The Columbus Crew battled Red Bull New York to a scoreless draw Saturday at ScottsMiracle-Grow Field until the 89th minute when the Metros’ Ronald Donkor recorded a goal from the top of the box for what proved to be the winning score in the 1-0 match. Here are our three takeaways from Saturday’s action:

1.    The Crew had a number of chance thwarted by the RBNY defense, including an excellent opportunity early in the contest when Santi Rodríguez hit the cross bar from the top of the box and Gonzalo Tapia’s put-back on the rebound was deftly saved by goalkeeper Ethan Horvath. It would have been Rodríguez’s third goal in as many games for the Black & Gold.

2.   Columbus has now lost six of their last seven MLS matches, with the lone win being a 3-0 home decision over Colorado on September 5. Interim head coach Laurent Courtier observed, ““It is frustrating. They’re competitors. Even though they don’t know each other well or they have different fitness level, they know what this Club means, and we don’t have a lot of game[s] left. You can tell that it means a lot for them. That’s why I feel today the fatigue more than anything cost us.” 

3.   The Black & Gold are now in a tough spot with only nine MLS matches remaining in the season. They are in the 13th spot in the Eastern Conference and find themselves nine points out of the eighth and final playoff position. The team is still alive in the U.S. Open Cup. They play Orlando Wednesday in Columbus in a semi-final matchup in Cup play beginning at 7:00 p.m.