It was a wild game in Columbus on Sept. 7 as the Crew fell victim to controversy in a 0-4 defeat against the Seattle Sounders.
The game was wrapped in controversy after a red card was issued by referee Rosendo Mendoza to Columbus goalkeeper Abraham Romero.
According to ESPN, in the 45 minute, Romero collided with Seattle attacker Jordan Morris just outside of the box and a foul was called on the Columbus keeper.
Both players remained down for a few minutes and then referee Rosendo Mendoza issued a red card to Romero. Some Crew fans questioned the decision by Mendoza, with speculation over whether or not the red was issued for serious foul play or for the denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
“It appears Romero might be the casualty of a weird play and looks like he actually got caught up in the collision between Zawadski and the Seattle player,” Massive Report, a Crew media group, said on X, formerly Twitter.
However, the story doesn’t end there. Prior to the match, it was reported by Brianna Mac Kay of the Columbus Dispatch that the Crew didn’t have a backup goalkeeper for the match.
“Both GKs from Crew 2 Johnson and Lapkes have had four allowed short-term contracts used this season. It was confirmed that Columbus asked for an expectation for this match, but were denied by MLS,” Mac Kay said on X.
Thus, when Romero was shown a red card, the Crew had no one to replace him. Despite the uproar from the crowd and Crew coaches on the sideline, the red card was confirmed by the video assistant referee (VAR) and Romero exited the match.
The red card left the Crew in a strange spot as field player Sean Zawadski would step up and take on the role of goalkeeper for the remainder of the game.
The match restarted with a Seattle free-kick and Seattle player Albert Rusnak would then send the ball into the back of the net, which gave the Sounders a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, the Crew would hold on for 15 minutes until Jordan Morris would make it 0-2 and Rusnak would finish with a hat-trick with goals in the 67 and 70 minute, according to ESPN.
The match ended 0-4 as disappointed Crew fans exited the stadium, with many in disbelief about what they just witnessed.
With the defeat, the Crew fell at Lower.com Field for just the second time this season.
