Match Recap: Crew at Philadelphia Union

The Columbus Crew headed into Philadelphia in hopes of extending their lead in the Eastern Conference, but instead find their hold on a playoff spot slipping.

The Philadelphia Union used a 32nd-minute strike from Sebastien Le Toux and an organized performance from their back line to shut out the Crew 1-0 in a game that held heavy implications in the Eastern Conference playoff race.  Le Toux's goal, his seventh of the season and sixth in as many games, was enough to keep the Crew at bay, as they failed to create many threatening chances against Philadelphia's solid defense.

Columbus' best chance came 16 minutes in, as Andres Mendoza's audacious chip attempt from 25 yards out was parried aside by rookie Union goalie Zac MacMath.  The Crew failed to test MacMath otherwise, with their other 4 shots all missing the target.

Notably absent from the Crew lineup was captain and center back Chad Marshall, whose hip injury suffered in Thursday's draw with Houston kept him from taking part in the match.  His presence may have been missed in Philadelphia's goal, as Roger Torres' looping through ball for Sebastian Le Toux found its way past replacement Eric Gehrig and was calmly slotted home by the veteran Frenchman.

Philadelphia looked more likely in the second half to double their lead than surrender it, but quick work by William Hesmer scuttled their next best chance of the evening, as Danny Mwanga nearly latched onto a deflected cross in front of goal.  Additional chances by Le Toux and 16-year-old debutante Zach Pfeffer did little more than caution the Crew defense.

With the result, the Union moved to within two points of the Crew's lead in the Eastern Conference, creating a logjam at the top of the standings, with Kansas City, losers to Salt Lake on the night, a single point ahead and behind of Philadelphia and Columbus, respectively.  A win by Houston kept them level on points with Philadelphia, creating a mere two-point separation among the top four teams of the Eastern Conference.

With the loss, the Crew are now winless in their last four matches. They now look ahead to next Saturday, on which they welcome the league-leading Los Angeles Galaxy to Crew Stadium. The Crew suffered a 1-0 loss to the Galaxy in their previous meeting this season.