Crew know home crowd adds extra boost
Columbus hosts Real Salt Lake in second leg of semifinal series Thursday
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If the Eastern Conference Championship had been at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill., it's likely the Chicago Fire would have emerged victorious to face the New York Red Bulls in the league championship match.
Fortunately for the Crew, it was in a rocking Crew Stadium and the home side overcame a second-half deficit to win 2-1.
"There was electricity in the stadium," forward Alejandro Moreno said. "Not only was it us, it was Chicago, the rivalry, the moment and the situation."
The Crew are hoping for the same fervent support Thursday at home in the second leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series against Real Salt Lake, following a 1-0 loss in Utah on Saturday.
"If we can create that again and somehow have that kind of atmosphere it would be unbelievable," Moreno said. "It falls not only to the crowd but ourselves to give them a reason to get behind us by showing we're going to be fighting from the start to get a result and move on to the next round."
Columbus had a penchant for rallying last season and it was no different against the Fire. After falling behind on a goal by former Crew striker Brian McBride, the Crew were in danger of losing a match with a trip to the MLS Cup on the line for the fifth time.
The outcome would be different because the previous four failures had been on the road. The Crew stormed out of the locker room after halftime and got goals by Chad Marshall and Eddie Gaven to erase the ghosts of playoff busts before their roaring following.
"They keep you going," midfielder Danny O'Rourke said. "It's probably going to be cold out there and they're out there cheering. All their energy is infectious. It carries on to us."
A boost is exactly what the team needs. Crew Stadium had become a fortress impervious to defeat from June 2008 until Seattle Sounders FC escaped with a 1-0 win on Oct. 3 to snap a league record 24-game home unbeaten streak that included two playoff wins.
That was followed by another 1-0 setback to visiting New England on Oct. 25 in the regular season finale. The Crew lately can't score, much less win, at home, yet coach Robert Warzycha isn't concerned that the mojo in Crew Stadium has fallen like leaves from a tree.
"That was one of our best games," he said of the Seattle match.
The Crew hit posts, muffed easy chances and suffered a rare missed penalty kick by Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Warzycha also dismisses the New England match because the Crew had already clinched the Supporters' Shield and were facing a Revolution team that needed a tie to qualify for the postseason.
"It was a different situation," he said.
There will be no excuses Thursday if the Crew lose.
"We either get the job done or we pack our boots up," O'Rourke said.
Real Salt Lake scored only nine goals while winning of 15 road matches but coach Jason Kreis said those numbers are irrelevant to RSL's efforts to win a semifinal series for a second consecutive season.
"You get very few opportunities to be on a very good team, in the playoffs, with a chance to win the whole thing," he said. "You've got to relish those opportunities and try to reach out and grab them with both hands and enjoy them."
The Crew have two paths to the conference final against New England or Chicago: Outscore RSL by at least two goals in regulation or by one after 90 minutes and then win the 30-minute (non-sudden-death) overtime or penalty shootout if needed.
Putting the ball in the net has been a struggle. The Crew have one goal in the past five matches and are scoreless in 324 minutes.
"It's up to us whether it's going to be our last game or not," Warzycha said. "I told them whether it's 0-0 or 1-0 Real, we're going to have to score a goal at home. Nothing is going to change if we want to go to the next round. We are capable of winning the game on Thursday. We are home and have a chance."
Warzycha is expected to return 2008 league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto to the lineup after his controversial benching at Real Salt Lake. The coach cited the defensive nature of the first game for not playing his team leader in goals this season.
Who pairs with Schelotto at forward is a mystery. Moreno has played the most with Schelotto but Steven Lenhart, Emilio Renteria and Jason Garey are available.
Renteria and Lenhart started Saturday but other than two Lenhart looks in the opening half they were ineffectual. In fact, the Crew's best attempt was O'Rourke's long strike that barely missed the left post. He has not scored since his senior year at Indiana University in 2004.
"I don't give a [darn] who scores as long as we get the victory," he said. "It's the season. All the hard work we've put into it doesn't matter unless we get the job done on Thursday. We can complain about stuff that happened and not getting a result but it's not going to help us. We've been resilient in the past and I think it will show again Thursday."
As much as the players know the crowd support will be massive despite temperatures expected to drop into the low 30s through the evening, the final result will come down to how badly the Crew want to defend their title.
"We have to find it within ourselves," midfielder Robbie Rogers said. "Of course, the fans are going to help at first but it's more about the team and finding the energy within each other. We can't rely on the fans to find that energy."
Craig Merz is a contributor to MLSnet.com
