The Crew played out a 4-0 win over Vancouver this past Saturday on the first weekend of MLS action to start the 2022 season out extremely strong. The Black and Gold were on top of the Whitecaps right from the kickoff until the breakthrough came in the 8th minute courtesy of Miguel Berry. After that the home side never looked back, adding three more before the clock struck 90’. It was a dominant performance overall, largely due to the tactics employed by head coach Caleb Porter. Here’s three takeaways about Porter’s opening day tactical setup that willed the Crew to a comfortable victory.
Overloading one side of the field to free up wingers
This was a huge part of the game Saturday. Porter expressed in preseason through signings that he wanted more production out his wingers. Last season the goals and assist total was very low from wingers, so Porter went out and signed Yaw Yeboah to reinforce his depth at the position. The second thing he did was adjust his team tactically to free up his wingers and put them in scoring positions. The best example of this was Derrick Etienne’s goal in the 25th minute to put the Crew up 2-0. The Black and Gold passed the ball to Yaw Yeboah on the right wing, and at that moment shifted Zelarayan, Nagbe, Artur, and even Pedro Santos toward the ball while Miguel Berry ran through the defense to pull the opposing defender away from the left flank. The ball was then switched to Derrick Etienne who was left alone on the left side for an easy opening to his season’s goal account.
Dropping Nagbe or Artur into defense to free up Fullbacks
This is a classic part of Caleb Porter’s system, but it has evolved. Last season the Crew would typically drop in a defensive midfielder to play between to center-backs so Columbus could keep possession and switch the play easier. Now, with either Nagbe or Artur dropping in, Pedro Santos and Steven Moreira can go higher up the pitch and the Crew’s formation can evolve from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-3. This is a more direct attacking approach and give Santos and Moreira the opportunity to create in midfield. This also pushes wingers Derrick Etienne and Yaw Yeboah higher up the field, hoping to get them in more goal scoring areas.
Miguel Berry getting the starting nod
This is not so much a tactical move, but it made a difference in the game. Miguel Berry was on fire near the end of last season, so out of that respect Porter decided to give him the nod over Gyasi Zardes. This could be just because of Berry’s good play at the end of last year or because Zardes missed bits of the preseason, but the choice seemed to pay off. Berry opened the scoring in the 8th minute but that wasn’t the brightest spot of his play. His passing was sublime. The combinations between him, Zelarayan, Etienne, and Yeboah looked beautiful and created loads of attacking chances for the Black and Gold. The nagging question is now who is the Crew’s starting striker going forward? Will we see Zardes return, or will we see Berry take his sport? Or will Porter find a way to incorporate the pair into the same starting XI? Only time will tell.
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