The Black & Gold got back to winning ways on Wednesday night with a 2-1 victory on the road against Toronto FC. While the return of Lucas Zelarayan was exciting for all Crew fans, the game was controlled by the newcomers Sean Zwadzki and Jacen Russel Rowe. Along with that, the Black & Gold was set up to win by a strong set of tactics by Caleb Porter that allowed the team to take all three points back to Columbus. Let’s dive in.
The Defensive impact of the 3-5-2
After seeing Columbus set up in a 3-5-2 against Charlotte, Crew fans got to see just how this new formation works out for Columbus against another tough Eastern Conference opponent. What stood out though was the way the Black & Gold’s defense performed throughout the game. When in possession, Jonathan Mensah and Milos Degenek would drift out toward the sideline to allow the ball to be switched to them in space. When TFC had the ball though, the wingbacks would drop in alongside the centerbacks to allow Columbus to shell up in a 5-3-2. This is why Toronto had a hard time scoring all game, because the Crew made it so congested in their own box with 5 defenders and 3 midfielders all pitching in on their defensive duties. Granted, TFC did score a goal, which was a defensive breakdown where the Crew midfielders didn’t put pressure on the ball, so Toronto got a cross into their striker who ran right behind Jonathan Mensah in his blind spot. It was a bad mistake and the Black & Gold paid for it, but if they can have better communication and organization across the backline, the Crew will be even better defensively than they already are.
The Midfield Trio
After the midfield’s performance in Sandy, Utah, Caleb Porter wanted to keep Sean Zwadzki, Darlington Nagbe, and Aiden Morris together for the game in Toronto to see how they could build on the display in the previous game. Needless to say, it worked out pretty well for Porter and the Crew, because they looked in sync. Nagbe always brings the flair and Morris brings his motor, but Sean Zwadzki was the standout in midfield. After banging in a superb outside of the box goal on his first ever shot in MLS, Zwadzki was all over the field, playing passes, switches, and even getting in his dirty work defensively. This midfield trio was everything the Crew needed and will need going forward. Nagbe provides a leadership role and command to the group to make sure everyone is in line and where they are supposed to be. Morris will run the entire field and put in physical work without breaking a sweat. Zwadzki controls the tempo and makes smart choices when building up from the back, while also having a cannon for a foot. One of the interesting things the midfielders did in Toronto was drift wide into a wingback position. Typically it was Aiden Morris, but occasionally any of the three midfielders would drift wide to allow Columbus to have widt, allow the actual wingbacks to get higher up the field, and free up space for Lucas Zelarayan to drop in and ask for the ball to feet. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of these three on the pitch, and the only problem Caleb Porter has now is deciding what to do with them when Artur comes back. I would say that’s a pretty good problem to have
Jacen Russel-Rowe and Lucas Zelarayan up top
The biggest surprise of Wednesday night was Jacen Russel-Rowe being instantly inserted into the starting lineup after being signed from Crew 2. It was a welcome surprise from Crew fans and ended up being just what the Black & Gold needed. Porter put Zelarayan and Russel-Rowe up top so that they could provide an attacking threat without getting in each other’s way. For example, when Zelarayan is more comfortable dropping into the midfield and asking for the ball to his feet, Russel-Rowe was making diagonal runs in behind the defense for Zelarayan to find him. This diversity of runs gives the Crew multiple options of how to build up in attack as well as giving Lucas Zelarayan space to create without the other striker running into his space and bringing more defenders over. Russel-Rowe also showed extreme maturity in how he was able to hold off defenders and wait for his trailing teammates to join him in attack, as well as being able to make different types of runs to keep the defense guessing. The return from injury for Lucas Zelarayan was a relatively quiet one, but it was productive because it got him some time to work with Russel-Rowe in a real game situation, as well as providing a chance to knock off some rust. I think we will be seeing more of young Crew players making impacts in the future, and I just can’t wait.
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