Lenhart's energy key in comeback draw

CARSON, Calif. -- When Steven Lenhart entered Saturday's match for the Columbus Crew against the Los Angeles Galaxy, the match was deadlocked at 2-2.

Soon after, Landon Donovan gave the hosts a 3-2 lead. But Lenhart ultimately showed why he was brought into the match.

Lenhart pounced on a loose ball and slipped the match-tying goal past Galaxy 'keeper Steve Cronin in the 88th minute as Columbus walked away with a pulsating 3-3 draw.

Overall, the Crew overcame a pair of second-half deficits to earn their road point.

"From a character standpoint, we showed a lot," Crew coach Sigi Schmid said. "I don't think this is something we could have done last year."

Lenhart, meanwhile, came on for Nicolas Hernandez in the 76th minute but had just enough time to do damage. His goal, though, was a blur.

"I don't really remember," Lenhart said when asked to describe the sequence. "It was bouncing and you just kick it in when you're in front of it you."

The Crew improved to 7-4-2 and are four points behind Eastern Conference leader New England. It was the second consecutive match -- both on the road -- where they scored three goals.

Schmid said he felt his team had plenty of goals in them entering Saturday's match.

"The thing we've talked about all week was ... that we were going to get chances, we were going to get opportunities to score," Schmid said. "I told them that I was confident we're going to get goals, that there was no doubt in my mind that we were going to score. It's just a question of how much you keep them off the board."

The Crew did not do well to keep the Galaxy off the scoreboard in the opening minutes of either half. In the fourth minute, David Beckham swung a cross in from the right side but Crew 'keeper William Hesmer failed to hold the ball. Donovan turned and fired the ball into an empty net.

Edson Buddle scored the game's second goal as he beat Danny O'Rourke inside the penalty area and slipped a ball past Hesmer in the 47th minute.

But Schmid said his side was unfazed.

"They're going to try and score and they're going to be dangerous but they're going to open up because of that. (Saturday's) game was very typical of the way the Galaxy play. They commit things forward but leave things open in the back sometimes," he said. "Even when we were down 2-0, the message that I gave the players was 'You can get goals. Just get the first one and the second one will come.'"

Ultimately, it was really that simple. Brad Evans got a goal in the 67th minute when he found a fortuitous ball before him. Guillermo Barros Schelotto sailed a cross in from the left side of the field. The ball hit Alvaro Pires in the face and settled to Evans, who easily ripped a shot past Cronin.

Galaxy defender Chris Klein tripped Robbie Rogers inside the box in the 70th minute and Barros Schelotto converted the ensuing spot kick.

Schmid said switching formations helped the Crew come back.

"When it was 2-1, we switched to a 3-5-2 and we ended up getting 2-2 out of it and then we went back to a 4-4-2 after we scored," Schmid said. "(After the Galaxy scored) so now you're thinking what's going to happen. So we pushed again to a 3-5-2 and scored again."

Schmid's only second-half change paid off as well as Lenhart bagged his first goal of the regular season.

"We brought Steven in because he's good in the air," he said. "We felt we were getting a lot of crosses over and getting some opportunities to get headers onto goal. He's shown himself to be scrappy around the box. That's one of the reasons we actually drafted him; we saw that potential in him."

Lenhart said his task was simple entering the match as a late substitute.

"Just to bring a lot of energy," he said. "I don't have the most skill or anything so just mix it up a little bit, win the headers and hold the ball, just try and hold the defenders off and be active in front of goal. I think it paid off."

After Lenhart's goal, the Crew held on for a valuable road point and an uplifting result. Going home to face Colorado, the Crew once again have an offense that has proven its worth, one that Schmid never doubted.

"It's good for us because a lot of people were questioning our ability to score goals but I never questioned our ability to score goals. Even tonight I thought we should have had five or six," Schmid said. "I'm confident in our ability to score goals."