The Columbus Crew picked up their third straight road victory on Saturday, defeating Orlando City SC 2-0. In their third consecutive game without Cucho Hernandez, Columbus grabbed multiple goals and picked up three points thanks to a stellar performance from Diego Rossi. The Uruguayan opened the scoring from the spot, and then doubled his tally with a deft chip over Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. From there, the Black & Gold did not look back, cruising to another victory. Wilfried Nancy tweaked his tactics as the game went on, focusing on getting the victory in Orlando ahead of the huge CONCACAF Champions Cup Final next week. Let’s dive into those tactical decisions.
Adapting the offensive formation as the Crew builds a lead
As we have seen in recent weeks, the Crew like to change their formation on offense based on what the situation in the game is. Against Orlando, Columbus acted no different.
The Black & Gold began the game in their usual setup but shifted to a 2-3-5 on offense. Yevhen Cheberko and Rudy Camacho were the two center backs, while Steven Moreira moved into midfield alongside Darlington Nagbe and Aidan Morris.
Up top, the two wingbacks gave the attack width while Alexandru Matan, Jacen Russell-Rowe, and Diego Rossi operated on the inside. Despite similar positioning for the three central attackers, they had different roles.
Often, Matan would drop deeper to act as a pivot for Yaw Yeboah, leaving Russell-Rowe and Rossi higher up the pitch. Rossi would occasionally drop in too, but would remain in an attacking midfielder space, rather than dropping as deep as Matan.
When the score was 0-0, the 2-3-5 was the formation of choice for Nancy and the Crew. It provided a plethora of attacking options across the top, with adequate depth in the midfield to repress and provide support.
We have seen Columbus go with one lone center back in the past, pushing both outside center backs into the midfield. In games where the Black & Gold did this, the Crew were more susceptible to being exposed on the counterattack. Columbus has recently opted to always keep at least two centerbacks deeper, which has seemed to work well for them.
Once Rossi netted the first goal of the night, the Black & Gold switched to a 2-4-4. Yeboah dropped into the midfield next to Morris, creating a cupped backline with the two center backs. Max Arfsten stayed high up the pitch on the right wing, while Matan now had more freedom and space on the left flank.
Again, this goes back to the situation in the game. Since the Crew were now defending a lead, they did not have to throw as many bodies into the attack. At the beginning of the game, Nancy was prioritizing the attack.
He wanted to strike first and get on the board, that would give Columbus the upper hand. Once that goal went in, now the Black & Gold could shift their focus to become more balanced, tapering off the attack in exchange for more defensive stability.
This does not mean that the Crew decided to park the bus. It was a simple change and shift in the philosophy that made the team more balanced based on manpower. Just because Columbus dropped another player deeper to make the defense more sound does not mean they gave up on scoring goals. With this shift to the 2-4-4, the Black & Gold also tweaked their offensive philosophy, showcased by Rossi’s second goal of the night.
Attacking more on the counter in the second half
With the Crew changing their offensive formation to the 2-4-4, the team also tweaked their offensive philosophy. With a one-goal lead and Orlando having to push for an equalizer, Columbus dropped deeper and opted to play more on the counter.
This is showcased in Rossi’s second goal of the evening. The Black & Gold win the ball on the right side of the pitch Orlando was trying to overload. This failed overload opened the left side, which is what allowed Yeboah to get free in behind. The Crew could have pulled the ball back and played with possession, but they decided to counter.
The counter ended up working brilliantly, with Rossi skillfully chipping the ball over Gallese into the back of the net. Part of this change in philosophy was due to Columbus switching to the 2-4-4, but the switch also relied on Orlando chasing the game.
Right before the Rossi counter secured a second goal for the Black & Gold, Orlando made several offensive-minded substitutions. Seeing this likely strengthened the Crew’s ambition to attack more on the counter than by breaking down Orlando with possession in the offensive half.
We even see this in the substitutions Nancy made after the goal went in. Mo Farsi came on for Arfsten, a pacier wingback who can fly on the counter and in transition. Christian Ramirez came in for Russell-Rowe to be the veteran poacher in behind the defense on those counters. Finally, Sean Zawadzki came on for Camacho to give the backline fresh legs and more pace.
Even later substitutions reaffirmed Columbus’ want to go on the counter when Marino Hinestroza came in for Rossi. The Colombian can make something out of nothing, especially when the opponent overextends and leaves attacking players one-on-one.
With this desire to attack on the counter came a different defensive strategy as well. The Black & Gold began to sit deeper and draw Orlando onto them. It gave the home side some attacking chances, but the Crew’s numbers on defense kept a clean sheet on the night. With Orlando desperately trying to get back in the game, Columbus was able to generate some strong attacking chances. Both Ramirez and Hinestroza had golden opportunities to add a third, but unfortunately, both were foiled.
Nancy’s ability to manage the game within the game is what allowed the Black & Gold to excel in the past three matches. The Crew will be hoping he is up to the task on Saturday as they take on Pachuca in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final.
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