The Ghost of Brad Evans

• Scott Tann
• Sat Jul 25 2009, 7:38pm GMT

It has been a week since the Crew's 3-1 win against Real Salt Lake.

A depleted Columbus limped through the first 20 minutes of the match and then – in a reverse replay of the previous home fixture against United – scored the first goal against the run of play. From that point forward, it was all Black, all Gold, almost all of the time.

Duncan Oughton, starting in place of the suspended Nigerian Emmanuel Ekpo, was tenacious and occasionally brilliant on the right flank. His pass to Steven Lenhart to set up the third goal was a perfect threading of the needle, and it capped a strong showing against a good opponent.

Hopefully, the ghost of Brad Evans can now be exorcised from Hunt Park.

Wailing Wall

With all the gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair which understandably accompanied the Crew's limp early-season defense of their championship, the cause was clear: Columbus missed Brad Evans.

Some may say that Evans was replaceable, a good role player but not a Schelotto or a Marshall. I would be inclined to agree – even though that statement sells the Arizona native short – but if Evans was a role player, from mid–season onward, he filled that role almost to perfection.

Evans allowed Brian Carroll to roam more in the midfield, he was good at checking to the ball in tight spaces, and he provided solid cover when Carroll moved into the attack.

With the center of the midfield in steady hands, Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven could focus more on keeping opposing defenses honest. Pinch in to the middle, you get burned by a cross. Stray wide, and Carroll or Evans had more time to find Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno.

We all saw early in the season what a disaster Ekpo was when he paired up with Carroll. They couldn't click. Ekpo was fond of giving the ball away, and his defense was as suspect as his effort. Even when he moved out wide, he was simply not as strong as Gaven or Rogers.

Moments of brilliance from Ekpo, certainly. Yet his eye-popping goal against Colorado last year – his first in MLS – or his tremendous speed do not make up for the deficiencies in his game, particulary his giveaways. He may be a diamond in the rough, but... that's a lot of rough.

There is a Solution

Thankfully, Oughton stepped in and showed that he can replace Ekpo in the first XI. In the long run, starting Oughton could either allow Gaven to return to the middle to support Brian Carroll – undeniably the Crew's rudder and "second" MVP last year – or push Gaven back to the flank, and let Oughton play Evans's role.

This week, of course, as Columbus host Toronto, Gaven will have to play wide for Rogers, who is preparing for the Gold Cup final, and Carroll's partner will probably be Danny O'Rourke, who performed admirably in the position last week.

No matter where he plays, though, Oughton should start in front of Ekpo. The Kiwi has shown that he can chase away the ghost of Brad Evans, a phantom which has lingered in Columbus way too long for most fans – whether they knew it or not.

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