Atlante looks ahead to Barcelona, but not too far

November 26, 2009

Atlante is looking forward to a potential match against FC Barcelona – just not too much.

“It’s an attractive possibility but we have a team to play before and we have to respect that team as well as preparing ourselves to play well and win,” captain and goalkeeper Federico Vilar said Wednesday. “Then we can think about that possible game against Barcelona.”

At a news conference to celebrate Atlante’s participation in the Club World Cup December 9-19 and send it off to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Vilar expressed the mood of the CONCACAF Champions League winner, which will have to face the winner between UAE champion Al Ahli and Auckland City FC before it can think about a semifinal meeting against Barcelona.

“We have to be focused on our first game and not think about Barcelona because we have to win in order to play against them,” midfielder Santiago Solari said. “If the opportunity does arise, it will be great, and today in soccer everything is very even and anything can happen.”

The best any CONCACAF team has done at the Club World Cup was third place. Mexico’s Necaxa outlasted Real Madrid on penalties in 2000, and Saprissa beat Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad 3-2 for the No. 3 finish in 2005.

The past two years, Mexico’s Pachuca has represented CONCACAF, eliminated by Etoile Sportive du Sahel in its opener in 2007, and beating Egypt Al Ahly to open last year’s event before falling to Eucador’s Liga de Quito in the semifinals.

“I have prepared my whole life to play this tournament,” midfielder Gabriel Pereyra said. “This tournament is a showcase for every player and we are going to take advantage of it as much as we can. We have working hard, training twice each day and are very anxious to take part in the competition.”

MEXICO CITY

Concacaf

Tags: abu dhabi, Al Ahli, Al-Ittihad, attractive possibility, auckland city, Barcelona, champion al, club world cup, concacaf champions league, Egypt, egypt al, etoile sportive du sahel, eucador, fc barcelona, federico vilar, gabriel pereyra, league winner, liga de quito, MADRID, Mexico, mexico city, Necaxa, Quito, real madrid, Santiago, santiago solari, saprissa, saudi arabia, UAE, united arab emirates

Women’s U-20, Women’s U-17 championship groups set

November 25, 2009

Defending and two-time champion Canada will face Costa Rica, Cuba and host Guatemala in the first round of the 2010 CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championship, while the reigning world champion United States will be grouped with Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica.

With the field set, the eight teams will head to Guatemala City for the January 19-30 tourney at the 17,000-seat Estadio Cementos Progreso. After the last two tournaments were held in Mexico, this will be the first time since the event began as an under-19 championship in 2002 that it will be held in Central America.

Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba and Guatemala were drawn into Group A with the United States, Mexico, Trinidad and Jamaica placed in Group B.

For the Women’s Under-17 Championship, the defending champion United States will face host Costa Rica, Haiti and either the Dominican Republic or Cayman Islands in Group B. Group A will be comprised of Canada, Mexico, Jamaica and a second team from Central America.

Costa Rica will stage the second U-17 championship March 9-20 in Estadio Saprissa and Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in the San Jose area.

The Dominican Republic and Cayman Islands must face each other in a two-leg playoff for the last of three berths from the Caribbean, set for December 5 and December 12. The remaining Central American side will be decided among Panama, Nicaragua and El Salvador starting Tuesday night and finishing Saturday in Panama.

Both draws were conducted Monday by Deputy General Secretary Ted Howard during the CONCACAF Executive Committee meeting in New York.

The full schedules for both tournaments are expected to be announced next month.

NEW YORK

Concacaf

Tags: berths, canada mexico, cayman islands, champion canada, committee meeting, concacaf women, defending champion, deputy general, executive committee, general secretary, guatemala city, january 19, progreso, saprissa, ted howard, time champion, tuesday night, world champion, york women

Crew claims place in quarterfinals with 1-1 draw

October 21, 2009

The Columbus Crew became the first team from U.S. Major League Soccer to reach the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, getting a 74th-minute goal by second-half substitute Emilio Renteria to earn a 1-1 draw with the Puerto Rico Islanders on Tuesday.

