With three different players getting into the back of the net, Columbus Crew SC defeated the LA Galaxy 3-1 on Wednesday, May 8 at MAPFRE Stadium.
The Black & Gold broke through in the 27th minute when Federico Higuain played a ball through to Robinho, who crossed it into the box for Gyasi Zardes, whoredirected the ball inside the far post. With this assist, Higuain surpassed Robert Warzycha in Crew SC all-time regular season assists with 62.
In the 50th minute, goalkeeper Zack Steffen came up big when LA's Zlatan Ibrahimovic headed the ball towards the far post, but Steffen dove to block the opportunity.
Crew SC was able to double their lead in the 53rd minute when Zardes dropped the ball to Higuain, who then broke through and drove the ball into the bottom-left corner. The Black & Gold took the lead to three when Hector Jimenez followed up on a blocked shot and drilled the ball into the far post. These goals marked the first for both Higuain and Jimenez in the 2019 regular-season.
In the 74th minute, after joining with the team on Monday, midfielder David Guzman made his Crew SC debut when he subbed on for Higuain.
The Galaxy's lone goal came in the 87th minute when David Steres redirected a corner from Sebastian Lleget inside the far post.
Up next, Crew SC continues at home when they face LAFC at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Supporters can watch the match on FOX Sports Ohio, stream on FOX Sports GO, or listen on 97.1 FM The Fan or www.ColumbusCrewSC.com (English & Spanish).
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Goal Scoring Rundown:
CLB- Gyasi Zardes (Robinho, Federico Higuain), 27th minute: Zardes redirects a cross from Robinho into the far post. CLB 1, LA 0
CLB- Federico Higuain (Gyasi Zardes), 53rd minute: Higuain breaks through after a dropped pass from Zardes and strikes it to the bottom-left corner. CLB 2, LA 0
CLB- Hector Jimenez, 66th minute: Jimenez follows up on a loose ball to the far post. CLB 3, LA 0
LA- Daniel Steres (Sebastian Lleget), 87th minute: Steres redirects a corner kick from Lleget to the far post. CLB 3, LA 1 | FINAL
Lineups:
Columbus Crew SC
LA Galaxy
Match Notes:
With his helper in tonightās match against the LA Galaxy, Federico Higuain is now the all-time regular-season assists leader for the Crew, surpassing Robert Warzycha. Higuainās assist on Gyasi Zardes 27th-minute goal took his all-time total to 62 in regular-season action since joining the Black & Gold in 2012. The Argentine midfielder is now one of only three active players in MLS ā the other two being Diego Valeri (71) and Graham Zusi (65) ā to register 63 or more assists in regular-season action, as well as one of only 24 players in League history to achieve this feat. In addition to leading Columbus in all-time regular season helpers, Higuain also leads the Club in all-time regular-season game-winning assists with 20.
Federico Higuain registered his first regular-season goal of 2019 as well as his fourth regular-season assist of the year in tonightās 3-1 victory over the LA Galaxy. Higuainās assist came in the 27th minute, as he played a wide ball to Robinho, who then crossed it into the box for Gyasi Zardes to make it 1-0. The Argentine midfielder then turned goal-scorer in the 53rd minute, as he received a through ball from Zardes which he sent to the far post to make it 2-0 for the Black & Gold. The goal was Higuainās 55th strike in 190 regular-season appearances (182 starts) for Columbus since joining the Club in 2012. Through 12 regular-season appearances (all starts) in 2019, Higuain has scored one goal and provided four assists, including one game-winning assist.
Robinho registered an assist on Crew SCās opening goal during tonightās home victory over the LA Galaxy. The Brazilian midfielderās assist came in the 27th minute of the contest, as he crossed the ball into the box for Gyasi Zardes, who put the Black & Gold ahead on the scoreboard. In addition to his helper, Robinho played the entire 90 minutes, registering 64 touches, making 28 passes and making 3 tackles, recording five shots, leading the Black & Gold in total shots. In 2019, Robinho has made 12 regular-season appearance (nine starts), providing two assists.
Forward Gyasi Zardes recorded his fourth goal of the 2019 regular season during tonightās match against the LA Galaxy. Zardesā goal came in the 28th minute on a cross from Robinho. Zardes later turned provider, as he provided a through ball for Federico Higuain in the 53rd minute that allowed the Argentine to score the Crew's second goal. With his strike in tonightās match Zardes has now scored 23 regular-season goals and provided one assist in 44 regular-season appearances (all starts) for Crew SC.
Hector Jimenez recorded his first goal of the 2019 regular season in the 66th minute of tonightās contest as he pounced on a loose ball before finding the back of the net for Crew SCās third goal of the night. Notably, Jimenez last scored on April 19, 2014 in a 1-1 draw against D.C. United in which he started and played all 90 minutes. To date, Jimenez had made 112 total appearances (85 starts) since joining the Club in 2014.
Midfielder David Guzman made his Crew SC debut in tonightās home match against the LA Galaxy. Guzman came into the match as a substitute for Federico Higuain in the 74th minute, completing 22 passes and registering a passing percentage of 90.9. The midfielder joined the Crew from the Portland Timbers two days ago on May 6. Prior to joining the Black & Gold, Guzman played for the Timbers from 2017-2019, making 44 regular-season appearances (39 starts), scoring four goals and providing eight assists.
Tonightās contest marked Crew SCās 44th all-time regular-season contest against the LA Galaxy with the Black & Gold holding a winning record of 18-16-10 over that span, including a home record of 11-4-6.
With the 3-1 win against the LA Galaxy in tonightās match, Crew SCās 2019 regular-season record is now 5-6-1 (16 points). Next up, Crew SC has a home contest against Los Angeles FC at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday, May 11 (7:30 p.m. ET / Fox Sports Ohio, FOX Sports GO / 97.1 The Fan and streaming online via the āListen Liveā button at 971TheFan.com / Spanish audio stream on ColumbusCrewSC.com).
