Articles

Crew tactical review: Columbus disbands the Union to win second straight home game

"Philadelphia’s ruthless pressure made it difficult at times, but the Crew looked like a completely different team compared to the first few weeks of Henrik Rydstöm’s tenure."

Caleb Denorme

Apr 285 min read

Crew tactical review: Columbus flies through the Galaxy to capture first home win of the season

The Columbus Crew finally got back into the win column on Wednesday, taking down a floundering LA Galaxy squad 2-1 at home. For 85 minutes, it was Black & Gold domination in terms of possession and control of the game. Daniel Gazdag opened the scoring for the Crew in the first half off a feed from Hugo Picard, then Diego Rossi doubled the advantage in the second half thanks to some nifty footwork and an assist from Max Arfsten. From there, Columbus operated on cruise control,

Caleb Denorme

Apr 245 min read

Crew tactical review: Columbus continues lackluster form against New England

The Columbus Crew dropped yet another game on Saturday, this time against the New England Revolution away from home. The Black & Gold started out the game strong, controlling much of the first half and even taking the lead courtesy of Max Arfsten, but the wheels fell off in the second half. The minute Columbus exited the dressing room after the halftime break, New England found its footing and began to take hold of the match. The host’s breakthrough came on a free kick that f

Caleb Denorme

Apr 225 min read

Crew tactical review: Columbus salvages a point at home against Orlando

The Columbus Crew continued their sputtering start to the season, drawing at home to Orlando City SC in a game that may have yielded a point, but felt like a loss. The visitors took the lead inside the first 20 minutes, an opening phase of the game where Columbus looked second-best. The Black & Gold struggled to generate any semblance of attacking chances, looking bland and uninspired. A backbreaking blow came when Wessam Abou Ali went down with a non-contact knee injury. He

Caleb Denorme

Apr 164 min read

Crew tactical review: Columbus captures first win of the season down in Atlanta

The Columbus Crew finally got into the win column on Saturday. The team traveled south to face Atlanta United. The first half was largely uneventful. However, an explosion of second-half goals allowed the Black & Gold to claim all three points. Wessam Abou Ali scored first, finishing an inch-perfect ball from Max Arfsten. The Palestinian striker headed into the far corner, then netted a brace from outside the box to give the Crew a 2-0 lead. The Five Stripes responded with a

Caleb Denorme

Apr 165 min read

Crew tactical review: Nashville steals three points late into the Columbus night

The Columbus Crew continued its winless start to the 2026 season on Saturday, this time dropping a late winner to Nashville SC at home. Facing a heavily rotated away side, the Black & Gold looked promising going forward, even breaking through in the first half courtesy of Taha Habroune pouncing on a rebound. Unfortunately for the Crew faithful, the goal would be called back for offsides and Columbus would not find the back of the net for the rest of the match. Still, the Blac

Caleb Denorme

Mar 185 min read

Crew tactical review: Columbus and Chicago play out a scoreless draw on Crewsmas

The Columbus Crew garnered yet another point on the third matchday of the 2026 season, this time in a scoreless draw with the Chicago Fire. It was a game of feeling each other out by both sides, with each squad having chances to break the deadlock, but none finding the back of the net. Max Arfsten had the best chance for the Black & Gold, after a rebound found his feet and an open goal seemingly staring him down. Unfortunately, a Fire defender cleared the ball of the line aft

Caleb Denorme

Mar 155 min read

Crew tactical review: Columbus salvages first point of the season in Kansas City

The Columbus Crew returned to action for the second match week of the 2026 season, this time traveling to Kansas City to take on fellow MLS original Sporting Kansas City. Yet again, it was Palestinian DP Wessam Abou Ali who opened the scoring for the Black & Gold off a bad giveaway from Kansas City goalkeeper John Pulskamp. After that, Kansas City found its footing, but the Crew took a 1-0 lead into the locker room. After the halftime break, things went immediately downhill f

Caleb Denorme

Mar 156 min read

Crew tactical review: Portland chops down the Black & Gold

MLS action returned this weekend, kicking off the 2026 season as the Columbus Crew travelled west to face the Portland Timbers. After losing former head coach Wilfried Nancy in the offseason to a brief spell at Celtic, the Black & Gold hired Henrik Rydström to lead Columbus into the 2026 season. Rydström’s first few minutes at the helm of the Crew looked promising, when Wessam Abou Ali broke the deadlock to put Columbus up 1-0. Portland answered back quickly though, netting t

Caleb Denorme

Mar 155 min read

Wilfried Nancy: The Man Who Made Columbus Believe Again

Throughout the history of MLS and the Columbus Crew, it is hard to argue that one man has had as much of an impact on a team as Nancy has on the Black & Gold.

Caleb Denorme

Dec 3, 20254 min read