Santiago Rodríguez Scores on Crew Debut as Columbus Blanks Colorado Rapids 3-0

A Friday storm that wiped out training, a deadline-day signing who was not sure he would make it to Ohio, and a team that had trained for a grand total of 25 minutes on Thursday. Naturally, the Columbus Crew picked this night to look like themselves again.

Santiago Rodríguez scored on his Crew debut, Gonzalo Tapia added his first goal for the club, and Taha Habroune finished it off in stoppage time as Columbus beat the Colorado Rapids 3-0 on Saturday night at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. According to the club, it was the Crew's first league win since July 25.

A Header, Then a Grind

Columbus came out swinging. Rodríguez sent a shot just wide in the first minute, and Josef Martínez tested Adam Beaudry from distance in the second. Colorado settled, though, and Georgi Minoungou forced Patrick Schulte into a save from outside the box in the ninth minute.

The breakthrough came from a set piece. Rob Holding conceded a corner in the 21st minute, and a minute later Rodríguez rose in the middle of the box and headed it into the top of the net. The new Designated Player, signed on deadline day from Botafogo according to the club, had a goal in his first match.

Colorado pushed for an answer. Darren Yapi dragged a shot wide from the center of the box in the 35th minute, and Josh Atencio and Holding had efforts from distance blocked. Rodríguez's evening took a sour turn just before halftime when he went down in the box and the referee booked him for simulation in the 45th minute. Columbus took the 1-0 lead into the break.

Woodwork, Then Fireworks

Beaudry kept Colorado alive early in the second half. He saved from Brooks Lennon in the 50th minute and from Martínez in the 51st, and Martínez then rattled the crossbar from the left side of the box moments later. Minoungou answered with another effort that Schulte saved in the 56th, and the Rapids made a triple change in the 59th, sending on Kosi Thompson, Alex Harris and Reggie Cannon.

Columbus, meanwhile, kept getting caught offside. The Crew were flagged six times on the night, and the game drifted into a cagey stretch. Paxten Aaronson sent a free kick just past the top left corner in the 73rd minute, then left with an injury four minutes later.

Interim head coach Laurent Courtois went to his bench in the 75th minute, swapping Martínez and Rodríguez for Tapia and Habroune. It was a masterstroke. In the 81st minute, Brais Méndez fed Tapia in the middle of the box, and Tapia hit a right-footed finish into the bottom left corner, a strike the club described as coming off the outside of his right boot.

Ten minutes of stoppage time were announced. Tapia missed twice from the center of the box in the 92nd and 93rd, and then he turned provider. In the 94th minute, he slipped a through ball to Habroune on a fast break, and Habroune finished into the bottom right corner. 3-0, and the party was on.

New Faces, Big Impact

Santiago Rodríguez scored with his header, had two shots in total, and found himself in the referee's notebook before halftime. The club says he is the second Designated Player to score on his Crew debut this year, after Méndez did it at Inter Miami on Aug. 1. He was candid about the chaos that preceded it.

"It was a bit crazy. I had a lot of anxiety to be able to arrive in Columbus," Rodríguez said. "The week was a bit crazy but truthfully, I am so happy to be able to end the week with a goal and a victory that the team earned."

Gonzalo Tapia changed the game in 15 minutes plus stoppage time: a goal, an assist and three shots. The club counted it as his first goal for Columbus.

Brais Méndez set up Tapia and had two shots of his own blocked. Patrick Schulte made two saves, both on Minoungou, to keep the clean sheet.

Georgi Minoungou was Colorado's most dangerous player with three shots and both of the Rapids' efforts on target. Beyond him, the visitors rarely threatened.

The Bench Wins It

The turning point was the 75th-minute double change. Columbus had led 1-0 for more than 50 minutes, the woodwork had denied them a second, and the game was tightening. Six minutes later, Tapia scored, and in stoppage time he set up Habroune to put it away. It was the kind of contribution that suggests this rebuilt squad has more depth than its recent results have shown.

Courtois framed it as redemption. "We wanted to kind of redeem ourselves for not the losses but just the way we performed," he said. "Whether it was physical or technical, today they showed who they are, and it feels good."

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Columbus 15, Colorado 10. On target: Columbus 6, Colorado 2.
• Passing: Columbus completed 488 of 553 passes; Colorado completed 397 of 478.
• Possession: Columbus 53.5 percent, Colorado 46.5 percent.
• Offsides: Columbus 6, Colorado 0.
• Saves: Beaudry 3, Schulte 2.

Where It Leaves Them

Columbus moved to 6-5-12 with 23 points, while the Rapids' own recap had the Crew 13th in the East. A 3-1 home loss to the New England Revolution the previous weekend had stung, and captain Sean Zawadzki said the bounce-back now has to become the norm.

"I can't say enough how proud I am of this group," Zawadzki said. "But now this is a standard that we have to maintain."

Colorado fell to 10-1-12 with 31 points, seventh in the West according to the club. The Rapids came in having won four of their last five, including a 1-0 home win over Real Salt Lake, so this was a jolt. Both teams are back in action Wednesday, Columbus at D.C. United and Colorado at Austin FC.

Welcome to Columbus

Some debuts come with a training camp and a press tour. Rodríguez got a frantic week, a travel scramble and a header that went in. It was the soccer version of showing up to the party late, without a costume, and still winning the costume contest. For a Crew side that needed a reset, that will do nicely.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and match notes as reported by the Columbus Crew (columbuscrew.com); standings note from the Colorado Rapids (coloradorapids.com).