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U.S. Open Cup analysis With something to prove, Columbus holds off Galaxy 1-0 in final for first club championship.(Thursday, October 24, 2002) -- The Columbus Crew received an opportunistic goal from midfielder Freddie Garcia midway through the first half stand up the rest of the way, narrowly holding off the newly-crowned MLS champion Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and a place in next year's CONCACAF Champions Cup. Probably the biggest question going into this match was whether Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid could motivate a decent effort from his team following Sunday's dramatic 1-0 overtime victory over the New England Revolution. As the defending Open Cup titlist, the Galaxy might not have a lot to prove and taken Sunday's celebration into the week. Columbus, on the other hand, had a lot more to prove. The Crew entered the season believing it was destined to advance to the MLS Cup final, so tonight was an opportunity to atone for an awful performance, losing to the Revolution in the playoff semifinals. Add the fact the franchise had an empty trophy case and the match was played before 6,054 home fans at Crew Stadium, Columbus figured to be ready to go. Both teams acquitted themselves well. This was in many ways a much better match than the MLS Cup 2002. There, both the Galaxy and Revolution played not to make a mistake and the match, while exciting at times, was not very skillful. Tonight, the game had more of a flow with both sides creating offensive chances. Los Angeles, playing as usual with five in the midfield, controlled much of the play in the center. But with both Brian Maisonneuve and Duncan Oughton playing solid defense in the midfield for the Crew, the Galaxy was not able to take much advantage. The Crew defenders played very physically. That resulted in a second yellow card and ejection for Chad McCarty 10 minutes from the end, but the tactic shut down the Galaxy's leading scorer, Carlos Ruiz, without any clear scoring chances. At the other end, the Crew used its superior speed to constantly bedevil the Galaxy back line and to create chances. Their only goal, however, came when Galaxy goalkeeper Matt Reis, normally the backup, was not able to control a low cross from Brian West. Reis pushed the ball directly to Garcia who easily put his shot away. The Galaxy was not without chances, coming up empty on at least three golden opportunities up close. So L.A. is 0-6 in its last six visits to Crew Stadium. The Galaxy gave it a good effort, but the better team, by a slight margin, won. Player Ratings Los Angeles Starters Goalkeeper Matt Reis - 4.5: Settled down a bit in the second half, but was very shaky in the first 45. Should have controlled the cross that resulted in the Crew's goal. Defender Danny Califf - 5.5: Pretty solid in the center. Controlled Brian McBride through the entire match. Defender Alexi Lalas - 5: Looked like he did not have the legs tonight after playing well on Sunday. Had a great deal of trouble with the speed he was facing. Defender Tyrone Marshall - 5.5: Played hard, but did not have the speed he did on Sunday. He too had trouble with the fleet Brian West and Jeff Cunningham, but made no glaring errors. Midfielder Ezra Hendrickson - 5.5: Was forced to play a lot of defense and did not get as involved in the attack as he might have liked. Not a poor match, but not one of his best either. Midfielder Simon Elliott - 6: Strong in the middle. Was good on both ends of the field. Midfielder Peter Vagenas - 5: He was not a major factor. Had his share of touches, but could not make the big play. Midfielder Sasha Victorine - 5.5: A bit more effective, but also seemed to fall just short of making the big play. He must improve his offense. Midfielder Cobi Jones - 6.5: Was 75 percent of the Galaxy attack. He seemed to be everywhere, but did not get a lot of help. Forward Chris Albright - 4.5: As is too often the case, played with great energy and determination, but very little skill. Had a first half sitter than any professional should have put away. Forward Carlos Ruiz - 5.5: Took a beating tonight and was given no room by the Crew back line to get off a good shot. Reserves Forward Alejandro Moreno (59th minute for Albright) - 5: Never got himself going and made no