MLS - Columbus Crew Started Season with Draw Against Houston

By Stephen Lars

In the first round of the MLS season, which has just begun, the defending champions, Columbus Crew, were not able to impose themselves to the Houston Dynamo in their first game of the season, which ended with a score of 1-1. This meeting was a game with little excitement in where the current condition of both teams was shown. For their part, the Oranges looked a little weak and slow, while the Columbus players were able to give a good display of superiority worthy of a champion team.

The strategy used in the game by Dynamo made clear their inferiority and their need for being reinforced with better wingers that will help to a proper performance of the team, whereas the Columbus Crew gave a great demonstration of good football. The match began with Houston as locals, trying to take control of the game, but their intentions did not last long since their opponents didn’t let them, pressuring them and turning their strategy upside down. Dominating the game, Columbus took over the field showing their clear intentions of obtaining the victory to their rivals.

Entering the opponent’s area was something that became a complicated task for Houston, as Columbus put a strong wall of players that stopped them and stole the ball from them and then with the ball in their possession, Columbus Crew went ahead and attacked strongly. It was in one of those dangerous plays that the team guided by Robert Warzycha put a warning on the goal of Pat Onstad, who started to feel that a goal was going to strike his net soon, but this time it was avoided due to a quick action from Geoff Cameron, who knew how to stop the direct attack and deprived Alejandro Moreno of the ball.

After repelling this goal, the Dominic Kinnear's team tried to do the same their opponents did and went to the front with the intention of opening the score, but once again, a failed attempt to score came into place after Chris Wondolouski headed a pass from Richard Mulrooney. In the middle of the commotion that play caused, Columbus Crew also tried to find the opportunity to score and was at that moment when Eddie Gaven kicked the ball straight into the opponent’s goal, but the ball went over the crossbar.

Likewise, Columbus Crew had several opportunities to open the score against a Houston Dynamo that looked a bit scattered and disorganized. The first part of the game finished in the same path, the Crew controlling the game despite their failures in the front.

The second half began with a similar tone, the most notable change was a new aggressive attitude from Houston and was precisely this change in its style of play that help them to put the scoreboard in their favor, with a play in where Wondolowski sent a pass to Brian Ching, who overcame the defense of the visitors and threw it at the bottom of the goal of Will Hesmer. The Oranges got several opportunities to increase the score, but their weakness in the front did not allow them to do so.

Despite the difficulty of having a goal against them, Columbus did not dropped their expectations and in order to overcome that situation, they made a change in their strategy by putting on the pitch the striker Jason Garey, who came to replace the defender Gino Padula. This was a change actually paid off, since Garey made a pass to Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who at minute 81 scored a goal for the tie with a left kick. Houston tried to react but it was too late and they were limited only to stop further goals against them.

About the Author
Stephen Lars has been a prominent writer on daily MLS games, sports news and the sportsbook industry for many exceptional sport web sites. You may reprint this article in its full content, please note no modifications to it are accepted.