Apparently we relish the rewarding feeling of a comeback win, because our next match highlighted on Crew SC’s “Road to the Cup” is also a come-from-behind victory. As we mentioned with the first defining match, the 2-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids, Columbus only had three of these during the 2015 regular season.
A sellout crowd of over 20,000 roaring supporters at MAPFRE Stadium witnessed Crew SC’s competitive fire on August 22. The Black & Gold hosted Sporting Kansas City for their sole meeting of the season and made a prodigious statement.
The unanimous penchant following that match? "Welcome to the Capital City, Jack McInerney."
The prolific young goal-scorer from Montreal made his home debut in Black & Gold with his team trailing 2-1 in the 64th minute. He stepped onto the pitch with teammates and supporters longing to see the newcomer display his impressive capabilities.
With Federico Higuaín leading the charge, the Crew SC comeback train starting chugging. In the 80th minute, Tony Tchani finished a rare set piece goal for the equalizer. Centerback Tyson Wahl flicked Higuaín’s free kick directly to Tchani who calmly put it away.
With two minutes left in the match, McInerney got his chance and capitalized. Having a knack for being in the right place at the right time, he only needed one shot to bring everyone at MAPFRE Stadium to their feet. Anticipating Pipa’s torpedo of a volley, the striker positioned himself to finish the rebound off of Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia’s gloves.
The comeback win was a reflection of the Black & Gold’s willingness to fight for each other. They trailed Sporting twice, with Kei Kamara and Ethan Finlay combining for the first goal to bring the score level before half. Crew SC exhibited depth, resilience and effort, which it carried through the rest of the season all the way to MLS Cup.
