Lucas Zelarayan scored on a curling, 25-yard free kick before Columbus Crew SC pressured D.C. United into two second-half own goals en route to a 3-1 victory on Saturday afternoon at Historic Crew Stadium.
Columbus’ victory was their first of the MLS regular-season following a midweek exit from the 2021 Concacaf Champions League, as the Crew initially opened the regular-season with a pair of nil-nil draws against Philadelphia and Montreal.
The Black & Gold were able to employ a fully rest Zelarayan, who did not participate in Wednesday’s away loss in Leg 2 of the quarterfinals against CF Monterrey due to yellow card accumulation.
Ola Kamara scored his first goal of the season after injury forced him out of the opening three weeks of the MLS season, though he declined to celebrate, recalling the 2016 and 2017 MLS seasons when he scored a combined 34 league goals for the Crew.
The Crew continues MLS action on Wednesday with a road bout against Toronto FC from Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio and 97.1 FM The Fan.
MATCH NOTES
- Midfielder Lucas Zelarayan scored his first goal of the 2021 season during today’s match against D.C. United. Zelarayan’s goal came in the 20th minute of the match, when the Argentine midfielder converted a free kick to put the Crew up 1-0 against D.C. United. This was Zelarayan’s second goal goal from a direct free kick, as he previously scored one last year against FC Cincinnati (July 12). Since joining Crew SC, Zelarayan has made 19 regular-season appearances (15 starts) while registering seven goals and four assists.
- With his start in today’s match, defender Waylon Francis reached 100 regular-season starts since joining MLS ahead of the 2014 season. The defender played the full 90 minutes while registering 54 touches, making two tackles and three interceptions. To date, Francis has made 117 regular-season appearances while providing 19 assists.
- With its 3-1 victory against D.C. United, Crew SC continued their undefeated run at home across all competitions. Crew SC is riding an 11-match undefeated streak dating back to October 18 of last year, when the Crew defeated New York City FC 3-1. The Black & Gold are currently 9-0-2 at home while outscoring opponents 22-8.
- Up next, the Crew travels to face Toronto FC at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida on Wednesday, May 12 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
COURTESY COLUMBUS CREW SC COMMUNICATIONS
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