The Columbus Crew played out a 1-1 draw on Sunday verses a competitive New York side who currently sits 4th in the Eastern Conference. The game was deadlocked at 0-0 until the 84th minute when a cross deflected off of multiple players before finding the back of the net. Later, the goal would be attributed as an own goal to Black & Gold goalkeeper Eloy Room. The hosts looked to have secured all three points until a Darlington Nagbe toe poke levelled the game in the 95th minute of the match, it was essentially the last kick of the game. This result keeps the Crew undefeated on the year, and sitting in 2nd place in the East, but the game was different from the others in the way Columbus set up tactically.
Columbus’ Relaxed Approach
This was surprising to me as I started to watch the game. Typically, the Crew comes out the gates with long spells of possession, lots of passes, and just seem to feel to opponent out. This time however, Columbus decided to give New York the baton and let them try to control the game. This not only put pressure on Red Bull to figure out their own attack, it also took away their best goalscoring option, the press. New York is well known for their high, aggressive style of pressing. This allows them to force their opponent to turn the ball over in dangerous areas and score easy goals off of transition. This did not match up well with the Crew’s highly possessive and slow building attacking play. So, Caleb Porter decided to switch to a more direct approach and try to exploit New York on the long ball. If that isn’t working, it’s not a big deal, because then New York wouldn’t have the opportunity to win the ball deep into Columbus’ territory and have an easy goalscoring chance. Porter’s hope was to defend well, send balls deep into New York’s half, and possibly snatch a goal somewhere along the way.
Exposing the three back system
New York’s line up also is very telling of their system. By employing a 3-4-2-1 formation, this gives them the opportunity to get up high and press using the 6 players they have in midfield. This sometimes leaves them vulnerable though, with three defenders left to clean up the mess if the midfield breaks down. Columbus’ coaching staff went into this game with a plan of attack hoping to exploit the narrowness of Red Bull’s three defender system. The key was to get as wide as possible, as quickly as possible. This meant getting the ball to Derrick Etienne or Yaw Yeboah on the wings in transition as many times as they could. While the Crew soaked up pressure on the defensive end, Yeboah and Etienne were always ready to break if the Black & Gold were to win the ball. While the speed advantage was clear between the two wingers and the lumbering center backs, the hard part was getting them the ball. Long balls from the back played by defenders or the dual defensive midfielders could be read easily by those opposing center backs and won in the air. This was the case a few times, but the Crew did have their share of opportunities on the break. Even if a goal didn’t result directly from this tactical switch, it created dangerous chances for the Black & Gold to capitalize on.
The Berry and Zardes Conversation
I know everyone is tired of hearing the speculation around Gyasi Zardes and Miguel Berry. Who will start? Who’s the better fit? Will one shine while the other is relegated to the bench? My answer to all these questions is WHO CARES. It is never a problem when you have two players from the same position group challenging each other to get better and fighting for minutes. Especially when it is not affecting the team chemistry or morale. Forget all the media buzz and look at what each of them offered in this game. Miguel Berry disappeared the entire first half of the match. To be fair, the system was not set up for him to be touching the ball every possession, but there were still opportunities where he could drop into midfield to help the attack but just stood on the center line. Again, this is not a bash on Berry, I just think there was more he could have done to help the team out while he was on the field. After Gyasi Zardes got subbed on, I started noticing the striker position being more and more involved. Now did Zardes miss that sitter in front of a wide-open net? Yes, indeed he did, but at least he was in an advantageous goal scoring opportunity! Zardes was also integral in the game tying goal for Darlington Nagbe, setting up Luis Diaz to run down the wing and then drawing the defender away from Matan and Nagbe in the box allowing them to tie the game. I’m not choosing sides, I’m not creating controversy, and I’m not promoting that there should be animosity between Zardes and Berry, but in my eyes, one outperformed the other in the game on Sunday. This could be due to tactical switch, fresh legs, or what be it, but it made a difference in the match that was integral for the Crew securing a tie.
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