The draw gave Columbus eight points in Group C, three better than Costa Rica’s Saprissa, which played Cruz Azul later Tuesday. But the Crew beat Saprissa in Costa Rica and drew with it at home to advance on head-to-head results.

Renteria, who entered the game two minutes earlier for Emmanuel Ekpo, capitalized on the work of Steven Lenhart, who replaced Frankie Hejduk in the 61st minute. Lenhart won a ball outside the area and closed on Puerto Rico goalkeeper Justin Myers, who raced off his line to give the Columbus forward a smaller target.

Myers blocked Lenhart’s initial shot, but the rebound bounced back to Renteria, who shot over the out-of-position keeper.

The Islanders, who advanced to the semifinals of last season’s inaugural competition, finished this year’s tournament without a win in the Group Stage and only two points. Tuesday’s match was their first since October 4 against Montreal, a 2-1 loss that eliminated it from the United Soccer League First Division playoff semifinals.

Neither side looked particularly dangerous in the first half, but and Puerto Rico took the lead on a seemingly innocuous play.

Noah Delgado headed a wayward ball back toward goal and teammate Cristian Arrieta attempted a twisting side volley at the edge of the six-yard box. But Arrieta missed, and the ball bounced in front of goalkeeper Will Hesmer, who appeared to be bracing for Arrieta’s shot but instead let the ball go underneath and between his legs.

Knowing a draw would clinch a place in the quarterfinals, Columbus manager Robert Warzycha inserted Adam Moffat for Kevin Burns to start the second half. Moffat had two chances in the first two minutes, a shot from distance high and a soft header into Myers hands, and Brian Carroll also went just wide from distance in the third minute.

Columbus, the defending MLS champion which has the best record in this year’s U.S. league play, joined Mexican sides Pumas, Pachuca, Cruz Azul and Toluca in the knockout round and will learn its quarterfinal opponent in the November 17 draw at CONCACAF’s New York headquarters.

BAYAMON, Puerto Rico

Source

Tags: Adam Moffat, Brian Carroll, COLUMBUS, columbus crew, concacaf champions league, Costa Rica, cristian, Cristian Arrieta, cruz azul, Emilio Renteria, Emmanuel, Emmanuel Ekpo, frankie hejduk, Goalkeeper, group stage, inaugural competition, Justin Myers, kevin burns, lenhart, Major League Soccer, moffat, Montreal, New York, Puerto Rico, puerto rico islanders, quarterfinals, robert warzycha, saprissa, Steven Lenhart, target, U.S, united soccer league, volley

Nunez, Zeballos keep Cruz Azul unbeaten, send to quarterfinals with 2-1 win

October 21, 2009

Ramon Nunez and Pablo Zeballos scored second-half goals to rally Cruz Azul to a 2-1 victory over Saprissa on Tuesday, sending it to the quarterfinals as at least one of possibly two unbeaten teams.

Cruz Azul already had clinched its place in the knockout round and heads to the final eight with a 5-1-0 record, atop Group C with 16 points. Fellow Mexican club Pumas has a chance also to finish the Group Stage unbeaten, needing a win or draw Thursday in its last match against Comunicaciones.

Saprissa entered the day with a chance to advance, but was eliminated before kickoff when the Columbus Crew scored a second-half goal and drew 1-1 at the Puerto Rico Islanders.

Columbus finished with eight points, eight behind Cruz Azul and three ahead of Saprissa in third place. Even if Saprissa had won, it had lost at home to Columbus and drew its away leg, surrendering the tiebreaker advantage.

It was the second straight year Saprissa failed to advance past the Group Stage. Last season, Saprissa won only one of its last three matches to be edged out by Cruz Azul for a berth.

Anticipating a chance at the quarterfinals, a boisterous crowd at Estadio Saprissa greeted both teams, which struggled to created chances in the first half.

