Columbus Crew crash out of MLS Cup Playoffs with shoot-out loss to Red Bulls
The Columbus Crew's MLS Cup title defence came crashing to a halt as they were eliminated from the playoffs following a penalty shoot-out defeat to the New York Red Bulls.
Following a surprise home defeat in Game 1, Wilfried Nancy's champions needed a road win in Game 2 to keep their season alive, but Yevhen Cheberko, Max Arfsten and Alexandru Matan all saw their spot-kicks repelled by Carlos Coronel following a pulsating 2-2 draw.
Arfsten had earlier given Columbus a 55th-minute lead moments after stepping off the bench, only for Dante Vanzeir to drill home a swift equaliser.
New York looked set to advance when Emil Forsberg's 80th-minute penalty completed the turnaround, but another Crew substitute, Christian Ramirez, headed home six minutes into second-half stoppage time to force the shoot-out.
Columbus couldn't keep up their momentum from 12 yards, though, with Colonel's three saves proving vital as New York won it at the second time of asking, Daniel Edelman scoring the decisive kick after Sean Nealis had failed to do so.
Elsewhere, the Seattle Sounders also needed penalties to dump the Houston Dynamo out in round one, prevailing from the spot for the second game in a row.
Seattle's Cristian Roldan scored at both ends, slotting home an 87th-minute opener only to put through his own net three minutes into stoppage time, turning in Griffin Dorsey's cross.
The first 13 penalties in the shoot-out were all scored, but Tate Schmitt was the unfortunate man to see his spot-kick saved, Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei pushing it away to send his team to the Western Conference semifinals.
Finally, Ryan Gauld scored and forced two own goals as the Vancouver Whitecaps kept their best-of-three series against Los Angeles FC alive with a 3-0 triumph at BC Place.
The Scotland midfielder powered home after 10 minutes and, just 180 seconds later, saw his long-range effort deflected past Hugo Lloris by the unwitting Ryan Hollingshead.
Denis Bouanga twice went close for the Western Conference's top seeds after the break before Gauld was involved again in Vancouver's third goal, seeing a cross go in off the heel of Eddie Segura.
The teams will now reconvene for a third match next week, with the victors set to face Seattle in the next round.
Related items
-
Historic redemption: Dethroned Manning Cup champs Mona High secure Walker Cup triumph
Dethroned Manning Cup champions Mona High found solace and silverware on Friday, as they secured their first-ever ISSA/Digicel Walker Cup crown with a commanding 4-1 victory over Excelsior High in what turned out to be a lopsided final at the National Stadium.
The triumph, highlighted by Kshaine Gordon’s brace (52nd, 76th) and goals from Carlton Brown (34th) and Marlon Cunningham (55th), provided a fitting end to Mona’s campaign.
Technical Director Craig Butler, who announced his departure from schoolboy football, celebrated the victory as a testament to his team's resilience after their Manning Cup disappointment.
“I think it (time in schoolboy football) has been great; I think it is good for development, not just for Mona but the entire school system, as we sought more development versus recruiting for professionalism in the programme. So I am just proud and happy that I could have shared the time with Mona and that we have a team that is going to continue to develop good young footballers,” Butler said.
For Excelsior, who got their consolation from Damarley Williams (12th), the defeat marked another painful chapter in their Walker Cup history, extending their title drought, which dates back to 2008. Despite their energetic start, they faltered under pressure and failed to maintain their intensity or take advantage of critical moments.
Head coach Keon Broderick acknowledged that much.
“Defensive errors cost us dearly; when you make mistakes against a team with the quality in the attacking third like this Mona team, they will come back to haunt you,” Broderick said post-game.
After a lively start in which they displayed their attacking intent, Excelsior eventually opened the scoring when Williams unleashed a powerful right-footed shot from outside the 18-yard box that slipped past Mona’s goalkeeper, Riquelme Edwards.
The Mountain View-based team maintained their attacking momentum, with Kimarly Scott and Shadeko Wizzard creating opportunities, but they squandered critical chances, failing to capitalize on Mona’s defensive lapses.
In the 25th, Kimarly Scott should have doubled Excelsior’s lead when he got behind defenders, but fired a rushed effort over the crossbar. Seconds later, Scott again got into a decent position from Shadeko Wizzard’s delightful pass, but somehow again fired over the crossbar.
Excelsior were later punished for their missed opportunities as they watched Mona seize control of the match during a passage of sustained pressure. Mona found the equalizer when Kshaine Gordon outwitted his marker to set up Brown, who calmly finished from inside the box.
Excelsior had another chance to reclaim the lead on the stroke of half-time, but Wizzard’s shot from a promising position sailed wide, leaving the teams locked at 1-1 at the break.
The second half belonged entirely to Mona, as Gordon’s relentless energy paid off seven minutes into the resumption when he pounced on a loose ball to fire home from close range to put his team 2-1 up.
Three minutes later, Cunningham extended the advantage as he rose above Excelsior’s defenders to head home a perfectly weighted corner from Denzel McKenzie.
Mona’s attacking intent continued as Gordon returned to haunt Excelsior in the 76th minute, converting a through ball from McKenzie with a low drive that slipped under goalkeeper Jamari Gordon to cap the win.