Columbus Crew Are Coming Together

The Columbus Crew tamed the Purple Monster on Wednesday night, adding yet another impressive chapter to the quiet but compelling claim that the humble side from Ohio is American soccer's best team.

"Honestly, flying under the radar hasn't been a bad thing. Whether people want to respect us or not, we're back at the top," veteran midfielder Brian Carroll told FanHouse. "Obviously playing in this market is a little different from a marketing and pressure standpoint, but the fans here are extremely passionate. They want the best from us, and we're trying to work hard to give that to them."

For the past year and a half they have, and it's time that supporters and media in the rest of the country take notice.

Carroll wore the captain's armband on Wednesday night in Costa Rica and set up the winning goal, a fifth-minute strike from Eddie Gaven that was enough to secure a 1-0 CONCACAF Champions League victory over Saprissa. Carroll, a Washington-area native who was a starter on D.C. United's 2004 championship team, started the play with a steal on Saprissa's right flank. He created a bit of space, sent the ball inside and then received it back further upfield before chipping a pass into Gaven's path. Gaven did well to settle it on the run and finish.

The goal was historic. Saprissa, the "Monster's Cave," has been a house of horrors for both the U.S. national team and MLS. The national team is 0-7-0 in the Costa Rican capital and has been outscored 16-5. Professional clubs had fared only slightly better before Wednesday, going 0-5-1 in San Jose. D.C. United earned a 2-2 draw there last October, while "marquee" MLS teams like Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston all left defeated.

But this Columbus team is proving itself worthy of elite status, even if it doesn't field many household names or play in a city that attracts much media or television attention. It came from nowhere to win the MLS Cup/Supporters Shield double last year but lost the architect of that rebirth, Sigi Schmid, to Seattle in the offseason. Heading into 2009 there was a "wait and see" attitude about the Crew, similar to the one directed toward the Arizona Cardinals. One good season does not completely eliminate perceptions created by years of anonymous mediocrity.

Columbus began this season as if 2008 indeed was a fluke. Schmid's former assistant coach and long-time Crew midfielder Robert Warzycha lead the defending champions to a 0-2-5 start. Questions arose about the new coach's competence and whether the Crew had the hunger or talent to defend their title.

"I think those questions are going to happen whenever there's a change, and when things didn't start up for the best, of course they're going to point fingers," Carroll said.

"I think [Warzycha's] handled it tremendously throughout the entire year, keeping our egos down, keeping us working hard, keeping us fighting for each other, knowing all along that if we do that we'll be back to where we were the previous year. He's just letting us develop and do our jobs and keeping us level-headed and on the right path."

Columbus finally got a win on May 9, defeating visiting Kansas City, and the Crew was off to the races. They ripped off a 10-1-4 run that has them once again in the driver's seat for the Supporters Shield with an 11-4-9 record. In addition, they are a very respectable 2-1-0 in the Champions League, which has been unkind to MLS teams over the past couple of years.

Most impressively, they did much of that good work without 2008 MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who missed significant time after hurting his hamstring in mid-July. He did not start another MLS game until last Sunday's 2-1 win over the Dynamo. Columbus is spreading the goals around, with six other players who've gotten on the scoresheet more than once and a sound defense led by a healthy Frankie Hejduk, new U.S. international Chad Marshall and the underrated Gino Padula and Danny O'Rourke. The Crew also boast young American attackers like Robbie Rogers and Gaven that can and will take on defenders - something worth noting in MLS.

Carroll said of the poor start: "I think you can attribute it to a little bit of everything. I think we just found our bearings again and got back to the basics of what made us successful last year, just focused on playing together, tackling, being opportunistic. And before you know it, we're getting results."

And they're continuing to get them during Champions League play, while other clubs use schedule congestion as an excuse for their poor form. This is simply a team that has learned how to win, and at this point they must be the favorite to lift a second MLS Cup this November. Perhaps that will get them some notoriety.