Exciting OT Victory: Crew Defeats Orlando City 2-0 to Advance to Eastern Conference Final

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Christian Ramírez clinched victory for the Columbus Crew with a goal three minutes into the first half of the extra period, securing a 2-0 win over Orlando City on Saturday night and sending the Crew through to the Eastern Conference Final.

Columbus (17-9-9) ended a streak of 16 playoff road matches without a victory, setting up a matchup with the winner of the semifinal between the Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati. A victory would see the Crew host the Union, or travel to face FC Cincinnati, the support’s shield-winning No. 1 overall seed.

Ramírez, who subbed in for Alexandru Matan two minutes before his decisive goal, scored his second career playoff goal. Orlando City (18-8-9), the second-seeded team in the East, came close to tying the match in the 108th minute, but Ramiro Enrique’s header met the left post. Cucho Hernández added an insurance goal in the 118th minute, taking a pass from Kevin Molino to score for the fourth time in his first postseason with the Crew.

Defender Rodrigo Schlegel’s second yellow card in the 77th minute left Orlando City with 10 men for the remainder of the match. Patrick Schulte saved three shots to secure a 120-minute clean sheet for Columbus, marking his second career playoff shutout, both achieved this year. Pedro Gallese finished with five saves for Orlando City.

The match was the first meeting between the two clubs in the MLS Cup. Orlando City had previously secured a 2-0 victory over Columbus in the fifth round of this year’s US Open Cup. The Crew have now won seven straight postseason matches at home, but hadn’t won a playoff road match in 16 attempts dating back to 2002.

Orlando City entered the match with an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 matches against the Crew, including six consecutive home victories. Columbus ended their longest losing streak on the road to a single opponent in 20 years. Prior to the match, Orlando City had kept clean sheets in 5 of their last 6 games, compared to just six in their previous 34 matches.

Five other teams have entered a MLS Cup playoff match on a six-match win streak besides Orlando City, but only the 1996 Tampa Bay Mutiny have emerged victorious in the following match.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The Associated Press