Caleb Porter hails Columbus Crew after 2-1 victory over RBNY | OneFootball

The Columbus Crew triumphed 2-1 over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Lower.com Field to reignite their 2022 playoff bid.

Two last minute goals from Derrick Etienne Jr. propelled the home side to eighth place on the Eastern Conference table, tied at 45 points with . Though the team stands one slot away from making the postseason, head coach Caleb Porter insists Columbus’ victory over the Red Bulls was the necessary push before pulling through.

“I thought this was the breakthrough that we kind of needed,” Porter said postgame.

“Our goal going into the three games was to win all three. If we can win all three, we're going to be in the playoffs and we're going to have a lot of momentum. [Portland] 2015, I was part of a team that had to win all three to get in and we won all three and won MLS Cup. Last year, we won all three and missed it by a point. We would have made a run at it.”

The team has two regular-season games left to secure a playoff ticket. The Crew will visit this Wednesday, in a makeup match that is set to resume in the 16th minute with a 0-0 scoreline after the original July 30 game was postponed due to weather. Then, their fate will come down to Decision Day on October 9 when facing Orlando City.

“​​I'm really proud of the group today because they did things they don't necessarily like to do or want to do all the time,” Porter added.

The Crew missed out on playoffs last season after coming in ninth on the Eastern Conference table with a record of 13W-13L-8D, following their on again off again qualifying pattern. But Porter is convinced this season has been different.

“It's not bad to kind of be under pressure in the last three games of the year. Because if you can get in and win those games under pressure, you are ready for the playoffs. I've always believed in this team. I've said it, this is one of the best teams I've had, which is saying a lot because I've had some good teams,” the coach concluded.

“This team has a real heart to it. Obviously we haven't won as many games as we should have, but they're pretty consistent.”