Saprissa took the lead four minutes before halftime when Armando Alonso created enough space along the right to launch a cross between two defenders and feed Kendall Watson, who stuck a side-footed volley at the corner of the six-yard box to beat Cruz Azul keeper Yosgart Gutierrez.

Gutierrez had to punch away another chance four minutes into the second half, keeping Cruz Azul within a goal and giving Nunez his opportunity to equalize.

Hector Gutierrez stipped the ball just outside the area and quickly fed Zeballos in the middle of the box. With his back to goal, Zeballos was able to hold off defender Alexander Robinson before dropping a ball into the path of Nunez, who ran on to the roller and volleyed a right-footed blast from the top of the 18 for his second goal of the tournament.

Zeballos then added the winner in the 82nd, running unmarked at the back post onto a low, rolling cross from Nunez and easily finishing for his fifth goal in the Champions League. Zeballos finished with four goals in last year’s championship.

Cruz Azul, which advanced all the way to last season’s finals before falling to fellow Mexican side Atlante, will learn its quarterfinal opponent on November 17, when CONCACAF conducts its Championship Round draw at its New York headquarters.

Costa Rica – SAN JOSE

Source

Tags: alexander robinson, armando alonso, berth, boisterous crowd, club pumas, COLUMBUS, columbus crew, Costa Rica, cruz azul, enough space, four minutes, group stage, Hector Gutierrez, kickoff, knockout, last match, New York, Pablo Zeballos, Puerto Rico, puerto rico islanders, quarterfinals, San Jose, saprissa, unbeaten teams, volley, watson, zeballos

CCL quarterfinal berth would complete triple for Crew

October 20, 2009

The Columbus Crew already has clinched a berth in the Major League Soccer playoffs and could lock up a second consecutive Supporters Shield.

A berth in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals would make a nice triple.

That’s why the squad wasn’t that upset following a 1-0 loss to D.C. United at RFK Stadium Saturday night.

“We can clinch the second round of the Champions League and that is a very important game for the guys and also for the club,” coach Robert Warzycha said. “We can bounce back from this game. We have a game against New England at home. The game against Puerto Rico is very important.”

Columbus has seven points from five matches and is two points in front of Deportivo Saprissa for second place in Group C. A win or a draw at Puerto Rico sends the Crew through to the Champions League knockout stage.

Saprissa must travel to Mexico City to play already qualified Cruz Azul, needing a least a victory to have any chance of advancing.

With Tuesday’s game against Puerto Rico on his mind, Warzycha sat Brian Carroll and Gino Padula, while Argentine veteran Guillermo Barros Schelotto played less than an hour on Saturday.

“We have another very important game against Puerto Rico, so I was trying to rest some guys basically for that game against Puerto Rico and obviously give some minutes to the other guys,” Warzycha said.

Puerto Rico, a semifinalist last season, already has been eliminated from contention. And with the United Soccer Leagues season over, the Islanders are looking to play the part of spoiler in Bayamon.

“If you look at the bigger picture, we need to get some type of result in Puerto Rico, which isn’t going to be easy,” Crew midfielder Robbie Rogers said. “It may be raining down there and the field is going to be bad as well.”

Cruz Azul already has clinched its berth in the Champions League quarterfinals, but La Maquina will look to bounce back from what coach Enrique Meza viewed a disappointing 3-1 win against Estudiantes Saturday at Estadio Azul.

Los Azulinos needed goals by Javier Oroczco and Emanuel Villa in the final 10 minutes to defeat 10-man Estudiantes. Rogelio Martinez also scored in the 46th minute for La Maquina, which has 21 points in Group 3 of the Mexican Apertura.

“We did not do anything right, but a victory under those circumstances I find extremely valuable,” Meza said. “We had no conjunction, we lacked mobility and we took risks, but they did not capitalize.”

Columbus won in Costa Rica and drew with Saprissa in its home leg to assure itself of winning any tiebreaker against the Central American club. Now it still needs a draw to assure MLS of at least one team in the knockout stage.

