Columbus Crew concede late goal, tie Charlotte FC 2-2 after leading 2-0
Though there were just 74 minutes to play between the Columbus Crew and Charlotte FC on Wednesday at Bank of America Stadium as the two sides finished a suspended game from July, the resumption contained enough action to fill a full 90 minutes.
Charlotte needed to win to stay alive in the playoff race, while the Crew looked to win two games in a row for the first time all season after beating the New York Red Bulls on Saturday. Though Columbus (10-7-16) led 2-0 midway through the second half, Charlotte's desperation to avoid elimination lifted them to a second-half comeback, equalizing the game to end it in a 2-2 tie.
The result still eliminated Charlotte (13-17-3), and while it didn't change much for the Crew's playoff picture, conceding the tying goal in the 94th minute once again raises season-long questions about their ability to close out games. Columbus has now set a single-season MLS record for most points dropped after the 90th minute with 11.
"Guys need to remember the good play that we had and learn from a couple situations, obviously, where we didn’t attack the ball in the box," Crew coach Caleb Porter said. "We need to play a little bit more, not just go too direct. Dumping balls up to Cucho (Hernandez) and Lucas (Zelarayan) isn’t a good plan for 45 minutes, so there’s a little bit there in terms of decision-making. But ultimately, we put ourselves in a situation with the last game where we can go and win and be in, hopefully."
Zelarayan's opening goal in the 36th minute caught everyone in the stadium, including Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, off guard. The sequence began with Charlotte midfielder Ben Bender attempting to surprise Crew goalkeeper Eloy Room with a shot from midfield, but Room read the ball in the air and grabbed it without incident. Less than 30 seconds later, Zelarayan was fouled just inside the Crew's attacking half, leading to a free kick.
Perhaps inspired by Bender's attempt, Zelarayan opted to shoot the ball directly at the goal. Zelarayan is known for his ability to score from outside the 18-yard box — his 14 such goals in the last two seasons are eight more than the next-closest player — but bending in a goal from nearly 60 yards away demonstrated that ability on a world-class level.
Early in the second half, Diaz was left unmarked on the far post as Derrick Etienne Jr. received a flick pass from Cucho Hernandez. Etienne slid the ball across to Diaz, who had nothing but open space in which to put the ball for his third goal of the season, giving the Crew a 2-0 lead in the 54th minute.
Four minutes later, Daniel Rios, who scored all four goals in Charlotte's win over Philadelphia on Saturday, continued his hot streak with a goal on a header directly in front of Room. After the game, Porter criticized the sequence leading to the goal, which began with a foul by Aidan Morris and play resuming at a spot Porter believed was 15 yards from the spot of the foul.
"I thought we got absolutely screwed on their first goal," Porter said. "Completely criminal. I’d like an apology from the ref, honestly, for that goal. They literally put the ball in play 15 yards from where it happened and started a counterattack that led to their goal. You can’t do that. They should’ve been drawn back to where the foul was, which would’ve negated the goal."
The goal seemed to bring Charlotte back to life after Columbus had taken firm control of the match from midway through the first half.
The pace was relentless from both sides in the final 20 minutes, as both Columbus and Charlotte exchanged dangerous scoring chances on nearly every sequence. Charlotte's desperation was palpable — almost as palpable as the Crew's tension in an all-too-familiar scenario, trying to cling to a lead late in a game.
In the 92nd minute, Charlotte defender Harrison Afful took a shot from the edge of the 18-yard box that looked exactly like the kind of ball that has gone into the net far too often for the Crew this year. That shot didn't go in, but les than two minutes later, a loose ball in the box found Charlotte forward Andre Shinyashiki in front of Room.
After Room made several highlight-reel saves previously, he couldn't stop this one, as the ball bounced off his outstretched fingers and into the top corner of the net.
"Nothing changed, per se, in terms of how we were playing even at 2-0," Porter said. "We didn’t drop in. We wanted to keep the ball and keep pressing high. I just thought when we gave up the goal to go 2-1, we dropped in too much and stopped playing. Again, we have to make better decisions, can't invite the pressure. Obviously, they’re a good attacking team. They threw the kitchen sink (at us)."
The equalizer wasn't enough to keep Charlotte alive in playoff contention, but it was enough to bring issues the Crew thought were behind them back to the forefront. As they head into a Decision Day game at Orlando on Sunday needing a win or a tie to make the playoffs, Columbus will have to find a way to secure a result if they're going to keep their season alive.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew concede late goal, tie Charlotte FC
