The Columbus Crew salvaged a draw in dramatic fashion on Saturday in the Hell is Real Derby in enemy territory. A late Steven Moreira goal gave the Black & Gold their 12th tie on the year, putting Columbus at seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. It was a frustrating game for Crew fans as they watched their team for stretches get out played and run off the pitch, but in the end, Columbus was able to salvage a draw. Caleb Porter had some unique tactics for this game, some which worked, and others that didn’t. Let’s dive in.
Set up in the first half
The Crew’s set up in the first half wasn’t anything too radical that we haven’t seen before, but there were some subtle changes that Caleb Porter made to try and cope with Cincinnati’s press and setup.
Firstly, the Crew set up in more of a 4-3-3 than a 4-2-3-1 to try and press Cincinnati’s defender’s more efficiently. When the home side were back in their own half, Columbus would send the top three and attacking midfielder Lucas Zelarayan to try and catch Cincinnati’s back three out.
The Black & Gold were hoping that by sending that many men forward, the opposition would struggle to build out and give the Crew some chances in the attacking third. Fair play to Cincinnati though, because they broke the press efficiently throughout the game, especially during the first half.
Secondly, Kevin Molino was inserted into the starting lineup. Many Crew fans were probably wondering why we didn’t see Derrick Etienne for a full 90 minutes, but it was a tactical choice more than a form-based choice. Porter put Molino in to act as a “pocket winger” to help Columbus possess and build out more efficiently.
While winger Luis Diaz typically stayed out wide and high, Molino would drop in the midfield areas to get the ball to feet and provide an extra option for Columbus building out.
The problem that arose was that the Crew couldn’t advance the ball past their defensive midfielders. Numerous times in the first half Columbus gave up the ball in their defensive third, giving the home side golden opportunities to score. This sloppiness will likely be a focus this upcoming week for Porter and the coaching staff.
Controlling the tempo in the second half
The first half was a lot like a dumpster fire for the Crew. Out of the gate the team looked decent during the first ten minutes, and then from there the wheels fell off. The Black & Gold looked out paced, out worked, and just overall flat, going into the half down a goal in a hostile environment. The second half was better from the Crew, not amazing, but better. The main catalyst for this improvement was how Columbus finally settled in and started to control the game. The Black & Gold began switching the ball back and forth to try and draw Cincinnati in and then go on the attack. Another change made at half was that Darlington Nagbe want back to play as a temporary pivot, so then Columbus could get their wing backs higher, and stretch Cincinnati. This is something that the Crew used to do every game but has since abandoned it. Having Nagbe in the back provides stability, an extra player in the buildup, and it allows one of your best players to get on the ball and create. There is no reason why Caleb Porter has gone away from utilizing Nagbe as the pivot, but the results speak for themselves.
Columbus’ woeful record with set pieces
A focus in training leading up to the derby for Columbus was set pieces. Throughout this season the Crew has been incredibly poor on defending set pieces. Does not matter if it is corners, free kicks, or even throw ins (highlighted in the Montreal game), the Black & Gold can’t seem to figure out defending set pieces. In this game, it was Matt Miazga who made the Crew pay. The ball came in on a long throw and was pinballed around until I found the waiting feet of Miazga, who scored off of a deflection by Steven Moreira. Caleb Porter identified the set piece defending problem is the third or fourth defenders for Columbus. This means that while the Crew’s top defenders can hold their own marking, it’s the other players who are giving up changes. This instance, it was Aiden Morris marking Miazga, but he was forced to leave his mark to go defend the goal line. The next closest player to Miazga was Luis Diaz, who got caught ball watching until it was too late, and the Cincinnati defender found the back of the net. This just shows a lack of communication between Black & Gold players to find marks and sort it out defensively, but it also just shows laziness. Defending is never going to be easy at the professional level, and it requires the highest amount of focus and discipline. Unfortunately for the Crew, the team just doesn’t have that right now, which is why the Black & Gold have only kept a clean sheet in 7 out of their 26 matches played. Keeping a clean sheet in roughly 27% of your matches will not bode well for you in the long term and does not indicate team on the
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