Warzycha happy with Crew's performance
Columbus head coach focusing on positive effort, not negative result
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Instead, the first-year bench boss had the opposite reaction.
"To be honest with you, I was very happy with that performance," Warzycha said. "I think we definitely dominated the game and gave up a counterattacking goal. So obviously, I'm not happy with the result. But I'm pretty happy with the way the guys played."
Warzycha rested four starters from Wednesday's 5-0 loss to Mexican power Cruz Azul in CONCACAF Champions League play. Among them was reigning league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who was held out until the 88th minute because the coach didn't want to risk the 36-year-old maestro's legs on the artificial turf at Giants Stadium.
"We had the game in the midweek," Warzycha said. "We have a very deep squad, so that's why we rotate the players -- to make sure nobody gets injured, nobody plays too many games, too many minutes."
Like Schelotto, first-choice striker Alejandro Moreno was also held out until late in the second half.
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"We switched up the lineup, had some fresh guys in," said defender Chad Marshall, who will join the U.S. national team on Monday ahead of two upcoming World Cup qualifying matches. "But I thought we played well enough to get a result."
In the 78th minute, Columbus was inches from getting the goal that might have earned them one. Marshall served a curving ball into the area that found the head of fellow defender Eric Brunner, but the Ohio native couldn't get his effort on target.
"Chad hit a great ball back post, like he does," Brunner said. "I timed my run and just tried to take as much off it as possible to keep it under the bar. I couldn't do that."
Before the two losses this week, the Crew had won five consecutive MLS games and another in the Champions League. They hadn't lost a league match in seven outings. Now, suddenly, they've been shut out in two in a row.
"I think this is only the second time all year we didn't score any goals (in a league game), Warzycha said. "I'm not worried about it because, like I said, it's only the second time. We're playing good soccer and it seems like guys are enjoying playing. Today we weren't lucky enough."
Sunday's setback kept the Crew from leapfrogging the Houston Dynamo and into first place overall in MLS. With no game next weekend, they will have 14 days to prepare for their next league game against, fittingly, Houston.
"We have a week off so guys will get rested up," said Marshall. "Then we'll come back for the final push."
Doug McIntyre is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
