World Cup Hopeful Scored The Winner in the Open Cup Quarterfinal
Max Arfsten delivered the decisive moment Wednesday night as the Columbus Crew defeated New York City FC 1-0 at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field to advance to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Semifinals for the first time since 2010.
In what was a battle between two USMNT teammates, Arfsten got the better of NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese in the 59th minute. Assisted by 22-year-old Azerbaijani international Nariman Akhundzada, in his first Open Cup goal contribution for the club, Arfsten found space on the right side, cut inside, and curled a left-footed shot past a diving Freese at the far post.
"I just saw the moment to cut inside, and I saw a little bit of space, and it went in," Arfsten said.
Despite Freese finishing the match with seven saves, Columbus largely dominated proceedings, limiting NYCFC to five shots, none of which found the target. Goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen earned a clean sheet without being forced into a single save.
"Even though we were winning 1-0, we still had the ball, and we're being a bit daring and bold," Arfsten noted.
The Crew will host Orlando City SC in the Semifinals the week of September 16-17.
No comments:
Post a Comment