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Crew-Red Bulls Preview

May 19, 2010 - 6:18 PM By JUSTIN EINHORN STATS Senior Editor

Columbus (4-0-2) at New York (5-3-0), 8:00 p.m. EDT

A pair of late goals have put the Columbus Crew in position to take over the Eastern Conference lead.

Failing to score at all has the New York Red Bulls at risk of giving it away.

However, the player who does much of the Crew's scoring won't be available, so the club must overcome Guillermo Barros Schelotto's absence if it is to win at New York on Thursday night in a showdown for first place in the East.

A week after Robbie Rogers scored in stoppage time to give Columbus a 3-2 victory over New England, Schelotto converted a penalty kick in the 90th minute of a 1-0 win over Chivas USA on Saturday.

"It's fine by me," goalkeeper William Hesmer told the Crew's official website of the team's down-to-the-wire wins. "I'm sure we're making it a lot of fun for the fans."

However, Columbus (4-0-2) now will be without both players who scored those late goals. While Rogers and teammate Chad Marshall have joined the United States training camp for the World Cup, Schelotto was suspended for this contest for elbowing Chivas' Michael Umana.

The suspension was handed down Tuesday by MLS, which said Schelotto would have received a red card if officials had seen the incident. Schelotto, who has four goals and is the only Crew player with more than one, was unhappy with the decision and his team failing to challenge it.

"I don't know why Columbus Crew accept this rule because (Chivas) kick me all game and nobody from Columbus say something with the ref or with the league," he said. "The team needs to answer to me. They need to talk with the league and say 'No,' because every game, every team can show one play in the game and (Chivas) go to MLS crying, complaining."

Schelotto's scoring has helped Columbus remain the East's only unbeaten team, but it has played two fewer games than New York and is one point behind the first-place Red Bulls (5-3-0). That lead wouldn't be at stake if it weren't for shutout losses in New York's last two league matches.

New York fell 4-0 at San Jose on May 8 and 1-0 to New England on Saturday - its first defeat at Red Bull Arena.

"There isn't any panic, we know what we're capable of and what we need to do. It wasn't an accident that we won five games so far this season," the Red Bulls' Mike Petke told the league's official website.

While Petke becomes the 11th player in MLS history to appear in 300 regular-season games, fellow Red Bulls defender Andrew Boyens won't be available because he is training with New Zealand's World Cup team. Forward Salou Ibrahim, who has scored two of New York's last four goals, is out with a hamstring problem.

Columbus could be missing Hesmer, who just tied Jon Busch for the franchise record with 25 shutouts but is doubtful with a lower back strain.

This will be the Crew's first visit to Red Bull Arena as they seek to end an 0-7-4 road winless streak against New York that dates to April 12, 2003.