COLUMBUS – It was a tough battle against the Columbus Crew, where forward Andre Shinyashiki played a critical on both sides of the ball to earn the Club's second-ever point away. He revealed the locker room’s overall sentiment about the draw against the Crew.
“I think we are happy to get a point, we are not stoked, but we are happy. We know that in this league it’s really hard to get points away from home. We’ve seen that ourselves, how hard it is. So I think it’s a stepping stone
I definitely think some guys are like we could have probably gotten three. But at the end of the day it’s also about not letting Columbus get three. They are right there in that fight with us. So, I think overall it’s a positive day for us.
Shinyashiki is off to an electric start for the Crown. In his first six MLS matches for his new Club, Shinyashiki has scored three goals and assisted one. He’s contributed to a goal every 103 minutes, and against the Crew he came up clutch once again by scoring the tying goal.
“Ben was making those runs wide in front of me, and I kept telling him to get out there, let me be wide. If he is going to make that run, make that run behind me. So, he did,” Shinyashiki says chuckling. “And I left the ball to him, and he played Titi. And Titi struck a good shot and the keeper gives a rebound that I’m fortunate enough to have followed it up.
“I was talking to the guys, it was definitely a mishit, one hundred percent, but if I’m in Colorado that ball never goes in. It’s one of those things where the tide turned for me. And I think that’s where I am now, that things are just clicking.”
But Shinyashiki stressed that there is still a lot of work to be done until the team can really show their full potential.
“I think there is a lot that we can improve on. I think we as a team, we are young and we haven’t played together for that long and we are still able to get results. So, I think that we are close, I think today was a big step. I think that a lot of other teams lose this game, so for us to grind and come back and get a point I think it shows a lot of grit... I thought that today was a good step towards the right direction.
“The best is one hundred percent yet to happen, I don’t feel like we have good chemistry yet. I think there are times we show that we can have, but I think there is a lot that can get better.
"I think the guys in the locker room want to be better. I think that is the most important thing. I think that there are a lot of winners here, there’s a lot of guys that want to win. And that makes a difference.”
