Columbus Crew Match Recap: Columbus Crew 1, Philadelphia Union 1

Photo via Columbus Crew

The Columbus Crew played to a draw with the Philadelphia Union at Lower.com Field Saturday night. The Crew earned a point with the result but dropped to a tie for 5^th in the standings with New England’s victory over Chicago.

The Crew possessed the ball 72% of the time and Philadelphia didn’t have a shot on goal, but Columbus was unable to capitalize with a couple shots going just wide of the net.

Goal Scoring

Philadelphia opened the scoring in the second half when Union defender N. Harriel slotted winger K. Wagner’s corner kick past Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte in the 50^th minute. This was the second and last shot on goal for Philadelphia for the match – one shot ricocheted over the top of the crossbar – but one goal was enough to secure a road point.

Columbus Crew star forward Cucho Hernández tied the match in the 72^nd minute with a penalty shot resulting from a handball. The goal sent the sold-out crowd of 20,000 into a frenzy and another goal seemed imminent.

However, Columbus was unable to capitalize on the momentum created by the moment. In the 84^th minute Philadelphia looked to start a breakaway, but Cucho got tangled up with the ball handler, resulting in a yellow card but thwarting the breakaway. The foul was deserving of a red card, but the referee kept it in his pocket.

In second half stoppage time, Crew forward Christian Ramírez appeared to be pulled down in the box by a Union defender. If reviewed, the tackle may have been ruled a foul which would have resulted in another penalty. The play was not reviewed, however, and the game ended in a draw.

Next Up

Both teams play on a short week with matches on Wednesday night. The Crew travels to New England to take on the Revolution, while Philadelphia hosts Atlanta United. Each team has three matches remaining, games that will determine who has the home-field advantage for the first round of the playoffs.