The Columbus Crew put themselves back into the playoff hunt with a massive 2-1 win over Eastern rivals CF Montréal on Saturday evening at Lower.com Field.
A slow and cagey first half looked like it was going to end with neither team able to take advantage, until Crew forward Gyasi Zardes drifted away from his defender and was able to calmly volley the ball into the Montréal goal and put the home team in the driving seat.
Zardes doubled the lead early on in the second half when the Crew number 11 was gifted with all the time in the world to set himself up for a rocket left-footed strike that flew into the top of the net.
Stand-in goalkeeper Evan Bush was called into action late on for the Crew as Montréal pushed to get back into the game, and in the dying moments of the game, poor defending allowed Romell Quioto to pull one back. However, it proved to be too little too late and Columbus was able to hold on for all three points.
The Crew are back in action on Wednesday, September 29 when LIGA MX side Cruz Azul visit Lower.com Field for the Campeones Cup.
For more information, visit columbuscrewsc.com.
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