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COLUMBUS, Ohio – For Columbus Crew SC, Saturday's 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls in the team's season-opening match in MAPFRE Stadium was bittersweet.
Ultimately, the day was a triumph before kickoff. The team's new ownership group, led by the Haslam and Edwards families, was almost full of MAPFRE Stadium greeted players on a cold March afternoon.
"We could hear them," Justin Meram winger said after the match. "When you look around the stadium, it was pretty packed. So I'm thankful for all the fans in Columbus. "
But the game itself left players wanting more.
A 6th–minute Andreas Ivan goal gave the Red Bulls an early lead against the run of play, and the Crew could find a set-piece goal in the 41st minute to respond, despite a flurry of late attacks in the match.
Wil Trapp said the draw "in a lot of ways feels like a loss," and meant the team did not fully capitalize on the moment, especially against a Red Bulls side that was reserve-heavy with the team in the middle of the 2019 Concacaf Champions League.
"I thought [the atmosphere] was wonderful, but I think we're all disappointed we did not win, "he said. These are the types of games where you can really build that momentum with the fan experience and the fans. To have the chances, especially at the end … and not score was disappointing. "
Crew head coach Caleb Porter, managing his first match in Columbus, agreed. He said "we feel like it's two points dropped," but said that it is a combination of the atmosphere and the difficulty of an unusual match.
"It was an emotional first game for everyone – my first game, the players," he said. "There was a weight lifted, of course, with the crew being saved. And this was a tough game against a team that makes it choppy, makes it physical, makes it combative. … So we're disappointed with the one point, 100 percent. "
Porter was not thrilled with the way his team played, particularly in the first half. He said he felt New York had a better job of winning dueling disruption, which "took us off our game." And once they had their first goal, he said they were able to "buckle down and play for the point."
"They were not really trying to play," Meram agreed. "They were more of a hit and miss than a goalkeeper, and that's kind of how it happened – a turnover, one pass and one goal."
But Porter said his team can take a lesson from a match that "gets us ready for the grind."
"In some ways, this is a good way to start because this league is not easy," he said. "Three points are never easy. We're always going to the balloon This league is tough. If you let your guard down, you can get punched in the face. If you're not ready to fight and fight, you can give up goals. I think it's a good reminder of that. "
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