The Columbus Crew gained a point at home on Sunday night with a 2-2 draw with southern side Atlanta United. After going down 1-0 in the first half, a pair of Cucho Hernandez goals gave the Black & Gold the lead before a late corner gave Atlanta the equalizer. Columbus was able to pull out the tie although they looked lackadaisical throughout much of the match despite being at home against a side that sits near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Let’s dive into some of the tactics that Caleb Porter employed for this contest.
Artur’s Movement
Coming back from injury, Artur has looked solid in the past few games for the Crew. On Sunday, the Brazilian was all over the pitch being the do-it-all man and fulfilling two certain roles that Columbus needed on the day.
Firstly, Artur was integral in the pressing game for the Black & Gold. Often times when Atlanta had a goal kick or possession deep in their half, Artur’s job would be to mark the “split” and make sure that Atlanta couldn’t advance the ball by passing between Crew players in the middle of the pitch. Artur would simply man mark the back of the split player and make sure that if he did receive the ball, he could not turn and transition the ball further upfield.
Secondly, Artur would sometimes act as a temporary pivot if the Black & Gold needed an extra man to get out of Atlanta’s press. The away side opted to press very high on Columbus’ center backs using their attackers and midfielders to create numerical mismatches for the Crew’s backline. When this would happen, Artur, would drop in between Jonathan Mensah and Milos Degenek to provide support and another option to break the press. If the press was being broken, Artur would return to his natural defensive midfielder position and continue the buildup play.
These little roles that Artur plays may seem insignificant, but it had a huge impact on turning the tide of the match.
Cucho Hernandez’s Runs
Something very different from the game last week in Colorado was the spots where Cucho Hernandez decided to make his runs. Last week out west, the Colombian scored by running in on goal and hoping for a tap in, but his runs were different in Sunday’s match. When Luis Diaz, Derrick Etienne, or later Kevin Molino would streak down the wing, Hernandez would set up shop at the top of the box or the penalty spot, while Lucas Zelarayan or another winger made the diving run towards goal. Hernandez was hoping that the defenders would be drawn toward their own goal by the runners, and then he could have an easy look up and tap in for a goal. This exact scenario happened on the Black & Gold’s second goal of the nights. James Sands absolutely dropped two Atlanta United defenders and played a perfect ball through the defense into Hernandez’s feet, which he controlled and dispatched with little issue. These types of runs keep defenses on their toes and gives the Columbus wingers and wing backs multiple options in the middle. If Hernandez is marked at the penalty spot, then Lucas Zelarayan or another winger could be open closer to the six-yard box.
What Columbus has to Improve
Although this game ended in a draw, Columbus looked on the back foot for large parts of the game and yet again failed at an opportunity to grab three points at home. There are a few things that the Crew must do better if they are to string together results and really make Lower.com Field a fortress for opposing sides. Firstly, the Black & Gold have to figure out how to mark corners better. Out of the ten corners that Columbus came up against defensively, six of the crosses were met first by a player from Atlanta United. That comes to a mere 40% clearance rate, including the tying goal coming off of a corner. Teams that are bad defending set pieces are every fan’s worst nightmare to watch. Needless to say, Caleb Porter and the coaching staff need to sort that out. Secondly, the Crew need to get Darlington Nagbe more involved in these games. On the night Nagbe was virtually invisible, making a few passes and tackles, but have no real impact on the game. With a player of Nagbe’s quality, the Black & Gold need to make him the focal point of their buildup, because he can make magic happen out of nothing. Lastly, Columbus needs someone else to step up. Since the arrival of Cucho Hernandez, he and Lucas Zelarayan have been carrying the team. This is a good thing that the Crew hit on the signing of Hernandez, but there will come a time where teams will be able to key on him and make someone else beat them. Columbus needs that unsung hero to step up and make some noise with their play. Luis Diaz has been impressing over the past few games, but only time will tell who can step up.
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