Crew tactical review: Columbus blows by Charlotte to win at home

The Columbus Crew picked up another big win on Saturday, this time taking down a Charlotte FC side that opened up the season playing well. Dylan Chambost opened the scoring for Columbus in the 25th minute, burying a rebound that goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina spilled in front of the goalmouth. Diego Rossi doubled the Black & Gold’s lead a mere 14 minutes later, but Wilfried Zaha brought Charlotte back within one from the spot. After halftime, AZ Jackson’s first-time strike near the middle of the box found the bottom corner to restore the Crew’s two-goal advantage, but the visitors were not done yet. A poor Patrick Schulte spill led to an open-goal tap-in for Liel Abada, but Jacen Russell-Rowe would find the clincher in the 81st minute to secure a 4-2 win for Columbus.

It was an offensive showdown for both teams, with six goals total ending up in the back of the net. Let’s dive into all the tactics that helped the Black & Gold secure the top spot in the East.

Attacking the midfield gap

One of the big mistakes Charlotte made in this game was in the middle of the field. In recent weeks, opponents of the Crew have done the exact opposite of what Charlotte did in this game, yielding good results, as it was hard for Columbus to score.

Recent opponents of the Black & Gold opted for a tight and compact midfield, forcing the Crew to attack primarily through the wingbacks and outside center backs. Keeping the midfield condensed and tight forces Rossi and the other attackers to find wide space because the interior passing lanes are blocked off.

Instead of keeping up the trend of narrow midfields, Charlotte’s midfielders gave up sizable passing gaps in the middle of the field. These gaps allowed Rossi, Jackson and Russell-Rowe to get the ball and turn, heading straight at a recovering backline.

These passing gaps are likely due to the visitors’ formation choice. Charlotte came out in a 4-3-3, with Brandt Bronico up in the attack as a no. 10. This left two defensive midfielders to plug up the middle of the pitch, not enough to keep up with Columbus’ dropping front three, Darlington Nagbe and Chambost.

Bronico and the front three for Charlotte seemed disinterested in tracking back, leaving the two defensive midfielders to fend for themselves. That matchup is just not fair, especially since the Charlotte backline was not following the Black & Gold dropping attackers.

With the two defensive midfielders set to cover essentially five players for the Crew, Columbus had a field day in the middle of the pitch. Attack after attack began after playing a line-breaking pass into an attacker’s feet. Then from there, all options were on the table as the recovering defense tried to halt the impending movement.

The first part of attacking the midfield gap was mostly due to Charlotte’s error, but the second part was actually something routine that Wilfried Nancy does. The only way to hold the defense accountable and make them respect the Black & Gold offense was by keeping both wingbacks as high as possible.

When the wingbacks were high up the pitch, this created the space that the Crew attackers could drop into. By pushing back the defensive line, the gap between the defense and midfield grew. So, with Max Arfsten and Mo Farsi up high, Rossi, Jackson, and Russell-Rowe had more room inside to operate.

Not only did the wingbacks’ positioning help in the attacking buildup, but it also offered an instant outlet to catch the defense by surprise. Defenders tend to ball-watch when an attacker turns to face them, allowing Arfsten and Farsi the option to slip in behind the defense on diagonal runs or stay wide and put a cross into the box.

By holding the backline high up the pitch, the wingbacks gave the attackers time and space to exploit Charlotte’s midfield gap. Those passing lanes created several chances for the Black & Gold and were one of the main reasons the Crew netted four goals.

How can the Crew be stopped?

I have often said that the only way Columbus is beat is through moments of brilliance by their opponents, or by shooting themselves in the foot. In this particular matchup against Charlotte, it was the latter that caused the Black & Gold issues.

On the visitors’ first goal, it was a poor challenge by Yevhen Cheberko that gifted Charlotte a spot kick. It was a necessary tackle, but the Ukrainian got there a second late and caught the man instead of the ball.

The entire sequence of passes up until the foul seemed riddled with a sense of complacency by the Crew defense. It was late in the half and Columbus dominated the game up until that point, but a brief lapse of concentration gave Charlotte the opportunity to get back within a goal right before the break.

The Black & Gold pushed their lead back out to two goals in the second half, but it was another poor judgment call that caught them in hot water again. Miscommunication by Schulte and Arfsten on a seemingly routine and uncontested cross ended up at the feet of Abada, who took the gift from the Crew defense and slotted it home.

It does not have to always be one or the other that causes Columbus to falter. A few weeks ago against Miami, the Herons had a moment of brilliance on a counterattack that gave them the lead. On the other hand, the Black & Gold had a number of goal-scoring chances that they could not find a way to finish. Those are the games where the combination of an opponent’s brilliance and a self-implosion will result in a loss.

Luckily for the Crew, they found a way to score four goals and secure all three points despite their gaffes in the back. Almost a third of the way through the season, Columbus sits at the top of the Eastern Conference still without a true DP no. 9 in the front line. If the trend continues, the Black & Gold will be in good shape heading into a crucial stretch of the season.