Fantastic Finish for Rogers, Crew

By Gary L. Moody Jr.

COLUMBUS, OH - May 8, 2010 - The New England Revolution's attack was quite prolific Saturday night, putting away three goals against the Columbus Crew. Unfortunately for the Revs (2-5-1), one of them was an own goal by defender and captain Cory Gibbs. The game ended in a 3-2 victory for the Crew (3-0-2) thanks to a late strike by midfielder Robbie Rogers.

The Revolution came into the match ready to make a statement after Wednesday's 4-0 drubbing by Chivas USA. This was easier said than done as the injury list for New England had simply gotten out of hand. Head Coach Steve Nicol was lucky to find eleven players fit for the match. The Revs were without the services of defender Emmanuel Osei (leg infection), goalkeeper Matt Reis (knee/shoulder), forward Taylor Twellman (concussion), midfielder Mike Videira (ankle), and defender Kevin Alston (illness). New England clearly missed the dynamic play of star midfielder Shalrie Joseph, who reportedly has joined the league's substance abuse program.

The Crew on the other hand were near 100% as both of their injured players, Gino Padula (knee) and Chad Marshall (hamstring), started the match.

The frigid weather clearly kept some fans at home. The crowd of 10,197 was treated to a match with five goals and a plethora of scoring opportunities. Rogers may have been a hero for the hometown Crew, but midfielder Zak Boggs nearly stole the show after scoring two goals for New England in the first 40 minutes. Nicol praised the play of his young player, who made his MLS debut this season on March 27 against the L.A. Galaxy. "He's done fantastic. His second goal was a finish that anybody would be proud of. I don't care what league you're playing in," Nicol commented during the post-game press conference.

The game was physical from the start, but it took nearly 30 minutes for anyone to score. Boggs got a weird spin on his first shot; it got away from Crew keeper Will Hesmer in the 29th. Just two minutes later Eddie Gaven brought things even at 1-1. Gibbs struggled through the match, scoring an own goal in the 35th to put Columbus ahead 2-1. Boggs would get his second goal of the evening in the 40th minute; halftime came with the score knotted up at 2-2.

Lots of opportunities, especially for the Crew, came in the second half. Revs keeper Preston Burpo played much better than the stats (6 saves, 3 goals allowed) suggest. Burpo's "lights out" performance easily denied the Crew of three or four more goals. Columbus had a ridiculous 16 shots, including 13 in the second half.

Colombian striker Sergio Herrera saw his first action of the season, coming in as a late Crew substitute. Herrera helped set up the play that resulted in the goal by Rogers in the 91st minute. Herrera's few minutes on the pitch still provided dividends for the victorious Crew.

A clearly frustrated New England squad would have left town with a point if it wasn't for Rogers' shocking goal in extra time. "We can't ask for any more from the players," Nicol commented. "We got punished for three mistakes. We end up going away with nothing."

Both teams return to action on Saturday, May 15. The Revs look to turn things around with a home game against the upstart San Jose Earthquakes, while the Crew face Sacha Kljestan and Chivas USA at the fortess known as Crew Stadium.

Columbus Crew Starting Lineup: GK William Hesmer, DEF Frankie Hejduk (C), DEF Chad Marshall, DEF Eric Brunner, DEF Gino Padula, MID Eddie Gaven, MID Brian Carroll, MID Adam Moffat, MID Robbie Rogers, FWD Steven Lenhart, FWD Guillermo Barros Schelotto

New England Revolution Starting Lineup: GK Preston Burpo, DEF Chris Tierney, DEF Cory Gibbs (C), DEF Darrius Barnes, DEF Pat Phelan, MID Joseph Niouky, MID Seth Sinovic, MID Zak Boggs, MID Khano Smith, FWD Kheli Dube, FWD Sainey Nyassi

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