The Columbus Crew advanced to the quarterfinals of Leagues Cup on Tuesday with a dramatic comeback victory over Inter Miami. Still without Lionel Messi due to injury, Miami came into this game with the other Barcelona boys ready to pick up the slack. Miami did just that, taking control of the game for the first hour of the match and building a 2-0 lead. Then in the 67th minute the Crew were given a lifeline courtesy of Christian Ramirez’s head. A mere two minutes later, Columbus was level with the visitors as Diego Rossi tapped in a back-post ball from Cucho Hernandez. The momentum had shifted, and the Black & Gold would find the winner in the 80th minute. Rossi slipped through the defense and placed the ball into the side netting to complete the comeback.
It was another game where the Crew were night and day in terms of their quality of play. Let’s dive into all the tactical decisions that hurt, and ultimately helped Columbus grab a victory and advance to the quarterfinals.
Struggles in the first hour
Anyone who watched this game could see that the Black & Gold were not their usual dominant selves for a large part of this match. Messi or not, Miami is a tough opponent with a good coach at the helm. This was never going to be a cakewalk like Crew fans are so accustomed to seeing these days.
There were a few things that the visitors did to make Columbus’ life difficult on top of the Black & Gold making their own lives difficult. Miami head coach Tata Martino’s decision to match formations with the Crew proved to work at first, but later found out it would not work in the long run.
Miami coming out and matching Columbus’ formation made it easier to press the Black & Gold. Martino employed a man-marking press, putting a defender on every single Crew player that was involved in the buildup. Columbus had a hard time exploiting the high press because they could not drag Miami out of their defensive shape, because their shape was a mirror to the Black & Gold’s offensive shape.
This meant that overloads were essentially taken out of play, and the only ways to beat the press was to counter quickly when Miami lost the ball, play long into feet or attempt to lose the man-markers.
On top of this, the Crew were atrocious in the first 60 minutes of this game with their touches and passes. Even the great Darlington Nagbe was being turned over at a higher rate than normal. Miami’s first goal was indicative of these struggles. Steven Moreira took two bad touches and had his pocket picked, which led to a free header in the box because Yevhen Cheberko had to rotate over.
Despite Miami’s press and Columbus’ poor technical play, no factor was more impactful on the Black & Gold than their slow pace of play. It seems odd to say a Wilfried Nancy side had a slow pace to their offensive play, but that was the case on Tuesday night.
More than usual, the Crew were taking too many touches and not getting others involved around them. Not spraying the ball around and attacking Miami in those transition moments gave the visitors a chance to get back on defense and prepare for a Columbus attack.
This continued into the second half, which eventually led to Miami’s second goal of the night. Alexandru Matan came on for Sean Zawadzki to start the second half along with Ramirez and Mo Farsi, taking out Dylan Chambost and DeJuan Jones. Matan took way too many touches, got his pocket picked and ended up watching Miami add a second to their tally.
Bringing on those substitutes gave the Black & Gold more familiarity and punch going forward, but it was not until Ramirez’s goal went in that the Crew really woke up.
30-minute sprint to the finish
Everyone says that a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous lead in soccer. Whether you believe it or not, that saying became a reality for Miami on Tuesday. The visitors had full control. They had demoralized Columbus by soaking on pressure and making them pay on the counter. Miami had done everything right until the Black & Gold figured out how to attack their defense, and how to get Ramirez a free header in gimme range.
The Crew ended up figuring out that the way to get after Miami was to switch the point of attack quickly multiple times. Playing quick, horizontal balls to the wide areas shifted Miami’s defense and caused them to organize and communicate constantly. That much communication breeds an opportunity for a mistake, which is what Ramirez capitalized on.
Hernandez played the ball out left for Max Arfsten, drawing out the right wingback for Miami while Ramirez drifted inside towards the six-yard box. Farsi, who had cut inside as an additional striker, moved towards the ball, dragging Miami’s left centerback with him. This vacated space is what opened for Ramirez, and what allowed him to get a free header in the box.
Another wrinkle in this goal, was the back-post defending by Jordi Alba and Noah Allen. When Hernandez switched the ball for Arfsten, both Allen and Alba drop deeper, while Sergio Busquets and the rest of the defenders stepped up. Allen and Alba kept Ramirez onsides due to a communication issue and the other defenders stepping high.
From that moment, the energy in Lower.com Field changed. The fans could smell blood in the water, and they knew what was coming next. Sure enough, two minutes later Rossi struck on another back-post ball to even the game.
This goal started all the way from the back, on a goal kick. A pass was played quickly to Farsi who raced down the right sideline to link up with Hernandez, who had drifted out wide. The keys to this goal again are the decoy runners, miscommunication and Columbus’ quick pace of paly in transition.
Miami’s right wing-back was late getting back on defense because he had gotten high into the previous attack. When Ramirez made a darting diagonal run towards the penalty spot, Miami right centerback Tomás Avilés follows him. This left Rossi wide open at the back post to receive the cross from Hernandez and tap in the Black & Gold’s second goal of the night.
If Avilés had passed off Ramirez to Miami midfielder Yannick Bright, he could have marked Rossi and prevented the goal. Again, miscommunication and bad soccer IQ sunk Miami in that moment and allowed the Crew to get back into this game in a flash.
After the two goals in rapid fashion, it went back to looking like the Black & Gold of old. Quick passes, smart runs, calm on the ball and dangerous. Then in the 80th minute, Columbus found the dagger.
The Crew’s third goal yet again, hinged on a quick pace and more miscommunication from Miami’s defense. Ramirez received the ball at the halfway line and played a pass into space for Farsi. Miami’s defense was in recovery mode, which allowed the Canadian wingback to cut inside.
As Farsi cut inside, backside defenders Busquets and Marcelo Weigandt both did not recognize the situation and step up with the rest of the defense. While Farsi cut inside, Rossi was making a diagonal run from left to right, in front of Farsi. The Canadian played a quick slip ball into Rossi’s feet, and the Uruguayan picked out the far corner to put Columbus into the quarterfinals.
So, what changed around the 60th minute to help the Black & Gold get back into this game? A large part must be placed on the substitutions. While it took 15 minutes to settle in, Matan, Farsi and Ramirez played an immense role in giving the Crew a victory.
Matan came in and gave Columbus a more attack-minded midfielder who could join the attack to form a front six. Farsi of course had an amazing game down the right side, providing the ultimate assist to Rossi in the 80th minute. T
here was not a player that impacted the game more though, than Christian Ramirez. Chambost struggled to get on the ball in the first half and seemed lost at times in the fluid attack with Rossi and Hernandez. Ramirez came on at halftime and instantly changed the game. He dropped into the midfield and played exquisite layoff passes to the wingbacks and other attackers, and then he just had a poacher’s mindset to grab the first goal and give the Black & Gold a lifeline.
The other thing that changed was the Crew’s mindset and belief. Sometimes all you need is a spark to start a chain reaction, and Columbus needed one on Tuesday night. Not every game is going to be dominance from the beginning, and sometimes the team will need a moment of individual brilliance to start a snowball effect. Ramirez’s goal provided that for the Black & Gold, and it changed everything
From that moment the Crew’s pace changed, they were lively on the ball and quick to attack and defend. It was as if they had sleepwalked for 60 minutes but woke up as soon as Ramirez’s ball hit the back of the net.
Columbus needed a goal to get the crowd and belief back on their side, and they ultimately found it. Miami failed to adjust, which played a part in the three-goal landslide, but the Black & Gold will not care. They are onto the quarterfinals on Saturday in front of another deafening Lower.com Field crowd.
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