impact. Midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos (76th minute for Lalas) - 5.5: Had some good touches and took some pressure off Jones. Came close, but could not make the pass that made a difference. Midfielder Brian Mullan (86th minute for Vagenas) - no rating: Was put in to generate some offense, but had no time to do so. Columbus Starters Goalkeeper Jon Busch - 5.5: Made one great save and was solid until the late moments when his defense saved him on a couple of occasions. Defender Mike Clark - 5.5: If his skills are not what they once were, he makes up for it in positioning and physical play. A solid performance. Defender Chad McCarty - 6: Probably did not deserve the second yellow card and ejection, but was physical all night, so he constantly flirted with being sent off following being cautioned in 48th minute. Was the Crew's best defender and most responsible for holding Ruiz without a good scoring chance. Defender Brian Dunseth - 5.5: Another physical performer. While possibly not as consistent as Clark and McCarty, made strong plays when he had to and contributed to the stout defensive effort. Defender Eric Denton - 5.5: Did everything asked of him defensively and was able to occasionally push forward. Something of a journeyman, but playing as well as he ever has. Midfielder Brian Maisonneuve - 6.5: His tracking back into defense was the key. Often had to take Jones or cut off the passing route to Ruiz. Midfielder Duncan Oughton - 5.5: Was constantly involved in the physical play in the midfield. Gave as good as he got. Midfielder Brian West - 5.5: His speed down the wing was a factor all night. Blew by Lalas to carry deep and deliver the cross that resulted in the Garcia's goal. Took pressure off Garcia. Midfielder Freddy Garcia - 6: Scored an opportunistic goal, but was a thorn in the side of the Galaxy all night. Played with speed and skill. Forward Jeff Cunningham - 5: He was much of a factor at all. Had a couple of decent touches, created one or two chances, but could not finish or present much of a threat. Forward Brian McBride - 5: A quiet night in which he received little service. Often retreated deep into the midfield to make plays which helped. Reserves Midfielder Kyle Martino (66th minute for West) - 5: Was inserted to help protect a lead. Helped achieve that goal, but contributed little else. Midfielder Johnny Torres (81st minute for Garcia) - 5: Called in when Garcia went down, was not any kind of factor. Forward Dante Washington (90th minute for Cunningham) - no rating: A defensive replacement for stoppage time, had one good touch and took a hit to waste time. Midfielder Robert Warzycha (90th minute for Maisonneuve) - no rating: In probably his last Crew appearance, made a last-second clearance deep in his box that might have saved a goal. U.S. Open Cup schedule, resultsChampionship Thursday, October 24 at Columbus (Ohio) Crew Stadium
SemifinalsTuesday, September 10 at Columbus (Ohio) Crew Stadium
Tuesday, September 3 at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif.
QuarterfinalsSaturday, August 24 at Rampage Sports Complex in Franklin, Wisc.
Wednesday, August 7 at Cotton Bowl in Dallas
at Mitchel Athletic Complex in Uniondale, N.Y.
at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif.
Third roundTuesday, July 16 at Virginia Beach Sportsplex
Wednesday, July 17 at Columbus (Ohio) Crew Stadium
at Webster (N.Y.) Municipal Stadium
at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C.
at DeKalb Memorial Stadium at Rampage Sports Complex in Franklin, Wisc.
at National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn.
at Interbay Stadium in Seattle
Second roundWednesday, June 26 at National Sports Center in Blaine, Minn.
at SAS Stadium in Cary, N.C.
at Sirrine Stadium in Greenville, S.C.
at Rutgers Camden (N.J.) Community Park
at Frontier Field in Rochester, N.Y.
at DeKalb Memorial Stadium in Clarkston, Ga.
Tuesday, June 25 at Cottonwood, H.S. in Salt Lake City, Utah
First roundWednesday, June 12 at St. John's University in Queens, N.Y.
at UTD Stadium in Richardson, Tex.
at Rooks Stadium in Chico, Calif.
Tuesday, June 11 SAS Stadium in Cary, N.C.
Cara McGrane Stadium - Des Moines, Iowa
Stan Canaris Stadium in Chula Vista, Calif.
Sunday, June 9 V.E. Soccer Club in Warminster, Pa.
at Sirrine Stadium in Greenville, S.C.
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