Columbus Crew SC continued their climb up the MLS Eastern Conference standings with a composed 2-0 defeat of Orlando City SC at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday, paced by a brace from Justin Meram.

The Iraq international beat Orlando's offside trap to bag the opener on a quick counterattack, then finished off another slick break with a calmly-taken cutback and finish to ice the result in the second half. Meram has now scored three goals and two assists in Crew SC's first five games.

Goals

13' – CLB – Justin Meram Watch

77' – CLB – Meram Watch

Three Things

JUSTIN'S TIME: Meram might just be the hottest attacker in MLS right now. The Michigan native is covering lots of ground, combining well with teammates and showing ice-cold finishing composure around goal. Oh, and he came up with a pretty tasty scoring celebration with Ola Kamara on Saturday... I think @JustinMeram and @OlaKamara Just had the best goal celebration ever!! @ColumbusCrewSC #CrewSc #SaltBae pic.twitter.com/AjrQjdhQ9Q — x - Jess P (@JPizz45) April 1, 2017 ORLANDO UNDEFEATED NO MORE: This was the Lions' first setback of the season, and it will give coach Jason Kreis ample food for thought. City had plenty of possession and a few decent chances, but many moves peter out in the attacking third, with just 4 of their 14 shots directed on target. At the other end, they lived and died by their high defensive line, which caught Kamara offside a few times but was outwitted by Meram. OHIO A&T: After going winless in their first two games, Crew SC have surged into pole position in the East, and the blossoming Artur-Wil Trapp partnership at the base of their midfield is a major factor. The duo were smart, composed and clean on the ball against Orlando, with Artur – an offseason acquisition from Brazil who's adapting to MLS very quickly – notching the game-winning assist. #CrewSC are arguably the hottest team in MLS & their deep-midfield pairing is a big reason why. Passing maps vs ORL: Artur @ L, Trapp @ R pic.twitter.com/xHM5On7rly — Charles Boehm (@cboehm) April 1, 2017

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