Crew 2 - Kansas City 1

I guess I picked a good time to start writing about the Crew. I now find myself in the very foreign position of having to analyze a win (not that I'm complaining). Much has been made of how the Crew have built on their comeback tie at New England to produce this much-needed home victory. I'm not so sure that I believe the hype, but I still find myself optimistic (this is the Crew we're talking about though; the team that builds up your hopes every now and then so that it can smash them to bits the next game). Honestly, the Crew has played better overall in some of their ties and losses than in last night's win, but as we are reminded every time we see the Eastern Conference standings, it's the results that matter. Perhaps Sigi said it best post-game when he said "I don't care how we played. I don't care what it looked like. A win's a win and we're very happy."

Now, onto the specifics of the game. The defense was solid, especially for being very makeshift in nature. In general, they limited KC's chances, and got a little lucky on a few of the chances that KC did get, but overall, the defense did themselves proud. Ezra at outside back was serviceable, as was Miglioranzi. I have to admit, I'm not entirely sold on Stefani (the plays that come to mind when his name is mentioned are highlighted by a few missed sitters early in the season, as well as that howler of a clearance that came off the Crew's crossbar in New York), but a few more performances like last night's will do much to assuage my concerns. Zayner also looked good while he was in, as he didn't make any glaring mistakes, which is really all you can ask of someone getting his first MLS minutes. If he develops properly, he could be a long-term successor for Hejduk.

The midfield performed well, if not spectacularly. Defensively, I thought O'Rourke and Co. did very well, but going forward they left something to be desired. Much of the Crew's possession (especially in the first half) stemmed from the defensive midfielders passing back and forth with the defenders. I would really like to see this team turn more into a possession-oriented team, and with personnel like Grabavoy, Schelotto, Moreno, Oughton, and O'Rourke, there's no reason why they shouldn't be very adept at stringing multiple passes together in the offensive half.

The front line did what they needed to do, and got on the scoresheet. Eddie Gaven scoring his first of the season brought a wide grin to my face, and hopefully he can build on that. Eddie wasn't spectacular throughout the game, but he was much improved from some of his performances earlier in the season. As Gaven looks to go on an upswing, Moreno continues to impress with his work and link play. Short of scoring a multitude of goals, he's done everything right since he came over from Houston, and has provided an excellent presence for Schelotto to play off of. As for Guille, it's obvious to anyone that he's on a totally different level in terms of skill and vision (some of his passes make me laugh out loud to think that anyone has the audacity to try and sneak that ball through). He's pure class, and his assists numbers reflect the impact he's had on the Crew's offense. The only beef I have with Schelotto is that, at times, he seems to be too unselfish. It's something that I've experienced firsthand, is that when somebody plays with a team that is below his playing level, that player always tries to set up his teammates, even sometimes when shooting himself would be a better option. There have been several times this season when I thought Guille was in a great position to shoot, but instead passes it back to where somebody is (or should be) making a supporting run. Still, I'm not complaining, and I'm very glad that Guille is here.

So, to recap: solid, if uninspiring play from the Crew, solid defense, and some decent finishing at the other end leads to three points in the bag. That's all well and good, but I'm reserving a lot of judgement on this game for after Saturday at Los Angeles. Saturday's game is a very important one for the Crew - if they can fly home with a win and build on what they have already, it will go a long way towards climbing up the standings, as well as building the team's confidence. A loss, and everything could sink back down into the quagmire that we've been sunk in for the greater part of two (or three, depending on who you ask) years. There is hope yet, Crew fans, but don't get too optimistic. Kool-Aid is lethal in high doses.

Signing off for now, but I plan to make another entry prior to the LA game, where I'll address the much-ballyhooed goalkeeper situation, as well as looking ahead to the Crew's next few games. Thanks for reading, all!