Crew bullies New York

The Columbus Crew bounced back from its loss against FC Dallas with a 1-0 victory against the last-place New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

The Crew has won four consecutive games at home and is 5-1-5 in its last 11 games.

After a slow start to the season, The Crew is finally healthy and has soared to second place in the Eastern Conference with a 5-3-7 record.

The Red Bulls are now 2-12-4, last in both the Eastern Conference and Major League Soccer.

Both clubs had chances early. After a foul by forward Khano Smith in the eighth minute, forward Steven Lenhart connected on a direct free kick by forward Guillermo Barros Schelotto, but it sailed over the net. In the 12th minute, Smith got a shot off in the middle after receiving a cross from the right flank, but it went wide of the left post, keeping the game scoreless.

The best early chance for the Crew came in the 16th minute when Schelotto snuck behind a defender and received a lead pass from midfielder Robbie Rogers, but the ensuing shot went off the crossbar.

The game's physicality hit its pinnacle in the 34th minute when midfielder Brian Carroll was given a yellow card for a reckless tackle on forward John Wolyniec, who needed a few minutes to recover.

Lenhart had the best scoring chance of the half in the 39th minute when he delivered a header from just outside the goal area, but it went right to the chest of goaltender Danny Cepero.

The Crew finally got its break in the 45th minute when forward Chad Marshall scored off a pass from Schelotto, giving the Crew a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. The goal was Marshall's second this season.

New York finally got its first shot on goal in the 59th minute when midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic delivered a strong strike from outside the penalty era, but goaltender William Hesmer was in perfect position to make the save.

Rogers had a chance to put the Crew in front 2-0 in the 66th minute. After evading a defender with some fancy footwork, Rogers had an open look at the net just outside the goal area, but his shot hit the left side of the net.

But one goal was all Columbus would need in what was a very quiet night for Hesmer, who only faced one shot on goal from the Red Bulls.

After a U.S. Open Cup match against Rochester on Tuesday, The Crew will face Eastern Conference-leading D.C. United on July 4 in a match for first place.