Columbus Crew SC came back from a 10-day layoff with a 2-0 loss in its inaugural match against Los Angeles FC. The original Black & Gold from the Buckeye State now hold an 8-4-4 record in first meetings with expansion teams ā an all-time run starting with a 1998 clash with the Chicago Fire.
After allowing two quick goals to the opposition, the Crew SC defense settled in to hold LAFC to just three shots on target. Despite the creation of promising attacks, Crew SC couldnāt find the back of the net.
LAFC scored first when captain Laurent Ciman bent a free kick around a Crew SC wall and just past Jon Kempinās outstretched glove. The 4th minute strike came from well outside the 18-yard box and put the Black & Gold in a quick 1-0 hole.
Four minutes later, Los Angeles put together a strong attack as Lee Nguyen and Benny Feilhaber set up Adama Diomande for an shot past Kempin from about 10 yards. After that, Crew SC took control of the possession, and LAFC never got another quality scoring chance.
Columbus finished the match with 10 shots, one on target. Crew SC was nearly even with LAFC in duels won (56) and passing accuracy (84.2 percent). Captain Wil Trapp led the team with 81 touches and 64 passes, while Federico Higuain led the club in chances created with four.
Crew SC returns home to face Real Salt Lake on Saturday, June 30. The match kicks off at MAPFRE Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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MATCH STATS
MATCH NOTES
- Midfielder Wil Trapp completed a team-high 60 passes in tonightās match against Los Angeles Football Club. In addition to finishing with 86.7% in his passes, he also made a team-high 73 touches, created one scoring chance and made one tackle. This season, Trapp has made 14 regular-season appearances (all starts) for Crew SC as well as three appearances (all starts) for the U.S. Menās National Team in friendlies against Paraguay, Ireland and France.
- Midfielder Federico Higuain created a team-high four scoring chances in tonightās match against Los Angeles FC. In addition, he made 33 passes, had 46 touches and made one tackle on the night. Since joining Crew SC in 2012, Higuain has scored 52 goals (four this season) and made 56 assists (seven this season), becoming one of 18 MLS players to reach the 50-50 milestone over the course of their career.
- Including tonightās result against LAFC, Crew SC now holds an all-time regular-season record of 8-4-4 when facing MLS expansion teams for the first time, dating back to 1998.
- With tonightās 0-2 loss against Los Angeles FC, Crew SCās record on the season is now 7-5-6. Next up, Crew SC returns home to take on Real Salt Lake at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday, June 30, at 7:30 PM ET.
