Wisconsin Soccer Central

Three weeks ago, Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) had no goals or assists in 40 appearances spanning two-plus seasons with the Columbus Crew and had played only sparingly this year for the Major League Soccer team.

Suddenly, though, the 23-year-old has become a vital part of the Crew's attack.

Finlay came off the bench and scored the 88th-minute equalizer with a deft chip as host Columbus tied Real Salt Lake 1-1 on a rainy Wednesday night in Ohio.

It was his third goal, all coming in the past four matches – the former Creighton standout has played a role in four of the Crew's past six goals, having set up another.

"The idea was to rest Ethan and get him ready for Saturday," Columbus coach Gregg Berhalter said, referring to the team's upcoming match at D.C. United. "We needed him, though. He is making plays right now and he is vital to this group. We needed him – he came in and made a play."

Finlay ran onto a through ball from Ben Speas on the right flank and chipped the ball over Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Jeff Attinella for his most recent goal.

"Ben got the ball, picked his head up. He has been playing fantastic. He played a great ball and Attinella kind of came up pretty quick," Finlay said of his chip. "I just thought, 'I've seen people do it many times, let me give it a shot.' "

On Twitter: @EthanFinlay13

• Midfielder Calum Mallace (Marquette) came off the bench for the final 15 minutes as the host Montreal Impact blanked Toronto FC 1-0 on Wednesday night in the second leg of the Amway Canadian Championship and won the series 2-1 on aggregate to earn a berth in the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League. The 24-year-old Mallace played in three of the Impact's four matches in the tournament. Montreal joins Major League Soccer rival New York Red Bulls and El Salvador's Club Deportivo FAS in Group 3 of the Champions League, which kicks off in August. On Twitter: @CMallace10
• Defender Katie Kelly (Marquette) was named player of the match as host Kokkola F10 played a 1-1 draw with NiceF in a Naisten Liiga match Sunday in Finland. Kelly has been a standout for Kokkola F10 (3-4-2), which is sixth in the 10-team league. On Twitter: @KKelly21