Crew eager to reach CCL quarters

September 29, 2009

Cruz Azul has qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. The Columbus Crew seem very eager to join it this week.

The Crew became the first Major League Soccer club to clinch a berth in the MLS Cup playoffs, beating the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 Saturday night. And they did it with first-year coach Robert Warzycha resting several starters ahead of Tuesday’s critical Group C match against Deportivo Saprissa at Crew Stadium.

“We have a very important game Tuesday against Saprissa,” Warzycha said. “That was the plan not to leave too much out there today.”

Eddie Gaven’s goal in the 33rd minute and a second-half insurance tally by Steven Lenhart led the Crew, which could claim a spot in the knockout phase of the Champions League with another victory against Saprissa.

Saprissa coach Jeaustin Campos also rested several regulars in his team’s 3-0 loss to bitter rival Alajuelense Saturday at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto. Argenis Fernandez, Pablo Gabas and Cristian Oviedo struck for Alajuelense, which extended Saprissa’s winless streak to four consecutive games.

The two teams met two weeks ago with Columbus managing a 1-0 victory at the Monster’s Cave.

Cruz Azul, which lost 2-1 on Saturday to Toluca at Estadio Azul, remain at home Tuesday to take on a Puerto Rico Islanders squad desperate for a victory to retrain any chance of returning to the knockout phase. The Islanders are coming off an aggregate victory in the first round of the United Soccer Leagues First Division playoffs, but not without some challenges.

It lost the opening leg 2-1 to Rochester Thursday night at Marina Auto Stadium, a game in which Cristian Arrieta was sent off in the seventh minute for an elbow to John Ball. A pair of second-half goals by Kenny Bertz and Ball put the Rhinos ahead but the Islanders received a huge away goal in the 72nd minute later by Nicholas Adderly.

The scene shifted to Bayamon for the second leg Sunday with the Islanders pulling out a dramatic 4-1 victory and advancing 4-3.

Cruz Azul clinched a berth last week in the Champions League quarterfinals, but it still is looking to assure its place atop the group to guarantee a seeding for the next stage. It will have to recover from a disappointing home loss to Toluca on the weekend that snapped a seven-match unbeaten streak in all competitions.

“We deserved to lose,” Cruz Azul coach Enrique Meza said. “We let them live after the first goal … everybody wanted to score his own goal.”

By Dylan Butler

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