A fabulous night in Downtown Columbus saw the Columbus Crew host the San Jose Earthquakes as the Black & Gold looked to get back in the win column after their 0-1 loss to Inter Miami CF last weekend. For the Quakes, eight goals were split between them and Sporting Kansas City, with the Quakes losing 3-5. 

Referee Guido Gonzalez Jr. had a fiery match on his hands to start, with both teams starting to play quickly, utilizing the wing spaces effectively.

Columbus nearly scored minutes into the match. Daniel Gazdag had an open run toward the goal but couldn’t continue because the ball got caught up in his feet. Jacen Russell-Rowe made the supporting run, but the pass from Gazdag to Russell-Rowe was errant and away.

A quick attack from the Quakes saw Cristian Espinoza have a shot on goal from the right channel, but Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte made the easy save.

The Crew quickly dictated the game’s pace, but San Jose matched the intensity quickly and easily. Both teams generated multiple opportunities and goal-scoring chances, but neither could convert.

Sean Zawadzki broke the scoreless tie in the 29th minute, getting on the end of a Diego Rossi free kick at the back post to give the Black & Gold a 1-0 lead and tallying his first goal of the season.

The Quakes needed to find rhythm and poise with the momentum in Columbus’ favor. That came in the 40th minute when Beau Leroux found Josef Martinez inside the penalty area, enabling Martinez to collect and chip Schulte, who was rushing to close down the angle. With the score now 1-1, San Jose — led by Bruce Arena — were the ones who controlled the game now.

Columbus came out in the second half wanting to control possession. The possession-keeping worked briefly, as the Quakes started to press heavily on every pass and touch the Crew took.

The Crew found their go-ahead goal in the 62nd minute, with AZ Jackson finding Max Arfsten inside the penalty box. Arfsten took a few quick stepovers before roofing the ball into the back of the net.

Mark-Anthony Kaye thought he had the equalizer late in the second half, but it was negated due to a handball offense by Ousseni Bouda before the ball entered the net.

Columbus would see out the match, gaining three valuable points at home. With the win, the Crew moved to 2-0-0 when scoring first, 4-0-1 playing in night matches, and 2-0-1 against Western conference teams.

Steven Moreira, the centurion

With his inclusion in the starting XI, Steven Moreira reached 100 MLS regular season starts for the Columbus Crew.

What’s next?

The Columbus Crew are back at home next week May 3 as they host Charlotte FC. Kickoff from Lower.com Field is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT. You can watch the match on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.