By Dylan Butler

Tags: Argentine, BAYAMON, berth, Brian Carroll, C. A, Central American, champions league quarterfinals, club coach, coach robert, COLUMBUS, columbus crew, concacaf champions league, d c united, D.C., Emanuel Villa, Enrique Meza, estadio azul, gino padula, Guillermo Barros, guillermo barros schelotto, la maquina, Major League Soccer, mexico city, New England, Puerto Rico, rfk stadium, Robbie Rogers, robert warzycha, Rogelio Martinez, saprissa, seven points, united soccer leagues

CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal draw set for November 17

October 16, 2009

Quarterfinalists in the CONCACAF Champions League will learn their knockout round opponents on November 17 when the draw at the confederation’s New York headquarters will set the pairings for the final eight.

The group winners will be drawn against one of the four teams that finished in second place, with no team playing another that it faced in the Group Stage in the two-leg series.

The teams that finished second will host the first leg of the quarterfinals the week of March 9-11, with the group winners hosting the second leg the week of March 16-18.

The potential pairings for the semifinals, to be played the weeks of March30-April 1 and April 6-8, also will be set with the winners advancing to the finals April 20-22 and April 27-29.

Three of the eight quarterfinalists already have been determined with Pumas, Pachuca and Cruz Azul of Mexico already clinching their berths. Ten clubs still remain in contention for a place in the knockout round and will be determined next week in the final round of the Group Stage.

Houston and Arabe Unido are fighting for the last berth from Group A; Toluca, D.C. United and Marathon all are still in contention for the berths in Group B; the last place from Group C will go to either the Columbus Crew or Saprissa; while Real Espana, Comunicaciones and W Connection are still in contention for the second spot from Group D.

NEW YORK

Source

Tags: april 1, arabe unido, berth, columbus crew, concacaf champions league, confederation, contention, cruz azul, d c united, group stage, knockout, marathon, Mexico, pumas pachuca, quarterfinals, saprissa, Toluca, york headquarters

Cruz Azul ends Puerto Rico’s CCL hopes 2-0

September 30, 2009

Mexican Apertura scoring leader Emmanuel Villa scored in the 51st minute and capped Cruz Azul’s 2-0 victory over the Puerto Rico Islanders Tuesday night, eliminating last year’s semifinalists from quarterfinal contention in the CONCACAF Champions League.

Villa, who has 10 goals in the Mexican league, was unmarked at the right post to head in a cross and doom any remaining chance Puerto Rico had of returning to the knockout round.

Cruz Azul, which had clinched its place in the quarterfinals last week, improved to 13 points atop Group C and clinched a seeded berth in the quarterfinals next year. Puerto Rico – playing its fourth game in eight days and 10 matches in the last 24 days — remained last with two points from five games.

Mario Ortiz put Cruz Azul ahead in the sixth minute finishing an exchange between Joel Huqui and Alejandro Vela on the left side. Huqui and Vela traded passes before Huqui worked his way into the penalty area and slid a ball to Ortiz at the top of the six-yard-box.

Ortiz avoided the slide tackle attempt by Puerto Rico defender Kyle Veris and easily finished past goalkeeper Justin Myers, who was playing in place of regular Bill Gaudette.

Puerto Rico started brightly, with Josh Hansen putting a shot wide from 30 meters in the fourth minute. But Cruz Azul began to dominate possession and largely limited the Islanders to attempts from distance.

Chances that Puerto Rico managed to generate closer to goal went high or wide, including Kendall Jagdeosingh’s attempt from inside the area off a deflected ball that was sent well over the bar in the 28th.

A steady rain that fell during the last 15 minutes of the first half didn’t help the Islanders.

Cruz Azul will conclude its group scheduled on October 20 at Saprissa, while the Islanders will host Columbus the same day. Columbus will need only a draw to advance while Saprissa will need a victory and a Columbus loss to reach the quarterfinals.

