Two Hours Late, One Goal Short: How the Crew Finally Got Their First Home Win

The Columbus Crew weathered more than just lightning and rain on Wednesday night. They battled through a two hour and five minute weather delay, then fought off the LA Galaxy to secure their first home win of the season, 2-1, at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.

Daniel Gazdag and Diego Rossi struck early and often, putting the Crew in control before Gabriel Pec's late goal kept things interesting. The delay felt like forever, but once the teams finally took the pitch, Columbus showed up ready to work.

When the Weather Cleared, the Crew Took Over

Gazdag opened the scoring in the 41st minute when a Galaxy turnover gave Dylan Chambost the ball. He fed Hugo Picard on the left flank, and Picard whipped a low cross into the box where Gazdag flicked it with the outside of his right foot and found the back of the net. His first goal came exactly a year and 11 days after the Philadelphia Union's career goals leader arrived via trade.

Rossi doubled the lead just six minutes into the second half. Taha Habroune threaded a through ball to Max Arfsten on the right side. Arfsten dribbled into the box, hit a crossover move, then found Rossi with a pass across goal. Rossi shifted it to his left foot and buried it. That was his fourth goal of the season.

The Crew (2-4-3, 9 points) improved to 1-1-2 at home. They had nine shots in the first half alone and kept the pressure on throughout.

Galaxy's Chances Were Slim Without Klauss

LA (3-3-3, 9 points) played without leading scorer Joao Klauss, who sat out with a foot injury. His absence showed up on the stat sheet immediately. The Galaxy managed only one shot attempt in the first half, a Pec try from the right side of the box in the 45th minute that skipped wide left.

Pec finally got one past Patrick Schute in the 86th minute, converting a setup from Joseph Paintsil at the near right post. It was LA's only shot on goal and snapped a stretch where they'd failed to score in their previous 18 matches. Pec then hit the crossbar two minutes later, but it was too little, too late.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.