Philadelphia Union missed the chance to set up a thrilling final game with Eastern Conference leaders New York City FC after defeat to Columbus Crew at Mapfre Stadium.
Jim Curtin’s men knew they could give themselves a chance of claiming top spot in the Eastern Conference with a win in Columbus, heading into the second-half on Sunday knowing what they had to do to keep themselves in the race for top spot after a 40-minute weather delay.
New York City lost to New England Revolution and Atlanta United drew with Montreal Impact, leaving the door open for Union to keep their Eastern Conference title hopes alive.
But Pedro Santos’s second-half goal and assist knocked the Union down to third, handing New York City top spot in the process, and taking Crew’s win tally into double figures with their first league shutout since April.
Columbus dominated the early stages, taking the ascendancy as the home team. Though, Crew looked every bit of the side who had only managed 37 goals season up to this point – the third worst scoring record in the whole of MLS – enjoying plenty of the ball, but doing next-to-nothing with it.
In fact, in the first 25 minutes in which they were dominant, they only managed one real opportunity, Luis Diaz Espinoza receiving a cut-back just inside the area before firing over.
Shortly after the clock struck 30, Union started making their way back into the game.
But like their hosts, Philadelphia was able to do little more than retain possession in deep areas, not managing a single shot-on-target through the first-half, coming closest with Jamiro Monteiro’s early long-range effort which flashed wide of Eloy Room’s near post.
Crew didn’t have too many of their own efforts, but Artur did manage a speculative header just before the break, failing to test Andre Blake with the tame effort.
Philadelphia might have dodged a bullet with Artur’s missed half-chance, but there will still have been plenty of concern going into the break with captain Alejandro Bedoya suffering a muscle injury just moments before half-time.
The 32-year-old played an uncontested pass before pulling up with what appeared to be a thigh strain. He was replaced by Warren Creavalle – the training staff will want to waste no time getting to work with the play-offs just over the horizon.
Though, time wasn’t something they, or indeed anyone else at the Mapfre Stadium were short of due to a severe weather evacuation extending the half-time break for around 40 minutes.
Crew fans must have been even more thrilled by the thought of their new 2021 stadium, equipped with a roof on all four stands, when they returned to their soaked seats for the second half.
The best way to dry off? Pyrotechnics, or at least that’s what the Nordecke section of Crewe supporters thought, returning to the stadium with a bang, quite literally.
Their team didn’t follow suit, though.
Union, buoyed by the knowledge Eastern leaders New York City was losing and third-place Atlanta United drawing, they made a quick start to the second half.
Kacper Przybyłko forced Room into an early save, the Curacao keeper clearly managing to stay loose during the extended break.
Union, smelling blood amid Crew’s slow start, threw the lively Ilsinho Jr on near the hour-mark, and the Brazilian almost created a goal when he flashed a cross beyond Room in the Crew goal.
Fafa Picault should have scored, but he somehow managed to turn the ball over from under the crossbar – the best opportunity of the night.
And the winger would be made to rue that missed chance when the home side took the lead on the 69th minute and quickly ran away with all three points.
Union committed too many bodies forward and Gyasi Zardes broke free from the edge of his own box before offloading the ball to Espinoza on the right.
The Columbus winger broke free out wide before laying the ball off to Pedro Santos inside.
Santos paused, played in Youness Mokhtar, who cut inside before firing past Andre Blake.
Crew didn’t stop there, doubling their lead just four minutes later.
The ball landed at Pedro Santos’ feet at the edge of the box when Blake punched clear a corner.
Santos took aim and his tame shot found its way through a crowd of bodies and into the back of the net, Wil Trapp doing enough in the middle to put off Blake and a cluster of defenders in the immediate vicinity..
Union pressed with desperation late on, but the closest they would come was Przybyłko’s late header, which forced Room into a diving save in the 86th minute.
Przybyłko cut a frustrated figure in the dying minutes, picking up a yellow card for a late challenge on Room, though who could blame him?
This was an opportunity missed for Union, who must now tip their hat to New York City FC and direct all of their attention to the play-offs.
