RSL shocks Crew, takes series on aggregate

Real Salt Lake rally to knock defending champs out of MLS Cup Playoffs

Down a goal after the first leg, Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored twice for Columbus to move the Supporters' Shield winners ahead on total goals by the 35th minute. But Javier Morales and Robbie Findley scored before halftime to move RSL back ahead.

Then in the 74th minute, former Crew midfielder Andy Williams took a short corner and delivered the ball from about 18 yards through a bevy of players untouched past goalkeeper William Hesmer to end any chance of a comeback by the defending champions.

Real goalkeeper Nick Rimando made several outstanding stops late, including stopping a Jason Garey header in the 85th minute. He made eight saves.

RSL, which took the opener 1-0 at home on Saturday, will play the winner of the New England-Chicago series on Nov. 14. It marked the fourth time in five seasons the Supporters' Shield winner was eliminated in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

It was also a third consecutive home loss for the Crew after seeing a 24-game unbeaten streak (22 in league play, two in the playoffs) over 16 months come to an end.

The big question before the match was the Crew lineup after coach Robert Warzycha left Schelotto on bench for the opener. There was no way the 2008 MLS MVP would be on the bench this night as he replaced Emilio Renteria and Moreno took the spot of Game 1 starter Steven Lenhart. The other change was Ekpo for Robbie Rogers.

The only change for Real head coach Jason Kreis was to start Russell in place of Tony Beltran.

It was a rollercoaster of emotions for both teams in a frenetic opening 45 minutes that was capped by Findley's penalty in stoppage time to tie the score at 2-2 after the visitors yielded the first two goals of the match to Schelotto.

Schelotto, the team's leading scorer who was benched in the opener, scored in the 19th and 35th minutes but Morales countered two minutes later to knot the aggregate in a fast-paced and lively first half.

There were fireworks from the onset as the Crew looked to push the pace only to see Real Salt Lake get the first threat in the 10th minute. Williams got behind the defense and tried to dribble around a charging Hesmer but was denied. Columbus countered two minutes later with an Eddie Gaven strike that Rimando stopped.

Schelotto electrified the already amped crowd with a stunning goal that had Crew fans thinking back to the goal fellow Argentinean Gino Padula scored Oct. 10 at New England.

In that case, Padula sent a free kick from 40 yards near the right sideline untouched into the goal. Schelotto outdid him. After Javier Morales fouled Alejandro Moreno, Schelotto stood 45 yards away from goal on the left side.

He arced the free kick into the box where it bounced unfettered 7 yards in front of Rimando before he could react. A dive to his left was too late and the Crew had a goal for the first time in 343 minutes.

Real Salt Lake were in a similar situation last season in their semifinal series against Chivas USA. RSL won 1-0 at home but trailed 1-0 early in the second leg. It scored twice for the lead before Chivas tied it but RSL still advanced 3-2 on total goals.

Schelotto created the second goal by forcing Robbie Russell into a turnover on the Crew side of the field. Schelotto knocked the ball to Emmanuel Ekpo who headed back to him. He dribbled to the top of the penalty area before firing a low drive that snuck inside the right post.

Morales stemmed the Crew momentum by taking a pass on the left side of the penalty area and beating Hesmer. He got open after a flick by Kyle Beckerman that froze the defense.

RSL was not done and drew level when Crew captain Frankie Hejduk tried to stop Fabian Espindola from receiving a flighted ball near the edge of the box. As Espindola spun away from the defender, Hejduk grabbed him and referee Baldomero Toledo did not hesitate to point to the spot.

Likewise, Findley, who had the goal in the opener, struck the penalty with authority to the left corner and Hesmer had no chance.

Columbus went for the series equalizer in the 52nd minute and Schelotto, naturally, was involved. His free kick went to the head of Chad Marshall at the right post. Marshall, who earlier in the day was named the MLS Defender of the Year for a second consecutive year, knocked the ball across the goalmouth where an onrushing Eric Brunner got his left leg on the bouncer but could not get a clean shot and Rimando made the save.

The Crew were aching for a goal and pleaded with Toledo for a penalty after the ball skimmed off the hand of Williams in the 57th. It was the second handball not called on RSL. A couple of minutes later, Moreno tried to draw a penalty but was cautioned for diving.

Rimando rescued Real Salt Lake in the 66th with a brave punch through traffic of a Moreno shot. With the Crew pressing, RSL got a counter and a corner kick in the 71st minute but a glancing header by Jamison Olave was off the mark.

Williams then sealed the Crew's fate with his goal three minutes later and sent Real into a conference final for a second consecutive season. Last season they lost 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls in the Western Conference Championship at Rio Tinto Stadium to fall just short of MLS Cup 2008.

Craig Merz is a contributor to MLSnet.com

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