Union-Crew Preview
If the Columbus Crew are to have a chance at avoiding a knockout-round playoff matchup, they first must handle the task that awaits in their regular-season finale.
The Crew can record a third straight victory by sweeping the three-game season series with the visiting Philadelphia Union on Sunday.
Columbus (13-10-10) and Sporting Kansas City each have 49 points but Kansas City has one more win to give it the edge for third place in the Eastern Conference. The Crew, however, can avoid being part of that play-in match between the fourth and fifth seeds with a victory coupled with a Kansas City loss or draw Sunday night against fifth-place New York, which is two points back. Columbus can also secure the third seed if it draws and Sporting loses.
"We said all of these last games are must-wins," third-year forward Ethan Finlay told the Crew's official website. "We'll continue to control what we can control. A win puts us in the best position to do that."
Winners in four of five and owners of a 22-10 goal advantage during a 7-2-1 stretch, the Crew are confident they can succeed no matter where they land in the playoffs. However, Columbus' main focus is to continue its strong play and build even more confidence heading into the postseason.
"Momentum goes a long way in the playoffs," Crew coach Gregg Berhalter said. "I've personally been a part of that, and I've seen it before. It's something where we're thrilled to have this type of momentum as the season ends."
Though Philadelphia (10-11-12) will miss the playoffs for a second straight year, the Union should have plenty of incentive after the Crew eliminated them from postseason contention with a heartbreaking 3-2 home loss Oct. 11. Columbus stunned the Union with three goals over a four-minute span of the second half to erase a 2-0 deficit.
"You'll see a good Philadelphia team," said Finlay, whose 11 goals and seven assists earned him a contract extension this week.
"They're bitter of us knocking them out," he added. "They're going to come in and be ready to attack. They have a lot of good pieces that we have to be aware of."
Finlay scored the first goal during that comeback victory, and extended his goal-scoring streak to four games in last Sunday's 3-1 win over the Red Bulls. He also assisted on the Crew's other two scores.
Philadelphia, which is 0-4-1 at Columbus, ended an 0-2-3 league slide with a 2-1 victory over Kansas City last Saturday. Cristian Maidana assisted on goals by Brian Brown and Pedro Ribeiro to increase his total to 11, one shy of the single-season club record.
"(Maidana is) an important piece. He's a guy who can change the game, a guy (that's) going to make the special play," interim coach Jim Curtin told Philadelphia's official website. "He's special - he sees the game differently than a lot of players."
Philadelphia's Sebastien Le Toux (ankle) and Conor Casey (knee) have combined for 20 goals in MLS play, but each could miss a second straight contest due to injury.