Crew Advance To First MLS Cup With Victory Over Fire
POSTED: 8:37 pm MST November 13,
2008
Columbus, OH -- (Sports Network) - In their fourth appearance in the Eastern Conference Championship, the Columbus Crew advanced to their first Major League Soccer Cup title game with a 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire on Thursday night at Crew Stadium.Chad Marshall and Eddie Gaven scored second-half goals to lead the Crew to victory after Brian McBride gave the Fire a 1-0 lead in the first half. With the win, the Supporters' Shield winners will face the victor of the New York Red Bulls at Real Salt Lake Western Final on Saturday in the MLS Cup Championship on Nov. 23 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. McBride opened the scoring on Thursday night after a quick throw-in from Cuauhtemoc Blanco started an attack. Blanco found Justin Mapp streaking down the wing. The young winger collected a ball and played a cross into the six- yard box to McBride, who headed a floater over Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer and in to make it 1-0 just before the half-hour mark. That was how the score stayed until after the break when the Crew (2-0-1) scored two goals in a six minute span. The first was scored by MLS Defender of the Year Marshall in the 55th minute. A Guillermo Barros Schelotto free kick was bent into the Fire area where Marshall out-jumped McBride and powered a header off the crossbar and in, past Jon Busch to tie the game at one. Gaven scored the game winner six minutes later when he ran onto a Alejandro Moreno flicked header into the area and volleyed a shot slow and to the far post side-netting.
Copyright 2008 Courtesy of The Sports Network.







