Citi Field (October 22).
PLAYMAKER: SANTOS CREATES MOST CHANCES
Since the beginning of the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs and through the First Leg of the Conference Semifinals, no other player has created more scoring chances that Crew SC midfielder Pedro Santos. Santos has created seven goal scoring chances, one more than Atlanta United FC’s Miguel Almirón and New York Red Bulls’ Sacha Kljestan (six each). Black & Gold midfielder Federico Higuain and forward Ola Kamara are tied with Houston Dynamo’s Tomas Martinez and Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Yordy Reyna for fourth place on the list, with all four players having created five goal scoring chances since the beginning of the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs.
ABU & ABUBAKAR MAKE PLAYOFFS DEBUT
Midfielder Mohammed Abu and rookie defender Lalas Abubakar both made their Audi MLS Cup Playoffs debut for Crew SC in Tuesday’s 4-1 home win over New York City FC. Abu was subbed onto the field in the first minute of second-half stoppage time, coming in for midfielder Artur. Meanwhile, Abubakar was subbed onto the field in the 88th minute, coming in for midfielder Federico Higuain. Because defenders Jonathan Mensah and Harrison Afful were still on the field when Abu was substituted in, this match marked the first time in club history that four Ghanaian players featured in an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs match at the same time.
YOUNGEST TEAM IN PLAYOFFS
According to data compiled by Transfermarkt, of the eight teams that qualified for the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Conference Semifinals, Crew SC is the youngest team, with an average age of 26.0 years based on the 23 players that played in at least one or more regular-season matches for the club. Additionally, the Black & Gold also boast the youngest average age for their starting eleven, at 26.1 years. During the 2017 MLS regular season, the average age of players across the League wass 26.8 years.
STEFFEN: YOUNGEST GK TO WIN IN PLAYOFFS
With Crew SC’s 4-1 win over New York City FC in Tuesday’s Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals match, Zack Steffen became the youngest goalkeeper in club history to record a win for the Black & Gold in the post-season at the age of 22 years and 212 days. This honor was previously held by Brad Friedel, who was 25 years old and 133 days when he started for Crew SC during an MLS Cup Playoffs win against the Tampa Bay Mutiny on September 28, 1996.
HIGUAIN: FINALIST FOR MLS COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
On Tuesday, Federico Higuain was named a finalist for Major League Soccer’s Comeback Player of the Year award. Higuain is one of three finalists for the award, along with Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders) and Erick Torres (Houston Dynamo). The Comeback Player of the Year is awarded to an MLS player who has overcome injuries and/or adversity in order to achieve success during the 2017 regular season. In 2015, Higuain was a key cog in the Black & Gold’s run to the 2015 MLS Cup. Halfway through 2016, Higuain underwent hernia surgery, drastically reducing the number of matches he was able to play in as he recovered from the procedure. This year, he returned with a vengeance, registering a career-high 14 regular-season assists while helping Crew SC return to the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs. The finalists earned the most votes in polling of three voting groups: current MLS players, MLS Clubs (Coaches, Technical Directors/General Managers) and media members who consistently covered the 2017 MLS Regular Season. The winner of the award is expected to be announced on Wednesday, November 15 with the MLS Awards announcement schedule subject to change.
