Dont look now but the COLUMBUS CREW have arrived. After a sluggish start in which the CREW played to a draw in the season opener with Chicago and then got bashed by Houston 3-1, the CREW absolutely dominated DC UNITED last week. Granted, DC is yet to score a goal but the effort from the CREW showed just how much better this team could end up being in 2017 after a disappointing 2016 season. Then enters the PORTLAND TIMBERS who were perfect on the season who were playing in Columbus for the first time since their 2015 MLS Cup victory.
After falling behind early and playing from behind from the fourth minute on, the CREW got first half goals from Justin Meram and Ola Kamara. In the 84th minute, rookie Niko Hansen sealed the victory with the game winner in his his MLS debut.
“We want to send [the message] to everybody – our fans and everybody – that this year we’ve been doing a good job and we’re going to be good this year,” Kamara said. “Portland was a team that, coming in, had nine points and we beat them. I think we did just that”.
“We had a gameplan, and it was going to take a ton of discipline from them to execute it,” he said. “Credit the guys for their fortitude and their perseverance to just keep going and eventually get the goal.”
The CREW are well coached and playing with a great deal of confidence on both sides of the ball as well as in goal. I believe they will prove to be a handful for opponents this season. While it’s very early and there’s tons of soccer left to be played in 2017, I look for the CREW to be a playoff contender once again.