MEXICO CITY

Source

Tags: Alejandro Vela, berth, city source, COLUMBUS, contention, cruz azul, eight days, Emmanuel Villa, five games, Joel Huqui, Josh Hansen, Justin Myers, kendall, knockout, mario ortiz, mexican apertura, mexico city, Puerto Rico, saprissa, semifinalists, steady rain

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

Tags: adderly, aggregate victory, Alejandro Morera, argenis fernandez, bertz, bitter rival, coach robert, concacaf champions league, crew stadium, Cristian Arrieta, Cristian Oviedo, cruz azul, division playoffs, eddie gaven, Enrique Meza, gabas, galaxy 2, John Ball, Kenny Bertz, Los Angeles, los angeles galaxy, Major League Soccer, Marina Auto, Nicholas Adderly, Pablo Gabas, Puerto Rico, puerto rico islanders, robert warzycha, Rochester, saprissa, Steven Lenhart, united soccer leagues

Cruz Azul leads way into CCL quarterfinals

September 26, 2009

Cruz Azul is in the quarterfinals. And its fellow Mexican clubs are not far behind.

La Maquina, which played in last year’s final, became the first team to book its spot into the CONCACAF Champions League knockout stage with a 2-0 win against the Columbus Crew on Wednesday at Crew Stadium.

Toluca and Pumas are a point away from the final eight and Pachuca is sitting atop its group.

Pablo Zeballos and Alejandro Vela struck for Cruz Azul, which sit atop Group C with 10 points from four matches.

“We did enough to merit the win,” Cruz Azul coach Enrique Meza said. “They did a lot offensively, but we did enough defensively. We defended well despite the offensive intensity they were coming with and the domination they had at the end. Our defense and our goalkeeper did very well. We lost the ball, but a lot of it was due to the pressure they had. But we were able to withstand that.”

Despite seeing its unbeaten streak at Crew Stadium snapped at 24 games, Columbus remains alone in second place, two points clear of Saprissa ahead of next week’s clash against the Costa Rican side in Columbus. With two points from four matches, the Puerto Rico Islanders, which tied Saprissa 1-1 in Bayamon Tuesday, are still alive. The United Soccer League First Division squad will play at Estadio Azul next week.

After beating San Juan Jabloteh, 3-0, at Nemesio Diaz Wednesday night, Toluca just needed a Marathon win or draw against D.C. United to join Cruz Azul in the quarterfinals.

But the Major League Soccer club stayed alive in Group B with a convincing 3-0 victory against Marathon on Thursday at RFK Stadium thanks to a pair of goals by Luciano Emilio and one by veteran Jaime Moreno, who was sent off late. D.C. United is now level with Marathon with six points from four matches, but D.C., which had a rare nine-day stretch without a game, currently has the edge in goal difference.

“We had a little while to prepare. It almost felt like a month compared to what we’ve been going through,” D.C. United coach Tommy Soehn said. “You can feel that there was a little more energy from our guys. It still wasn’t perfect, but it was more of a complete performance than we’ve had in a while.”

With Honduran airports closed amid political strife, Marathon’s long journey to Washington included a six-hour bus ride to Guatemala, a flight to Miami and a connection to Reagan National Airport, where the exhausted team arrived at 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

“Without taking anything away from D.C. United, Marathon only played 45 minutes,” Marathon coach Manuel Keosseian said through an interpreter. “The other 45 minutes were a valiant effort, but we really didn’t have much energy…We felt the wear and tear of the travel.”

Marathon is scheduled to host Toluca in San Pedro Sula on October 1, while D.C. United hosts Jabloteh — which has been eliminated from contention — a day earlier.

Pachuca still leads Group A, but the Mexican squad is just two points clear of the Houston Dynamo and Arabe Unido with two games left in the Group Stage. CONCACAF Champions League scoring leader Ulises Mendivil tallied twice for Pachuca in a 4-0 win against Metapan, which dashed the quarterfinal hopes of the El Salvadoran Clausura champion.

