Friday's Daily: TKO In Columbus

With J Hutcherson -- That crack media contingent that put Columbus Crew coach Robert Warzycha in the final three for MLS Coach of the Year? Well, the biggest playoff breakdown in recent memory wasn't an overwhelming display on the part of Real Salt Lake. It was Columbus playing for the draw in the first game and not getting it. In other words, a coaching decision.

Hey, that was an idea. If the plan was to unleash a motivated Guillermo Barros Schelotto in game two and let him run all over Real Salt Lake, nicely done... for 35 minutes. Simple point, but an aggregate goal series means every time the team leading from the first leg scores, things get worse for you.

Minus a four goal thriller from Schelotto, where exactly was the Crew offense supposed to come from? Too late to really factor, Steven Lenhart put himself in a couple of dangerous positions. His finish let him down, but he was in the right place. Maybe he needed to be on the field earlier than the 74th-minute in the lineup with Frankie Hejduk rather than replacing him. Perhaps Robbie Rogers comes on at the half when all involved already knew that they hadn't done enough to force overtime.

Instead, the big offensive push came too late. It also took the one thing that was working - Schelotto on the ball - and squandered that in the second-half.

All credit due to Real Salt Lake keeper Nick Rimando, but he wasn't pushing on all eight of his saves. Real Sat Lake spent enough of their 180 playoff minutes against Columbus taking them out of their rhythm before the shot. The Crew ended up being a team working on RSL's defensive lapses and restarts rather than pushing their game. RSL had their moments, and they capitalized on enough of them to advance.

Columbus won themselves an offseason where they can play the 'almost' game, reducing their playoff series to a couple of moments that didn't go their way. To some extent, fair enough. Even though it's been weeks since we've seen it, Warzycha does get to make the point about being "the team that played attractive soccer."

Unfortunately, that's in comparison to a weak field of teams more than happy to play a grind out game and reward their fans with a point. In other words, it's not saying all that much.

The Crew didn't rise above the rest of the pack and they certainly didn't show whatever flare they had late. Watching them over the final weeks of the season was as painful as most teams in the League. Squandered chances. They don't get to put themselves in a different category.

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