Final
United, Crew aim to get back to winning ways
Jul 20, 2012 - 7:57 PM Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - The Columbus Crew and D.C. United will both be trying to bounce back on Saturday when the two sides tangle at Crew Stadium.Both teams sustained shutout losses in their last matches and both will be trying to turn around slumps in recent weeks.
The Crew has lost three of its last four games and has struggled to find the back of the net all season, while United was hammered 4-0 in Houston last time out.
Columbus has been blanked six times this season and has managed just 17 goals in 17 games, the second fewest in MLS.
But head coach Robert Warzycha may get some help in the form of Costa Rican international Jairo Arrieta, who started up top alongside Emilio Renteria and played 62 minutes against Sporting.
"It was a tough game against a very good team. I thought they marked (Arrieta) very well, (Matt) Besler and (Aurelien) Collin," Warzycha said. "He didn't have too much room to show us what he can really do. In the first half, I don't think we had any flank play. We didn't put in any crosses. Maybe we just took care of the ball too much in the back and that's why we didn't create too many chances. So for him, if the ball is not getting in the box, he can't shine."
Warzycha will be hoping for an increase in productivity in the final third, but he also shook up his back four against Kansas City, moving around Josh Williams and Bernardo Anor to give his team a new look.
"We weren't playing well. You change the lineup or the players, obviously you're going to play better," said Warzycha of the change. "I think Josh and Bernardo, other than the two mistakes, they played a good game. With Bernardo against Kamara and Josh against Sapong, I think they had a good game."
But Warzycha will not be able to continue with that setup the rest of the season as Anor sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament against Sporting and will be sidelined for 8-10 months.
United is coming off of a heavy 4-0 defeat at Houston that saw goalkeeper Bill Hamid sent off after 17 minutes. And even though Olsen didn't expect his team to come away with three points, he was still disappointed with how they responded.
"I thought that we could have been meaner," said Olsen. "I thought that we could have been angrier. I thought our shape could have been better and simply just keep the game 1-0 as long as you can. We got a little stretched, we got impatient, not everybody was working as hard as they could, so that was alarming and we will address that."
Joe Willis will take the place of the suspended Hamid between the posts, and he will try to keep United in the top three in the Eastern Conference with a win.
- D.C. UNITED: 0
COLUMBUS: 1
Final
Jul 21 9:28 PM - D.C. UNITED: 0
COLUMBUS: 0
1st Half - 1'
Jul 21 7:37 PM
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