Union let a potentially big win slip late in 2-2 tie with Columbus Crew

The Union stood two minutes away from taking over first place in the Eastern Conference, but gave up a 93rd-minute goal off a corner kick to let the Columbus Crew escape from Subaru Park with a 2-2 tie on Saturday.

On a night that started with a spotlight on Dániel Gazdag’s return, the Union (7-3-2, 23 points) seized momentum with Tai Baribo’s opener at the end of the first half.

Max Arfsten equalized for Columbus (7-1-4, 25 points) in the 61st minute, then Frankie Westfield gave the Union the lead back three minutes later. But they couldn’t keep it in the end, with Sean Zawadzki sticking in the equalizer.

Star goalkeeper Andre Blake missed a second straight game, and this time it wasn’t just for rotation on a U.S. Open Cup night. He was listed as questionable with a knee issue in Friday’s league injury report.

Union manager Bradley Carnell hasn’t said much about what’s going on with Blake, and given Carnell’s manner, he might not say much. It remained to be seen what detail he’d give after the game.

» READ MORE: Jakob Glesnes was ready for an emotional reunion with Dániel Gazdag

Across the field, it was no surprise that Gazdag started for the Crew. The crowd gave a big cheer for the announcement of his name with Columbus’ starting lineup, and the Union played a short video tribute to him before kickoff. He applauded the crowd afterward.

“It’s a little bit weird to be here — even a month ago, I called this place home,” Gazdag told Apple TV’s pregame show. “The Union is the club that brought me to this country, which I’m very grateful for. They always treated me very well here, and I loved to play here.”

The first half was wide-open, in a way that entertained viewers but no doubt annoyed Carnell. Then again, he knew that was likely, since the Crew play the prettiest soccer of any team in MLS.

But to the Union’s credit, they played pretty well too. The shots total was tied 7-7 at halftime, and the Union had a 4-1 advantage in shots on target.

The last of those produced a 1-0 halftime lead, in the most direct way possible. After Baribo drew a foul in his own half — and an oddly long wait for the ensuing free kick — Rick launched a long ball toward Quinn Sullivan, who was far ahead on the left flank. Sullivan just barely kept himself onside before racing away and trapping the ball with his chest.

» READ MORE: Cavan Sullivan showed his talent in his first Union start, but also how far he has to go

A few steps later, he hit a superb outside-of-the-right-foot cross toward Baribo, who slammed the ball past Patrick Schulte from close range.

The video review officials took a look at the play, but they upheld the goal. It was Baribo’s eighth of the season, keeping him tied atop the league’s scoring chart.

Columbus manager Wilfried Nancy made a double-substitution in the 60th minute, and seconds later his team got its equalizer.

Mo Farsi and Dylan Chambost worked the ball up the right wing, then Chambost hit a cross-field pass that caught Westfield cheating toward the center of the 18-yard box. Arfsten, who earned his U.S. national team debut earlier this year, got to the open back post and tucked the ball home.

It didn’t take long for Westfield to atone for his error. The play started when Danley Jean Jacques brought the ball down the left flank, but got stuck in traffic as he tried to square it for Damiani.

» READ MORE: Union sign former academy player Ben Bender to boost attacking midfield depth

As a batch of Crew players tried to clear the ball, Baribo got the first touch that kept the play alive. It rolled to the 18-yard line, where Westfield met it with a thunderbolt into the top corner for his first goal for the Union’s first team.

Carnell made his first substitutions in the 69th, sending in Mikael Uhre for Bruno Damiani and Olwethu Makhanya for Baribo. The moves changed the Union’s formation to a 5-4-1 for a while, though with Sullivan often playing near a forward‘s spot.

Sullivan eventually exited in the 79th for Chris Donovan, shifting the tactics to a true 5-3-2. Jean Jacques exited for Jesús Bueno at the same time. Jeremy Rafanello was the last entrant, replacing Jovan Lukić in the 89th.

Four minutes of stoppage time went up on the fourth official’s board, and it felt like they’d drag on forever. They went on exactly long enough for Columbus to steal the tie.

Just as the crowd was starting to celebrate an impending win, the Crew won a corner kick. Chambost took it, Diego Rossi jumped to flick the ball across the 18-yard box, and Zawadzki beat Kai Wagner to get there first. He touched the ball past a stranded Westfield and Rick.