COLUMBUS — For 88 minutes, the Columbus Crew appeared headed toward a scoreless draw and at least one desperately needed point. Then Ronald Donkor ruined the evening.
Donkor scored in the 89th minute to give the New York Red Bulls a 1-0 victory over Columbus Saturday night at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, extending another miserable stretch for the Crew.
Cameron Harper and Dylan Nealis combined to set up the deciding goal, with each recording his second assist of the season. Donkor finished the opportunity for his second goal across 23 starts this year.
That was all New York needed.
Columbus placed three shots on target but could not beat Red Bulls goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, who recorded his third clean sheet of the season. Patrick Schulte made four saves at the other end and kept the Crew alive until Donkor finally broke through.
The loss continued a troubling pattern for Columbus, which has now gone 1-6-1 since the beginning of August. The Crew entered the match near the bottom of the Eastern Conference and desperately needed a result against another team struggling to remain in the playoff picture.
Instead, they helped New York end a six-match winless streak.
The Red Bulls had gone 0-4-2 since defeating Orlando City at the beginning of August. They found their cure in Columbus, completing a season sweep after also beating the Crew 3-2 in May.
For Columbus, the problems are no longer confined to a difficult week or an unfortunate stretch. The Crew have scored inconsistently, struggled to finish matches and repeatedly allowed valuable points to disappear.
Saturday provided another painful example.
A draw would not have solved much, but it would have been something. Instead, Columbus spent nearly the entire night keeping New York off the scoreboard only to watch one late defensive breakdown turn a point into nothing.
Again.
The Crew are quickly running out of opportunities to rescue their season. Unless something changes soon, the only remaining question will be how early the playoff chase officially ends.
What’s Next: The Crew return to MLS play Saturday, September 19, when they visit CF Montréal. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