Houston is in second on goal difference after thrashing Arabe Unido 5-1, the Panamanian’s first loss of the Group Stage. Second-half substitute Stuart Holden struck twice, Eddie Robinson, Cam Weaver and Corey Ashe also scored for the Dynamo, who host Pachuca on Wednesday at Robertson Stadium. Arabe Unido will meet winless Metapan at home a day earlier.

In Group D, Pumas crushed Real Espana 4-0 at home Thursday night. Pumas, which has only one victory in the Mexican Apertura and is 16th in the 18-team league, can claim its place with a draw at home on Wednesday against W Connection.

Thanks to a Jonathan Frias second-half hat trick, the Trinidad & Tobago club defeated Comunicaciones 3-0 in Guatemala City Wednesday night to move into third place with four points, three behind group leader Pumas and two behind Comunicaciones.

Pumas hosts W Connection Wednesday, while Real Espana, which has three points from four matches, is home against Comunicaciones.

By Dylan Butler

Tags: columbus crew, concacaf champions league, crew stadium, cruz azul, d c united, Enrique Meza, goal difference, jaime moreno, knockout stage, luciano emilio, Major League Soccer, pachuca, puerto rico islanders, rfk stadium, san juan jabloteh, saprissa, soccer club, united soccer league

Puerto Rico, Cruz Azul set for 2009 semifinal rematch

September 15, 2009

In a rematch of last year’s CONCACAF Champions League semifinals, the Puerto Rico Islanders will host Cruz Azul on Tuesday night in Bayamon.

While the Islanders, which were eliminated last year on penalty kicks, would love their revenge, Puerto Rico is playing for Champions League survival after failing to secure a point in its first two matches.

After three consecutive victories following a 3-1 loss to Deportivo Saprissa in their Champions League match, the Islanders have dropped back-to-back United Soccer Leagues First Division matches. A 5-2 drubbing by Minnesota was followed by a 2-1 road defeat to the Carolina RailHawks on Saturday.

In third place in the USL-1, Puerto Rico has just one game remaining in their regular season, heading to South Florida to take on Miami FC Blues Saturday night.

Goalkeeper Bill Gaudette, who was suspended for the Islanders last group match because of yellow card accumulation, has missed the last two league matches because of a knee injury. The American, though, is expected to play against Cruz Azul.

The Islanders have also lost Domenic Mediate and Sandy Gbandi to injury.

“We cannot make excuses. We must move forward,” Puerto Rico coach Colin Clarke said. “Now comes the important part of the season as the playoffs begin. We also have a great game on Tuesday, which I think we need to win to get through the group stage.”

Cruz Azul will come in confident, especially after a 1-0 victory on Saturday against Atlas at Estadio Jalisco. Mario Ortiz scored the dramatic 90th-minute winner for La Maqunia, which is one point in front of Santos in the Mexican Apertura’s Group 3. Cruz Azul has won three straight league games.

Saprissa and the Columbus Crew are tied with three points apiece in Group B and they’ll clash at the Monster’s Cave in San Jose, Costa Rica on Wednesday night.

On Sunday, Saprissa rallied from an early deficit to draw 1-1 with Herediano at Estadio Rosabel Cordero. Armando Alonso Rodriguez struck for the equalizer in the 42nd minute for Saprissa, which remains unbeaten in Costa Rica’s Invierno 2009.

On an Eddie Gaven stoppage time penalty kick, the Columbus Crew defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-1 Sunday at Crew Stadium. Columbus maintains a three point advantage over the Chicago Fire in the MLS Eastern Conference and now move two points in front of Houston in the race for the Supporters Shield, awarded to the regular-season champion.

It was a contentious match, which saw both teams have a man sent off after an altercation between Columbus’ Adam Moffat and United States international Ricardo Clark of Houston in the 82nd minute. Gaven’s PK was also hotly disputed and reportedly words were exchanged between Crew star Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Houston coach Dominic Kinnear in the tunnel after the match.

“We won. That is more important, not what is said by the Houston coach” Schelotto said. “It’s his problem, not my problem. We played very good, better than them and we won.”

By Dylan Butler