Crew will play Schelotto in second leg

Warzycha kept forward out of first leg at RSL in tactical move

By Craig Merz / MLSnet.com Staff

Guillermo Barros Schelotto surprisingly did not play against RSL on Saturday. (Getty)

COLUMBUS -- That Columbus Crew coach Robert Warzycha takes offense with the notion that it was risky not starting reigning league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto in the first playoff game at Real Salt Lake might be the only offense the team has shown lately.

Struggling through one of the worst scoring droughts in team history, Warzycha opted not to play the Crew's goal leader during the 1-0 loss Saturday in the Eastern Conference semifinals but, barring injury, Schelotto will be in the lineup Thursday in Crew Stadium for the second leg of the aggregate goal series.

"It's going to be a different game," Warzycha said. "Usually at home we play much better. I need to see what he does in practice. I need to see how he can best help the team. It's not like he's somebody that has a title to play. It's based on performance. If the team needs him he is going to play."

Schelotto was unhappy with the benching but after practice Monday did not make it an issue.

"It is the coach's decision. Maybe I can argue with him but we need to be professional every moment on the field and on the bench," he said. "We need to win. I hope to play. I hope the team gets to the final like last year."

There will likely be a mutiny on the team if Warzycha would sit him again. The Crew want to play less of an aerial game than Saturday and Schelotto is still the best in the league at distributing the ball.

"We need to play on the ground. We have 90 minutes. We are a very good team. We are the champion now. I think we can do it," he said.

If Columbus wants to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship for a second consecutive year it must either beat RSL by two in regulation for the outright series win or by one and then take its chances in overtime and possibly a penalty shootout.

It's a daunting task for no other reason than the offense has been unproductive for two months and Schelotto has been a main culprit. He had 10 goals in the first 13 matches but since suffering a hamstring injury in early July that caused him to miss five weeks his only two scores were Sept. 20 at Chicago. One came via a penalty kick but he also missed from the spot on Oct. 3 and the Crew lost 1-0 to Seattle Sounders FC to snap their 22-match home unbeaten streak.

Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno, the duo that helped the Crew win the MLS Cup last season, have been paired with limited success since Schelotto's return to the lineup in mid-August.

Warzycha instead has started Steven Lenhart and Emilio Renteria in three of the past five matches, including Saturday. Moreno, a three-time MLS Cup winner, was asked if he was frustrated by not playing in such a big match.

"Obviously it goes without saying but it's a question that's probably not for me. I don't know exactly the things I did wrong but it's entirely up to the coach. He makes the decisions. We have to respect the decision whichever way we can," he said. "For Guillermo and I it was a difficult situation but we tried to handle it as professionally as we can and if we get an opportunity to play try to make the most of it."

The exclusion of Schelotto from the field even surprised Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis but Warzycha stands behind his decision.

"I'm not gambling," he said. "I'm playing the best players. I heard on TV that I should go to a casino because I gambled. I don't see it as a gamble to put Stevey and Emilio on the field. I've put these guys out there before and nobody said it was a gamble. They scored the goals.

"I know there's going to be a lot of questions about Guillermo. Did you check his stats? How many goals does he have the last four or five games since coming back from his injury? I put out the players in my mind that can do the job and help the team. Sometimes in the games you're not scoring. Me as the coach, I have to find the solution. I'm not saying I'm right all the time."

The Crew have been ice cold offensively since hitting their peak in early August. It followed a 3-0 win at San Jose with a 2-0 wins against FC Dallas and minor league Puerto Rico Islanders. The latter was the first match of the CONCACAF Champions League on Aug. 18.

Eight days later the tailspin began. In 14 games (nine MLS and five Champions League) the Crew have been blanked in half of them and scored a total of 10 goals.

Three were penalty kicks and one was a direct free kick. Another came from the first pass after a free kick and the sixth resulted off a cross immediately after taking a short corner kick. In other words, over the past 1,260 minutes, the Crew have just four goals from the run of play.

Finding the right combination continues to plague Warzycha. Moreno's last goal was Aug. 8. Renteria has not scored in four league starts although he did get a Champions League tally and Lenhart has one goal in his past four MLS starts back to Sept. 26. Also, Jason Garey, who had three of his four goals this season vs. RSL, has seen limited action since Renteria's signing in August and has not scored since July 25.

The Crew have lost 1-0 in four of the past five MLS games, including three in a row and their 324-minute scoreless streak is within range of the team mark of 370 set last season.

If there is any good news it's that the Crew broke the slump last season with consecutive three-goal games.

"It's always been a team that scores in bunches. When we're hot, we're hot and when we're not we're not," midfielder Danny O'Rourke said.

The famine ended when defender Chad Marshall scored on a header from Schelotto's corner kick at Kansas City. The play was repeated for the tying goal against Chicago in the Eastern Conference final to propel the Crew to victory and for the winner in the MLS Cup vs. New York.

Marshall returned to the lineup Saturday from a knee injury for the first time Sept. 13 but Schelotto wasn't on the field for restarts and the Crew were not a threat.

Warzycha senses the urgency of the situation and more focus on finishing will make a difference come Thursday.

"It's not that we have to absolutely change our game plan at the beginning of the game. We are capable of scoring goals," he said. "Hopefully, we are over this period of time not scoring goals."

Craig Merz is a contributor to MLSnet.com.