Hand ball call sinks Union in 2-1 loss to Crew

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A questionable call was the decisive moment in the battle for first place in the Eastern Conference as the Union lost to the Columbus Crew, 2-1, Saturday night.

Defender Sheanon Williams was called for a hand ball in the box in the 49th minute. Crew forward Andres Mendoza buried the winning goal on the ensuing penalty kick.

"It's physically impossible to see from the angle that the referee was running," team manager Peter Nowak said. "And, to make a call like that in a game like that, it's a little bit too much."

Columbus went up 1-0 in the 37th minute when midfielder Robbie Rogers dribbled almost to the end line before zipping a ball across the middle, where forward Emilio Renteria got a foot on it, popping it into the right side of the goal.

"The first goal, we fell asleep a little bit, but we fought back," Nowak said. "We had a couple of good chances to score a goal in the second half, and then we pushed the game a little harder."

It took only five minutes before the Union tied the game at 1.

On a corner kick from midfielder Keon Daniel, forward Veljko Paunovic got behind the Crew's Justin Meram and headed an uncontested laser into the goal. The ball seemed to almost tear through the net.

On the Crew's winning penalty kick, Union keeper Faryd Mondragon guessed correctly in diving to his left. However, he let the ball roll off his body into the opposite side of the goal.

The Union (8-6-10)  — who fell into third place with Houston's 3-2 win over Real Salt Lake —
are 0-2-3 in their last five games.

After a flight cancellation on Friday because of bad weather, the Union arrived in Columbus on Saturday, causing the kickoff to be delayed a half-hour to 8 p.m.

In the sixth minute, the Crew's Meram took a ball down the right sideline, outrunning Union defender Gabriel Farfan before sending a low ball just wide of the goal.

The Union almost drew first blood in the 16th minute, when midfielder Paunovic dumped a ball off to forward Danny Mwanga, who ripped a shot from about 25 yards out that Crew keeper William Hesmer saved.