2009 Recap: Crew fans were spoiled by last season’s MLS Double when GBS led their boys to both the Supporters Shield and the MLS Cup. Of course, they don’t have much to cry about after this year either since their squad repeated as the top regular season team (which would be good enough to hoist the hardware in every other league in the world). But, this is MLS, so they must be judged based on the postseason as well. Sadly, RSL ended their great run.
Top Players: Guillermo Barros Schelotto started only 21 games, but he still netted 12 goals. His assists were way down from last year though (how could they not be), so Emmanuel Ekpo stepped up and notched 6 for CMB. Eddie Gaven was healthy and looked great (6 goals), and Robbie Rogers was as clutch as they come, assisting 4 game winners. For the 19 games that Will Hesmer was healthy, he played nearly perfectly between the posts (0.95 GAA).
Symbolic Stats: Columbus was dominant at home (9-2-4), which was the 3rd best regular season mark. In fact, they were undefeated for their first 13 home games. They also almost broke even on the road (4-5-6), which is why they earned their second straight Shield. They also strung together five straight wins between July and September, tying for the longest such streak of the season. But, they lost one very important home game to RSL, so 2009 lacks 2008’s luster.
2009 MLS Season Review:
