Subs Propel Crew over Galaxy
August 14, 2002 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release
COLUMBUS, OH - Second half substitutes Jeff Cunningham and Robert Warzycha combined to score the winning goal in the 78th minute as the Columbus Crew posted a 3-2 win against the Los Angeles Galaxy at Crew Stadium on Wednesday night.
Cunningham headed home a Warzycha corner kick before either player had been on the field for 10 minutes as Columbus evened the season series between the two clubs at one win each.
The win further muddled the standings on a night when both the Crew and Chicago Fire surpassed the MetroStars atop the Eastern Conference by increasing their point total to 31 respectively, two points better than the former conference leaders who remained idle from MLS play Wednesday night. The MetroStars were instead involved in an exhibition against Mexican club Chivas de Guadalajara at Giants Stadium.
The Fire also made their jump in the standings Wednesday night with a 5-1 home victory against Kansas City. By equaling the Crew's 31 points, Chicago temporarily owns the second seed in the MLS Cup Playoff picture due to its 2-0-0 record against Columbus in head-to-head matchups this season. The Eastern rivals will still face each other twice more this season.
On a night when veteran Crew forward Brian McBride was unavailable due to a sprained ankle, Columbus received a spark from a pair of 21-year-olds as rookie midfielder Kyle Martino and second-year forward Edson Buddle notched first-half goals to help the Crew overcome and early 1-0 deficit.
U.S. National Team midfielder Cobi Jones gave the Galaxy a sudden lead in the sixth minute when he cashed in on a quality effort from right winger Tyrone Marshall. The Jamaican international powered his way past the Crew's Duncan Oughton on the right side and slotted a pass along the top of the penalty area where an unmarked Jones finished easily past Crew goalkeeper Jon Busch from 16 yards out.
In the 23rd minute Oughton would find redemption for his defensive error when he eluded a tackle from the Galaxy's Ezra Hendrickson inside the Galaxy box. Advancing toward goal, Oughton was yanked down by the Los Angeles defender just before another Galaxy defender, Danny Califf, slid in an attempt to break up the play.
Immediately pointing to the penalty spot, referee Terry Vaughn received no objections from the Galaxy as he awarded a penalty kick to the Crew for Hendrickson's infraction. Martino took the ensuing penalty kick and promptly smashed his shot off the inside of the left post to knot the score at 1-1 in the 24th minute.
Seizing the momentum, Columbus took the lead just four minutes later when Oughton again broke free of the Galaxy defense and crossed to Buddle who nodded his fifth goal of the season past goalkeeper Kevin Hartman to make the score 2-1 in favor of the home side.
Los Angeles would find an equalizer of their own in the 66th minute when a redirected cross from the foot of Jones found its way to Simon Elliott, who pushed the ball past Busch to tie the score at 2-2.
Despite battling the flu, Cunningham entered the game in the 70th minute for Brian Maisonneuve while Warzycha came on for Buddle in the 76th minute, setting the stage for Cunningham's game-winning score. The goal was Cunningham's team-leading 11th tally of the season. The fifth-year player from the University of South Florida leads the Crew in overall scoring with 26 points on 11 goals and four assists.
The game's final moments were marred by a scuffle near the Los Angeles goalmouth that ended with the ejection of both Martino and Hartman in stoppage time.
Both teams will continue their quest to improve their playoff seeding this weekend. Columbus (9-10-4, 31pts) will battle the Kansas City Wizards on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium (8:00 p.m. ET). The Galaxy (10-8-3, 33 pts) will look to regain their winning ways on Saturday when they host Western Conference rival Colorado at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Major League Soccer Stories from August 14, 2002
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