Michael Parkhurst needed to make a split-second decision Saturday night with the league's leading goal scorer lurking just behind his left shoulder and the ball at the feet of a dangerous playmaker about 35 yards from goal.

Does the Crew SC center back play the offside trap or retreat a few steps and risk another New York City FC attacker stepping into the vacated area at the top of the 18-yard box?

The outcomes of soccer matches often ride on hundreds of little moments such as these. It was the 83rd minute with Crew FC nursing a 2-1 lead at Mapfre Stadium. The hosts had just taken the lead three minutes earlier through an Ethan Finlay penalty kick.

Michael Parkhurst needed to make a split-second decision Saturday night with the league�s leading goal scorer lurking just behind his left shoulder and the ball at the feet of a dangerous playmaker about 35 yards from goal.

Does the Crew SC center back play the offside trap or retreat a few steps and risk another New York City FC attacker stepping into the vacated area at the top of the 18-yard box?

The outcomes of soccer matches often ride on hundreds of little moments such as these. It was the 83rd minute with Crew FC nursing a 2-1 lead at Mapfre Stadium. The hosts had just taken the lead three minutes earlier through an Ethan Finlay penalty kick.

Defending deep in its end, the Crew appeared in decent shape when Nicolai Naess headed the ball toward midfield. Unfortunately for the home side, the clearing attempt deflected off teammate Tony Tchani. That�s the way Columbus� season has unspooled. The Blues regained possession and dropped the ball back to the incomparable Andrea Pirlo.

VIDEO: Michael Parkhurst describes New York's second goal

The 37-year-old former World Cup and Champions League winner surveyed the scene and spied David Villa, the MLS� leading scorer, poised at the top of the box and primed to make a run. Pirlo also had two other options, including Thomas McNamara who was being marked closely by Harrison Afful.

Adding to the Crew�s quandary was the fact Pirlo had time to make a play. The deflection off Tchani�s head had caused just about everyone to momentarily stop and relocate the ball. Justin Meram could not get out to Pirlo quick enough to contest the pass.

HIGHLIGHTS: MLS game footage from Crew-NYCFC match

So what should Parkhurst and Afful do? Step forward and play the trap or lay back? The strong-side center back -- in this case Naess -- normally makes the call to fellow defenders aligned on the same plane, but there wasn�t enough time as the ball reached Pirlo�s right foot.

No instructions were given.

�If there is pressure on the ball you are much more likely to hold that level then drop because (Pirlo) can�t pass to that area,� coach Gregg Berhalter explained. �If there�s not pressure on the ball, you have to worry about the exposed space (behind) and you are more likely to drop.

�You have to process this in tenths of seconds. You have to understand what�s going on around you and make a decision.�

Parkhurst picks up the story from here:

�(Villa) is playing off my shoulder the whole game. He loves to be just offside and hope someone keeps him onside . . . or the line is disjointed and (Afful) gets caught in a tough spot because his guy is behind the line and he�s worried that his guy might get the ball crossed to him. It happens quick.�

Parkhurst understood the danger confronting them.

�(Pirlo) is one of the few guys who can see it, play it and deliver a good ball and Villa is one of the few guys who can toe the line, make a great first touch and finish it quickly.�

In that split second, Parkhust stepped up and Afful dropped with McNamara. By drifting back, Afful unintentionally played Villa onside.

Pirlo pitching-wedged the ball over the Crew back line and into the box, where Villa controlled it with one touch of his right foot and tucked it past keeper Steve Clark with his left foot. Game tied, 2-2.

�You want to be all together on the same line,� Parkhurst said. �It�s a split second decision and maybe I made the wrong one. Maybe I should have stayed on the other side of Villa. Maybe Harrison should have been with the line . . . We were on two different pages and that�s what happens.�

It was two world-class players combining for a sensational goal. It was the Crew (3-8-11) failing to manage one of those little late-game moments that�s plagued them so often this season.

The point of this blog post isn�t to assign blame, but to break down key moments in a game. We�l l keep trying to highlight such plays, good and bad, and write about them in depth for the rest of the season.

treed@dispatch.com

Twitter: @treed1919