If you’ve ever scored an own-goal - even a play that can be loosely interpreted as an own-goal - you’ve got to envy the Columbus Crew’s Adam Moffat this morning. Just one minute after deflecting DC United’s equalizer into his own net, Moffat broke through their back-line and lofted a cross over the DC ‘keeper Zach Wells; Alejandro Moreno bundled the ball over the line and the Crew held on for the win. Goat to hero inside 60 seconds: end of story, at least for last night, but it also continues the troubled beginning for DC United.

“The Crew held on for the win”: that’s one of the most limited of soccer cliches. It falls well short of letting one appreciate just how energetically Columbus defended, how they compensated for an occasional lack of organization by closing down fast and clamping down hard. At least half the credit for the sense that DC couldn’t swing a second equalizer may be safely attributed to their “yellow swarm” approach to defending.

The other half, however, was all DC - and this goes deep and hits on both sides of the ball. Late in the game, I wrote in my notes, “this is just killing DC.” That alluded to a foul mood lingering over the team, a general feeling that they’re wearing shoes on the wrong foot all over the field. The bright, shining error in their backline came with how easily and often the Crew slipped behind their line, too often within the space of the penalty area; Guillermo Barros Schelotto killed them with this on the opener. But it’s the bewilderment in the attack that sets the stage for panic. A sputtering and aimless affords Columbus greater peace of mind in their attacks and counter-attacks, which shifts more weight onto DC’s defense, and that, in turn, makes defenders jittery, etc. Put it all together and it seems a series of team meetings are in order.

Against DC’s tangle, the Crew did a fair imitation of well-oiled. If pressed to flag their greatest weakness, I’d point to the defense’s capacity for shocking decision-making and the odd, near-lethal technical gaffes: think Danny O’Rourke’s too-clever dropping pass to Frankie Hejduk deep on the Crew’s right for the former and Chad Marshall’s scuffed clearance to a DC player’s feet for the latter. They covered these well and quickly, however, and the team as a whole looked consistently capable of a lethal breakthrough going the other way. Credit Robbie Rogers for a good chunk of that - Eddie Gaven...not so much - but the lion’s share of the credit surely goes to...

Alejandro Moreno - a.k.a. the greatest trading error the Houston Dynamo has ever made; and, no, I don’t care that they got Joseph Ngwenya in exchange. Here’s the thing: I rate Moreno as the top “second forward” in Major League Soccer (MLS). By second forward I mean, he’s not a guy you can build your attack around, but he works harder than a Japanese beaver (hat-tip: The Simpsons), which did as much as anything to unsettle DC’s defenders. He also combines very well - especially with Schelotto - and, as he’s shown four times this season, the man can finish well and he can bundle in slop. In other words, good forward.

OK, one last thing - I have more in my notes, but will spare you - and that’s about Schelotto. I mentioned above how well he and Moreno combine, but I’m seeing hints of something else in play: when I watch Schelotto closely, I get the feeling he trusts only certain players. Moreno is one of them and so is Hejduk. This isn’t quite determinative - e.g. it’s not something he’s bound to, because he’ll make the obvious pass when it’s there - but there’s something in the way Schelotto plays to them, as if he understands how to hit the ball to them and knows they’ll pick it up. The shocking thing in all this is the player Schelotto seems to have trouble reading: Robbie Rogers. Weird.

Anyway, good win for the Crew. Really good, even. Topping the East four games in makes them better, officially, than Kansas City at least. As for DC...well, better schedule some meetings, guys, and do review your email to make sure you’ve read all the memos.