Columbus is off to a wonderful start this season, and they’ve got a player who’s only going to help them get more and more wins. That player is Emmanuel Ekpo. Robbie Rogers got two goals in this game, and at just 21 and with blazing speed, he may get more of the attention, but I think Ekpo will soon garner more and more assists and accolades as the season goes on.
His club was down 1-0 when he entered the match for Eddie Gaven, but things changed quick like. Ekpo entered the game in the last twenty minutes – in that space of time five goals went into the back of the net. He wasn’t necessarily the architect of all the goals, but his quality and intensity I think raised everyone else’s game.
Emmanuel Ekpo is a young Nigerian and part of their Olympic team. It was Ekpo’s wonderful through ball to put Rogers that tied the game at 1 each and that started the turn around for the Crew. Ekpo played a nice one two with Carroll and then played a perfectly weighted pass to Rogers.
Overall, Ekpo is a player that catches your eye right away. In the brief period of time you could tell he’s talented and wiser than his 20 years of age. He’s strong and has broad shoulders that enable him to build a fence around the ball when he’s holding on to it. He glides along with pace when he’s got the ball, strikes the ball at a clip, and plays sharp confident passes. He’s a classy type of soccer player – sharp and professional. He’s the kind of player that good soccer players like to play with because he knows how the game is played.
For most of the game Schelotto looked frustrated, now he’ll have a player who can get him the ball more in Ekpo.
It was just a brief glimpse of a player but you could tell he’s going to be something special for the Crew. He even got into a little scuffle with one of the San Jose players, and wasn’t afraid to back down as the two players went face to face, which shows his intensity.
Check out the highlights, there’s also a crafty little chip shot by Frankie Hejduk that Cannon finger tipped over the bar and then a superbly flicked through ball by Schelotto for the Crew’s third goal that sealed the win.
Columbus Crew Game Highlights
