The Columbus Crew advanced to the next round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup after defeating the Houston Dynamo 2-1 on aggregate. After winning the first leg 1-0, Columbus returned home and tied Houston 1-1 following a late tally from the Dynamo. Cucho Hernandez opened the scoring in the 40th minute to continue his hot scoring streak. The Black & Gold played well from that point on but conceded a penalty in the 90th minute. Houston would convert, but the Crew ended up seeing the game until the end and advancing.
Wilfried Nancy used a rotated lineup yet again, which meant the team set up a little different than usual. Let’s dive into the tactical decisions that helped the Black & Gold advance.
Darlington Nagbe playing attacking midfielder
Darlington Nagbe’s position is not as much about him, but more about the personnel Nancy put into the starting lineup.
Nancy opted to go with three strikers in the starting lineup, with Hernandez, Jacen Russell-Rowe and Christian Ramirez all getting the nod. While Hernandez and Russell-Rowe can regularly drop in and play as a no.10, it is not the optimal position for them.
Nancy’s response to this was to push Nagbe forward to play the no. 10 position on offense. Derrick Jones stayed back as the lone defensive midfielder, only sitting a few yards in front of the backline.
At times, Hernandez and Russell-Rowe dropped in to help Nagbe build up, but most of the game was played in transition with Nagbe at the attacking midfielder position. Columbus went relatively light in the middle of the pitch, opting to overload to wings.
Both Yaw Yeboah and Mo Farsi ran the length of the pitch, getting into the attack as much as possible. Even the outside centerbacks pushed up to form a cupped backline and assist in the attack.
The way the Black & Gold can adjust their formation based on personnel and still find ways to grind out games is impressive. Playing in different forms with rotated teams will be key if the Crew are looking to compete in all these different competitions. It has worked so far, but it is still early in the season.
Changing formations in-game
Just like last week’s matchup against Houston, Columbus played with formational fluidity and changed their shape throughout the match. Yet again, the Black & Gold changed their look a few times against the Dynamo.
The Crew started out in a 5-2-3 on defense and a 3-4-3 on offense. The four midfielders on offense played in a stretched diamond, with Nagbe as the no. 10 and the wingbacks playing wide midfielder positions. The front three consisted of the three strikers, but they are all interchangeable as they roam the field.
Later in the match, Columbus switched to a 4-2-4. This time, the entire backline shifted to the right with Farsi going up into the attack to play as a right winger. Russell-Rowe and Ramirez played as dual strikers with Hernandez on the left wing. Nagbe stayed as the no.10, which allowed a deeper Jones to help on the defensive line if needed.
This switched happened around the 35-minute mark just as the Black & Gold were pushing for their goal. This change let Farsi commit more to the attack and allowed the Crew to push Steven Moreira and Yeboah into the attack from outside fullback positions. Jones stayed in his deep-lying midfield position to give the defense stability, so Columbus was still balanced in the back.
These shifts can turn the tides of matches, which is exactly what happened for the Black & Gold and allowed them to move on in the Champions Cup. With a congested schedule and more games to come look for the Crew to keep changing how they setup and continue to rotate their lineups.
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