Crew beats Cincinnati

The Columbus Crew defeated FC Cincinnati 2-0 on Sunday, October 18, at TQL Stadium, thrusting themselves into the battle for the ninth and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference of the MLS. With the win, the Crew reached 35 points, one less than Cincinnati, which occupies ninth place.

Tapia and Habroune decide in Cincinnati

The first blow came in the 22nd minute. Brais Méndez sent in a cross after a corner kick, and Gonzalo Tapia, unmarked, headed the ball from the left side of the penalty area to the lower left corner for the 1-0 lead.

In the 54th minute, Tapia appeared again, this time as an assist provider. Taha Habroune, a 20-year-old homegrown player in his third MLS season, defined the play with a first-touch shot from the center of the penalty area to the left post, scoring the 2-0 goal. It was his goal in three consecutive matches.

Tapia closed out the afternoon with a goal and an assist. The Crew kept their goal intact, and Patrick Schulte reached his sixth shutout of the season. On the Cincinnati side, Evander was the player with the most shots in the match, with six, but the home team couldn’t find the path to the goal.

A Crew on a roll and a Cincinnati that can’t take off

Columbus has four wins in its last five matches and five unbeaten games.
The Crew has won three consecutive matches against Cincinnati in the «Hell is Real» derby.
Cincinnati has only won one of its last nine matches.

What’s next: Cincinnati hosts D.C. United on Wednesday, October 21. Columbus will play at home on Saturday, October 24, against Toronto FC, another team aspiring to the playoffs and one point ahead of the Crew.

Other notable matches of the day

New England Revolution 1-0 Chicago Fire. Matt Polster scored in the 26th minute, assisted by Carles Gil, and it was the only goal in Foxborough. Matt Turner had six saves for the home team. Philip Zinckernagel led the Fire’s shots with five.

Minnesota United 3-2 St. Louis CITY. St. Louis was winning 2-0 with goals from Rafael Navarro (4th minute) and Jeong Sang-Bin (10th minute), but Minnesota came back at Allianz Field in front of 19,616 fans. Aziel Jackson scored in the 49th minute, Kelvin Yeboah tied the match in the 68th, and Marcus Caldeira sealed the victory in the 86th. Yeboah, in addition to scoring and providing the assist for the first goal, was the player with the most shots on his team, with six.

Toronto FC 2-0 Red Bull New York. The visitors took the lead in the 3rd minute with an own goal by Justin Che, and Dániel Sallói extended the lead in the 82nd minute, assisted by Jonathan Osorio. Luka Gavran added three saves for Toronto.

Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 Austin FC. Myrto Uzuni put Austin ahead in the 40th minute, but Vancouver, the Western Conference leader, reacted. Ryan Gauld tied the match with a header in the 47th minute, and Yadaly Diaby scored the 2-1 goal in the 71st minute with a shot from a complicated angle. Yohei Takaoka had four saves.

Real Salt Lake 3-1 Sporting Kansas City. Morgan Guilavogui scored twice (11th and 61st minutes), both assisted by Noel Caliskan, and Sergi Solans added another in the 14th minute. Taylor Calheira scored for Kansas City in the 26th minute.

Philadelphia Union 2-2 Charlotte FC. Milan Iloski opened the scoring with a penalty in the 24th minute, and Rodolfo Aloko tied the match in the 48th minute. Idan Toklomati put Charlotte ahead with a header in the 62nd minute, a goal confirmed after a VAR review, and Bruno Damiani tied the match in the 73rd minute. The match was played at Subaru Park in front of 18,551 fans.

San Jose Earthquakes 1-1 Nashville SC. Hany Mukhtar put the Eastern Conference leader ahead in the 34th minute, and Preston Judd tied the match with a header in the 70th minute, after a cross from Eduard Löwen on a set piece.

On Saturday, Inter Miami also won 3-1 in Atlanta with a double from Lionel Messi, and Orlando City thrashed D.C. United 4-1

How the standings look

These are the top five positions in each conference after the day’s matches, according to ESPN (all teams have played 30 matches):

Eastern Conference

1. Nashville SC: 67 points
2. Inter Miami: 55 points
3. New England Revolution: 52 points
4. Chicago Fire: 48 points
5. Charlotte FC: 47 points

Western Conference

1. Vancouver Whitecaps: 55 points
2. St. Louis CITY: 51 points
3. FC Dallas: 51 points
4. San Jose Earthquakes: 48 points
5. Houston Dynamo: 47 points

All the results

Philadelphia Union 2-2 Charlotte FC
Minnesota United 3-2 St. Louis CITY
Atlanta United 1-3 Inter Miami
New England 1-0 Chicago Fire
NYCFC 1-1 LAFC
Orlando City 4-1 D.C. United
Red Bull New York 0-2 Toronto FC
Austin FC 1-2 Vancouver Whitecaps
Houston Dynamo 2-2 FC Dallas
Sporting Kansas City 1-3 Real Salt Lake
LA Galaxy 2-2 San Diego FC
Portland Timbers 0-0 Colorado Rapids
San Jose 1-1 Nashville SC
Seattle Sounders 1-1 CF Montréal
FC Cincinnati 0-2 Columbus Crew

Columbus Crew beats Cincinnati 2-0, inches closer to final Eastern Conference playoff spot

Tapia and Habroune decide in Cincinnati

A Crew on a roll and a Cincinnati that can’t take off

Other notable matches of the day

How the standings look

All the results

Sources