The Columbus Crew advanced in dramatic fashion in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, besting Tigres on penalties. The game got off to a disastrous start for the Black & Gold, with a failed pull-back by Patrick Schulte resulting in an easy opener for the hosts. From there, Columbus had to scrap and claw to generate scoring chances. Ultimately, the Crew found their goal in the second half courtesy of Diego Rossi. The 1-1 score line remained the same for the rest of regulation and overtime, setting the stage for a penalty shootout. Schulte redeemed himself in a big way, saving two Tigres penalties to allow the Black & Gold to advance 4-3 in the shootout.
Wilfried Nancy did not change philosophy much against the Mexican giants but instead allowed his team to trust their process and figure out a way to win. Let’s dive into the tactics that allowed Columbus to advance to the semi-finals.
First half woes
The first half could not have started worse for the Black & Gold. Only three minutes into the game, a gaffe by Schulte gifted Tigres the lead and made life even more difficult for the Crew.
In response to this, Columbus did not change the way they played. They continued to go forward and defend like they were doing before the goal went in, showing a strict belief in the game plan Nancy had set in place.
Despite the resiliency to stick to the tactical vision, the Black & Gold struggled in the first 45 minutes. Tigres’ pressure caused the Crew to turn the ball over in dangerous positions. The hosts even had two more goals overturned due to offsides or fouls, but Columbus got lucky to only concede one.
The Tigres press was designed to cause chaos for the Black & Gold. The hosts pressed high up the pitch with five players, cutting off the central midfielders and center backs so they could not advance through the middle.
For whatever reason, the Crew did not deal well with the press. Typically cool on the ball, the center backs were making bad passes trying to escape pressure which allowed additional chances for Tigres. Another issue was the midfielders’ hesitancy to come back to the ball. Tigres always looked like they were first to react, which spelled doom for Columbus.
Tigres’ press aimed to push the Crew back towards their own goal without allowing them to advance the ball to the wings. The hosts left both dropping wingbacks open and tried a pinch press to push the Black & Gold back towards the middle of the field.
If Columbus could find the wingbacks or wide players, they could advance the ball much easier around the teeth of the Tigres press. Unfortunately for them, the Mexican side made it tough throughout the first half. Despite the constant press from Tigres, the Crew were able to adjust and find a way to turn the game around in the second half to advance.
Another formation change
The Black & Gold also tried to tweak their formation from the beginning. In possession, they shifted from their normal 5-2-3 to a 2-3-5. Yevhen Cheberko and Rudy Camacho stayed as the two defenders while Steven Moreira split out on the right as a half-pivot/midfielder.
Darlington Nagbe stayed in the center of the pitch as a lone central midfielder while Derrick Jones shifted out to the left as a half-pivot.
The attack remained fluid with five players up top. Marino Hinestroza split out to play on the left wing while Yaw Yeboah came inside to play as an extra false nine. Rossi and Cucho Hernandez continued to roam around the center of the pitch with Mo Farsi out on the right wing.
This formational switch put emphasis on the attack, committing five players to the front line and giving them freedom to combine. Yeboah was the biggest surprise, pinching inside like a false nine of 10 from his usual wide position.
The Tigres press gave the formation problems in the first half, but Columbus learned how to deal with it and find open space in the second half. The Mexican side liked to press the Crew into a certain area of the pitch and try to trap them there, leaving the backside switch wide open.
When the Black & Gold realized that if they could switch the ball they could get out of the pressure, they started having more success. Columbus’ goal came on a backside switch to Hernandez who was sitting off the back shoulder of the defender.
The Crew changed their formation again after the goal and with some of the substitutes coming on. When Jacen Russell-Rowe came into the game, Hernandez shaded out more on the wing to allow Russell-Rowe that inside space. With Alex Matan coming on for Derrick Jones, the Romanian had to play a bit deeper alongside Nagbe in midfield.
These substitutes allowed the Black & Gold to take the emphasis off their defenders to get forward into the attack by bringing on more attack-minded players. The Columbus backline sat back more conservatively after these subs, trying to hold on to the draw while seeing if the offense could combine for the winner.
In the end, the Crew battled back from a nightmare first half to advance to the next round thanks to heroics from Shulte and Max Arfsten burying the deciding penalty. The resiliency of this Columbus squad to stick to their game plan and grind out the victory will be one to remember for years to come.
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