Can Crew stymie Rapids' attack?
Getty ImagesBoth the Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto and the Rapids' Omar Cummings helped carry their teams by consistently finding the back of the net. Columbus Crew vs. Colorado Rapids
Oct. 28: Columbus at Colorado, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2, ESPN3
Nov. 6: Colorado at Columbus, 4 p.m. ET, Telefutura
To say the 2008 MLS champion Columbus Crew stumbled into the playoffs would be paying the club a compliment. Before finishing the season with a 3-1 win against the woeful Philadelphia Union on Sunday, the Crew hadn't won an MLS game since Sept. 4 (a six-game stretch). Their victorious finale did come at a steep price, as goalkeeper Will Hesmer, good for 11 shutouts in 30 games, broke his shoulder in the 86th minute and will be unavailable during the postseason.
Equally disheartening in the final minutes of the regular season was the Colorado Rapids' surrendering of a 2-0 lead to the defending champions Real Salt Lake in injury time on Saturday. Rather than roll into the playoffs on the strength of a resounding win against one of the strongest teams in the league, the Rapids were left with a sour taste and possible late-game jitters after Real's 95th-minute equalizer.
Key matchup: Rapids forwards Conor Casey and Omar Cummings against Columbus central defenders Chad Marshall and Andy Iro
Fireworks seem imminent when the league's most accomplished central defender, Chad Marshall, and his sidekick, Andy Iro, face the highest-scoring striker combo in the league. Rapids forwards Casey and Cummings scored 13 and 14 goals respectively this year. Between them, they averaged a goal for every 88 minutes they were on the field. To put that into perspective, New York Red Bulls Juan Pablo Angel and Thierry Henry averaged a goal for every 115 minutes between them.
Casey and Cummings are both known for being powerful, hardworking strikers. But they'll be up against imposing defenders: 6-foot-4, 190-pound Marshall and 6-foot-5, 205-pound Iro. Whoever gains the upper hand will give their team a decided edge in the series.
Players to watch:
Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Andres Mendoza and Robbie Rogers for Columbus; Brian Mullan, Conor Casey and Omar Cummings for Colorado.
It's quite simple: When Argentinean playmaker Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored this season, the Crew were undefeated. They'll need Schelotto to find his scoring boots for this series, because until Sunday, they failed to find the back of the net in 295 consecutive minutes at home. GBS not only led the team in goals (9) and assists (8), he was the Crew's only player to score more than six goals.
That said, Columbus has potential in mercurial winger Robbie Rogers -- who has the talent to change a game, but rarely does -- and veteran Peruvian forward Andres Mendoza, who has scored 116 goals in a career that has spanned eight different countries.
One of these three will have to show big for the Crew to advance.
The Rapids aren't exactly a two-man team. They have a good midfield commanded by Pablo Mastroeni and Jeff Larentowicz in the middle. Problem is, they are too reliant on the big guys up front. In the past two seasons, the Casey-Cummings partnership was good for 51 goals, while the rest of the club scored just 34 times. Sure, you would expect this from forwards, but it's frightening to think what might happen if the duo doesn't perform up to expectation in this series.
But the Rapids have a good luck charm -- four-time MLS Cup champion Mullan. In his 10-year career, the midfielder has never failed to make the playoffs.
X factors:
Will Hesmer's replacement, Andy Gruenebaum, will have to fill Hesmer's big gloves to give his club a chance. Luckily for the Crew, their congested schedule has given Gruenebaum quite a bit of on-field time for a backup at the business end of the season. While he didn't play in MLS at all, he was in goal for all six of the Crew's CONCACAF Champions League games -- earning three clean sheets along the way -- and nabbed four U.S. Open Cup starts, too.
Colorado's speed could be another decisive factor. The Crew will have to find a way to clog the passing lanes and slow down the Rapids.
Outlook:
This one is hard to call. The Crew are one of the most seasoned and experienced teams in the league, while Colorado is relatively inexperienced but also features a fearsome battering ram backed by a solid midfield. The clubs have virtually identical away records and both concede very little at home. The outcome could hinge on whether it's Barros Schelotto or the duo of Cummings and Casey that finds a rich vein of form.
Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at leander.espn@gmail.com.
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