Crew Finish Regular Season with Loss

The playoff-bound Columbus Crew (13-13-8, 47 pts.) closed the 2011 regular season with a 3-2 loss at the hands of the Chicago Fire (9-9-16, 43 pts.), after mounting a late rally at TOYOTA Park in Bridgeview, Ill., on Saturday night.

The Crew came back from a 2-0 deficit -- after two first-half goals by defender Jalil Anibaba -- with goals by Emilio Renteria, assisted by Eddie Gaven and Emmanuel Ekpo, and Dilly Duka, only to see the Fire’s Diego Chaves tally the game-winner in the a minute later. The Black & Gold finished the match down to 10 men after Ekpo received a stoppage-time second caution.

It only took 11 minutes for Chicago to get on the board when Fire midfielder Pavel Pardo picked up a clearance from a corner kick and lobbed the ball back into the box finding Anibaba who headed the ball in for the 1-0 lead. Chicago almost made it 2-0 in the 22nd when forward Dominic Oduro tried to chip a Chaves cross over William Hesmer but the Crew keeper was able to save it. Eight minutes later Anibaba found his second tally of the evening as he headed a cross from defender Cory Gibbs over Hesmer and into the back of the net.

The half ended with the Black & Gold down two goals, but not before Andres Mendoza sent a Josh Gardner cross narrowly wide in the 33rd, and Duka saw his rocket from the right corner of the box hit the far post in the 43rd minute.

With a secure spot in the top three of the Eastern Conference on the line, the Crew showed resilience in wanting to overcome the two-goal deficit and picked up the pace pushing men forward. In the 67th minute Duka saw a shot from outside the box deflected but the first Crew tally came just five minutes later.

After receiving the ball from Ekpo in the 72nd, Gaven made a brilliant run down the right side and crossed it into the box, Renteria read the cross well and volleyed the ball past Fire keeper Sean Johnson cutting Chicago’s lead in half. Duka tied the game up in the 79th after he intercepted an Anibaba clearance and shot a rocket past Johnson bringing the game level.

Chicago responded a minute later with Oduro running down the right side on a breakaway and taking a shot that rebounded off of Hesmer. Chaves was quick to pick up the rebound and score the game-winner fixing the result at 3-2 for the home team.

In the final minutes of play the Crew was brought down to 10 men after Ekpo earned a second yellow card for a late challenge on Oduro in stoppage time.