The Columbus Crew was victorious in the Hell is Real Derby in the Eastern Conference Final, defeating FC Cincinnati 3-2. Cincinnati went up 2-0 in the first half at TQL Stadium thanks to a Brandon Vazquez strike and Lucho Acosta freekick before giving up two goals to the Black & Gold in the second 45 minutes. After 90 minutes, the teams couldn’t be separated, but substitute Christian Ramirez fired in the game-winning goal to send Columbus to the MLS Cup Final.
It was a back-and-forth game that was mostly dominated by the Crew but was made interesting by Cincinnati’s ability to counterattack. In the end, head coach Wilfried Nancy’s side found the goals to put the Black & Gold through to the championship game, but not without some tweaks along the way.
Let’s dive into the tactical changes and decisions that shaped this game for the Black & Gold.
The decision to start Alexandru Matan and Mohamed Farsi
A recurring theme in the MLS Cup playoffs has been the inclusion of Mohamed Farsi into the starting lineup at wing back. After the acquisition of Julian Gressel in the summer transfer window, Farsi’s minutes diminished in favor of the new signing.
Gressel brought a different component to the team in terms of experience and crossing ability but was left out of the starting 11 for the last three games. This decision took Columbus fans a little by surprise. Farsi is a good, young player, but the playoffs are a big stage, and many would think Gressel would be the clear choice to start at right wing back.
Farsi and Gressel are different players and offer differing skill sets. The call to start the Canadian in the past few playoff games came down to his pace, quickness and constant running. Against teams that are electric in attack, such as Atlanta United, Orlando City SC and Cincinnati, recovery defense was key for the Crew.
Because the Black & Gold like to press so high, the wing backs are required to run the length of the field to contribute to the offensive and defensive game.
The simple fact of the matter is that Farsi is a quicker, more agile player than Gressel and is able to get up and down the field quicker. This came at a cost because it eliminated the elite crossing ability of Gressel. Without Ramirez in the game from the start, the crossing ability of Gressel is diminished, which is why Alexandru Matan and Farsi go hand in hand.
The choice to play Matan is easier to make than Farsi. The Romanian attacking midfielder has played a large number of games for Columbus this season, taking over the No. 10 role after Lucas Zelarayan left.
In this game, Matan’s role was to help aid in the buildup as a pure attacking midfielder. His role throughout the season has been to stay up with forwards Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi to aid in the attack, but to help beat Cincinnati’s press, he dropped deeper to gain a numerical advantage in the midfield.
Not starting a dangerous player in Ramirez is not easy, especially when he has scored in such big moments for the Crew. The reality right now, however, is that he is better coming off the bench as a super substitute and forcing other teams to adjust to his style of play rather than being prepared for him at the start.
Ramirez and Gressel are a package deal. One of the best crossers in MLS paired up with one of the most prominent aerial threats is a force to be reckoned with. The thing is that Nancy does not want his team just to rely on crossing the ball into the penalty box. He wants them to build up, keep possession and then combine to find those scoring chances, which is why Matan and Farsi have started.
What did Nancy change in the second half?
The first half did not go according to the plan for the Black & Gold. Vazquez opened the scoring for Cincinnati and Acosta added a second on the stroke of halftime.
The first change Nancy made in the second half was having Matan and Rossi drop into midfield more often. A lot of Cincinnati’s chances came off of giveaways by Columbus defenders and midfielders, so adding Rossi and Matan into the mix gave the Crew a numbers advantage.
The second change was substituting Ramirez and Gressel in for central midfielder Aidan Morris and Farsi. Taking of Morris was an indication that the Black & Gold were going all in for the game. The young midfielder had a decent game, but Columbus needed some extra juice going forward.
On offense, the Crew still played in a 3-2-5, but Matan stayed higher as a true attacking midfielder. When needed, Matan dropped in alongside central midfielder Darlington Nagbe to help keep possession or defend. That freed up space for Rossi or Ramirez to drop in and help build up.
3-2-5 formation that Columbus played in the second half against Cincinnati
In attack, right center back Steven Moreira moved alongside Nagbe to put more pressure on the Cincinnati defense. This left only central defenders Rudy Camacho and Malte Amundsen back on defense, but it was a necessary risk given the score line.
The Black & Gold also went back to favoring and overloading the right side of the pitch. The introduction of Gressel onto that right side meant Columbus shifted to that side to try and spring him. Hernandez stayed high and roamed around the attacking end of the pitch, trying to get in the blind spot of the defenders.
These little changes in the playstyle resulted in three unanswered goals for the Crew and a trip to the MLS Cup Final. In a season where he has been criticized for in-game decisions, Nancy managed this game well to come back from a two-goal deficit.
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