Two goals, a 41-minute half time and a wedding proposal. It wasn’t your typical final home game of the year, but it sure turned out to be a good one as Columbus Crew SC ended on a high with a 2-0 win over top-seed chasing Philadelphia Union.
A goalless first half of few chances and even fewer moments of note came to an end just as the storms got a bit too close to MAPFRE and the regular half time was extended as a delay was called due to passing lightning.
The second half took a turn in the 69th minute when Youness Mokhtar opened his Crew scoring account with a well-taken strike that beat Andre Blake in the Union goal.
Pedro Santos doubled the home team’s lead shortly after with a well-placed volley from outside the box.
Philadelphia squandered a few chances late in the game to allow Crew SC to continue their good end of season run with a win.
Columbus will finish up the MLS season on October 6 with an away day at Toronto FC.
Special congratulations to Nordecke sing-along leaders John Lavelle and Suzana Eliana, as Lavelle ended a year of yelling into megaphones by proposing in front of both the Nordecke and Crew Captain, Wil Trapp. #SheSaidYes.
Matt Ellis is a freelance photographer who covers bands that visit the city and the Columbus Crew MLS team. More about Matt can be found on his Instagram.
All photos by Matt Ellis
