The Columbus Crew only needed a draw against the Philadelphia Union Sunday to clinch their first home playoff game since 2010. It got more than that, with Bernardo Anor scoring a late winner to secure a 2-1 victory against Philadelphia in both club’s regular-season finale.
The win was Columbus’s third in a row, taking the club to 52 points (14-10-10) overall for the season and securing at the very least the fourth and possibly the third seed in the Eastern Conference, while the Union sputtered to a 42-point finish (10-12-12), notching only one win in its final seven matches.
The Crew will be the third seed in the East after the New York Red Bulls knocked off Sporting Kansas City 2-0 later Sunday night. They will host second-seed New England Revolution at Crew Stadium on Saturday, November 1 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Columbus came flying out of the gate, pushing the ball quickly into the Philadelphia end on a number of breaks. The pressure came to a head in 14th minute, when the Crew worked a counter to perfection for the opening tally.
Columbus exploited Philadelphia’s aggressive high line when Wil Trapp played Ben Speas into space with only a pair of Philadelphia defenders and Jairo Arrieta in front of him. Speas’s pass to Arrieta created a one-on-one break, and the Costa Rican calmly dribbled around Zac MacMath to slide home the opener.
With playoffs already clinched and an early lead in the bag, the Crew seemed happy to maintain the 1-0 scoreline for the remainder of the half and nearly suffered for their lack of attacking interest.
Columbus goalkeeper Steve Clark was required to maintain the lead multiple times, and the Union found success in pressing the Crew high up the field. The result was a largely disjointed ending to the half, with each team relying on long balls and finding extended possession lacking.
After a scoreless opening 18 minutes of the second half, Columbus Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter seemed content to hang onto the lead and rest some Crew legs in preparation of the possibility of a midweek playoff match.
The Crew brought in youngster Romain Gall for Arrieta after the Costa Rican took a slight knock in the 63rd minute and let leading goal and assist man Ethan Finlay rest for the final 25 minutes in favor of defender Eric Gehrig.
The Union found an equalizer when midfielder Zach Pfeffer beat Clark in the 85th minute, but substitute Anor stole the win, not without some controversy, for the Crew when a loose ball bounced to his feet in the 90th minute.
Anor appeared to be offside, but he poked the ball in just inches from the goal line to earn the win for the Crew and hand the Union another devastating defeat to end their season.
Tickets for Saturday’s Eastern Conference Semifinal match at Crew Stadium are now on sale. Tickets for a potential Eastern Conference Final match in Columbus – should the Crew advance – go on sale to the general public on October 27 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Including today’s 2-1 victory over Philadelphia, the Crew closed the 2014 regular season on a 6-0-0 tear at home, outscoring opponents by a 15-2 margin over the span.
2014 marks the 12th all-time postseason berth for the Black & Gold and the first since 2011. The Crew won MLS Cup in 2008, the first of four consecutive MLS Cup Playoff appearances for the club.
By qualifying for the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs, Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter became the first coach in Crew history to achieve the feat in his first full season at the helm without previous interim experience at the club. Tom Fitzgerald (1997), Greg Andrulis (2002) and Robert Warzycha (2009) each took the Black & Gold to the postseason in their first full year as Head Coach but had previously taken the reins of the club on an interim basis.
New England is set to host the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal series at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, November 9. Kickoff for that match is set for 5:00 p.m. ET, and ESPN2 will broadcast that match nationally.
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