Columbus Crew SC battled a persistent New England Revolution in its first home match since March 31. The Black & Gold out-shot the Revolution, 18 to 9 respectively, but ultimately finished level in a wild 2-2 draw at MAPFRE Stadium.
“The effort was outstanding tonight,” said Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter, “The desire was outstanding and we played some good soccer along the way.”
In the ninth minute, Federico Higuain delivered a long cross to Milton Valenzuela, who headed it goalward. New England defender Andrew Farrell stepped in to block Valenzuela’s ball, only to head in the own goal to put Columbus up. New England responded five minutes later as forward Teal Burnbury scored an equalizer.
Nearing the end of the first half, Gyasi Zardes finished a clean passing sequence from Higuain and Pedro Santos, scoring a go-ahead goal for Columbus.
New England equalized again minutes later.
The second half produced zero goals for either side, but there was plenty of action. Defender Jonathon Mensah had two run-ins with the crossbar, almost breaking the deadlock both times. Zack Steffen made two key saves in the second half to secure the draw.
Crew SC out-passed (83%) and out-possessed (60%) the Revolution. The draw snaps a three-match losing streak for Columbus.
Crew SC returns to MAPFRE Stadium next Saturday, April 28, to host the San Jose Earthquakes for Super Hero Night. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET, with supporters encouraged to dress as their favorite Crew SC player — or Super Hero.
LINEUPS
This evening's #NERevs Starting XI BENCH: Knighton, Tierney, Bye, Delamea, Caldwell, Herivaux, Nemeth pic.twitter.com/UZ8MKXVndz
— New England Revolution (@NERevolution) April 21, 2018
- Niko Hansen made his first start of the 2018 MLS regular season in tonight’s match against the New England Revolution. This was Hansen’s first start for the club since a road contest against Toronto FC on May 26, 2017. Additionally, Hansen played 70 minutes and had three shots (two on target), created one goal-scoring chance, made 18 passes and had 28 touches on the ball. Since being chosen by Crew SC in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, Hansen has made 18 regular-season appearances (four starts) for the Black & Gold, registering one goal and two assists.
- In tonight’s match against the New England Revolution, Federico Higuain recorded an assist on Gyasi Zardes’ 43rd-minute goal. With this assist, Higuain has now tallied three assists on the season while appearing in eight matches (all starts). The helper broughthis career total to 52 assists. Tonight, Higuain registered three shots (one on target), while creating four goal-scoring chances, making four tackles, attempting 56 passes (82.1% accuracy), and getting 79 touches. Since Joining the Black & Gold in 2012, Higuain has appeared in 157 career MLS regular-season matches (152 starts) for Crew SC, recording 13,362 minutes.
- In tonight’s match, Pedro Santos recorded an assist on Gyasi Zardes’ 43rd-minute goal. With his assist, Santos has now tallied two assists in the 2018 MLS regular season, while making eight regular-season appearances (all starts). Tonight, Santos registered two shots, while creating one goal-scoring chance, making 33 passes and getting 57 touches. Since joining the club in 2017, Santos has made 17 regular-season appearances (16 starts), registering one goal and four assists.
- Gyasi Zardes scored his fifth goal of the season in tonight’s match against the New England Revolution in the 43rd minute. Federico Higuain and Pedro Santos were responsible for the assist. This was Zardes eighth career appearance (all starts) for Crew SC. Prior to tonight, Zardes’ last goal with Crew SC came in a home contest against the Vancouver Whitecaps on March 31. Zardes has played 720 minutes for Crew SC, recording 26 shots with nine on goal.
