Crew SC’s efforts rewarded by a point in Seattle

Road points are extremely valuable in Major League Soccer. Depending on the circumstances in which they were earned, they can become even more important.

That was certainly the case with Columbus Crew SC on Saturday, as the Black & Gold grinded to sustain a scoreless tie with the Seattle Sounders at the CenturyLink Field. What made this result more impressive was the Black & Gold playing with 10 men for 75 minutes, after Pedro Santos was sent off early in the match.

“What the guys did out there is spectacular,” said goalkeeper Zack Steffen, who led Crew SC to its third road shutout on the season. “The way they grinded and just ran for 75 minutes and battled. We were so compact and connected.…