June 28, 2008 9:25 PM

Ekpo, Rogers lead Crew past Rapids 2-1

Emmanuel Ekpo scored the winner and set up a penalty kick with a nice pass into the box as the Columbus Crew defeated the Rapids 2-1 on Saturday.

Ekpo raced up the middle of the Colorado defense in the 70th minute and struck a low shot that skipped along the wet pitch and into the lower corner of the goal.

Rapids goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul, playing in his first game since returning from World Cup qualifying with Senegal, got a hand on the ball but couldn't stop the shot.

Ekpo also set up the Crew's first goal in the 53rd minute. Ekpo pushed a beautiful ball forward to find Ale Moreno in the penalty area. Moreno avoided one tackle then tripped over the outstretched foot of defender Jordan Harvey.

Referee Baldomero Toledo awarded a penalty shot on the play, and Guillermo Barros Schelotto sent a low shot past Coundoul.

Ekpo was the man of the match.

But Robbie Rogers was the man of the first half. The 21-year-old was a force.

In the 15th minute, his speed offered him the chance to make a pinpoint cross to Moreno in the box. Moreno's glancing header beat Bouna but sailed a few feet wide of the post.

Ten minutes later, Moreno returned the favor from the left wing. His cross found Rogers' forehead as the 21-year-old was one on one with Bouna. However, Rogers hit the ball upward, right into the sweet spot of Bouna's formidable wingspan.

Had he hit the ball down or to the side, it would've been a goal, plain and simple.

In the 27th minute, Rogers created another opportunity, beating Cooke to the ball on the wing. Rogers, who is just plain fast, circled around Cooke and into the box, where midfielder Brad Evans was waiting for a shot. Evans, though, got under the ball, which flew well over the crossbar.

So, in the span of about 12 minutes, the Crew botched three prime scoring chances in which Rogers was integral.

A disappointed Rogers told Fox Soccer Channel that Columbus should've been ahead 2-0 at halftime, but really Rogers had put his team in a position to score three.

WHERE DID HE COME FROM? Rogers passed up three seasons of eligibility at the University of Maryland to sign with Heerenveen, one of the top teams in the Dutch first division, in August 2006. He played with Heerenveen's reserves, getting time in five games, including three starts, and scoring two goals. He spent six months with Heerenveen, from August 2006 to February 2007, then secured his release. He signed with MLS and was acquired by the Crew via a special weighted lottery in March 2007.

TAKE THAT SHOT! In the 33rd minute, the Rapids' Colin Clark beat two defenders on a fantastic, fast run from the left wing to the top of the box. He saw Terry Cooke unmarked and cutting in from the right. Clark feathered the ball to Cooke, but the Englishman refused to shoot despite an unobstructed look at Will Hesmer and the Columbus goal. Cooke took one touch to settle then crossed back to the right post, where striker Tom McManus had a distinct height disadvantage against the Columbus defense. It was one small play. But, earlier in the season, we saw Jacob Peterson turn a similar pass into one of the classic goals in Rapids history. Cooke's first tendency is the pass, the cross; that habit cost the Rapids a shot on goal in this instance.

HELP FROM THE HEAVENS? It rained significantly before the game, and the slick surface hurt the Crew in the first half. Columbus missed four or five opportunities to threaten Coundoul because diagonal passes to the corners never slowed on the turf. The slick surface ushered the ball right over the end line. Had some of these passes found Rogers ... On the other hand, goal scorers Schelotto and Ekpo used the speed of the ball along the wet grass, choosing to shoot low against Coundoul.

DEAR FOX SOCCER CHANNEL: It's not pronounced mass-stree-OH-nee.

BOUNA'S BACK: Twice in the first half Bouna made daring runs off his line to intercept corner kicks by the Crew. I don't think backup Preston Burpo has the range or the agility to make the same impact Bouna did in these instances. The Rapids' defense has had some trouble clearing the ball from the box on corner kicks in the past month, but Bouna's decision-making and athleticism pre-empted any chance the Crew may have had on these particular restarts.

Posted by George Tanner at 9:25 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack