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There will never be another manager like Wilfried Nancy. Throughout the history of MLS and the Columbus Crew, it is hard to argue that one man has had as much of an impact on a team as Nancy has on the Black & Gold. The numbers speak for itself – 71 wins, 32 draws, just 31 losses and 282 goals – but the Frenchman’s impact goes well beyond just statistics. Some things cannot be measured by data points on a graph. There is not a statistical output to describe a Black & Gold’s fan’s feelings when club legends are sold , new stars are signed , rivals are vanquished , titles are won and homegrowns move on . All of those moments and memories would not have been possible if not for Wilfried Nancy. Nancy inherited a team filled with talent, but festering in a system that prioritized “boring”, passive soccer to grind out 1-0 wins. Nancy took that squad and revolutionized the way that soccer was played in Columbus. Defenders became attackers, midfielders became defenders and goalkeepers aided in the buildup to produce the most beautiful result: fluid, attack-minded winning soccer. All of this was birthed from the mind of Nancy. He took risks, evolved his team and produced some of the best soccer MLS has seen, and likely will ever see. The best part about it was, he did it Columbus’ way. He did not go out and poach retired international stars like some less-historic clubs tend to do nowadays, but instead he developed talent. Max Arfsten, Sean Zawadzki, Aidan Morris, Mohammed Farsi and Patrick Schulte all leapt to new heights under his leadership and became cornerstones of the squad in the years following. His development of talent did not stop at the youth level, overhauling seasoned players’ playstyles for the benefit of the team. Nancy morphed Steven Moreira – once a fullback – into an MLS Defender of the Year winning centerback. Cucho Hernandez ascended to become a versatile attacking monster who could cut the opposition in a plethora of different ways. Even Darlington Nagbe underwent a metamorphosis into more of a tempo-dictating maestro rather than an attack-minded central midfielder. The best part about Wilfried Nancy though, is he chose Columbus. In a league where the sun of the west coast, the lights of big cities or the beaches of South Florida are most attractive, Nancy set his roots in Columbus, Ohio. He chose a city who loves their soccer, a fanbase who saved their team from relocation and an organization that is steeped in history. Now he has become intertwined in the fabric of this franchise’s history, undergoing one of the most successful stints in club history. His bold, brash and beautiful style netted Columbus an MLS Cup, Leagues Cup, and appearances in the Campeones Cup and CONCACAF Champions Cup finals. Although the silverware is a nice touch, the way in which his teams won those games is an entirely different conversation. Through his 134-game tenure, Nancy’s Crew scored 2.1 goals per game. The Frenchman’s mantra was predicated on relentless focus, timely pressure and defending with possession. This was not Caleb Porter and Gregg Berhalter’s passive possession system of yesteryear; this was fluid soccer on steroids. The free-flowing Crew captivated crowds in every way imaginable. Attack the Black & Gold with numbers? Get ready for a counterattack. Defend deep with 11 players? Prepare for Columbus to probe the defense until it cracks. Adaptability is the name of Nancy’s game, and that is why he is heading to Scotland to undertake a position as Celtic’s new manager. Crew fans knew this was coming from the moment they saw the Black & Gold under his guide. The man that masterminded a beautiful tactical system and yielded trophies was not long for this league. What Columbus fans will miss most is not the games, the goals, the titles or accolades, they will miss a manager that connected with them – the fans. Nancy came in and not only revolutionized soccer in the city, but he also brought healing to a community that was still scarred from the deplorable actions of Anthony Precourt and his queso-blinded henchmen. After going through a war to keep the city’s beloved team and a championship in 2020 followed by two seasons of mediocrity, fans of the Black & Gold were gifted with a manager who understood them and gave the city, fanbase and team everything he had. And for that, we say thank you. Thank you for the memories, the titles, the belief and the motivational sayings that got an entire fanbase ready to show up in all weather and cheer for the Yellow Soccer Team. Most of all, thank you for embracing an entire city and showcasing that we deserve to belong in the spotlight among the best – as the best. As for what Celtic is getting? It is best to let Nancy explain in his own words : “I am not a boss; I am a leader”

Dan Cooreman will receive the Butler Medal during Homecoming weekend. Photo courtesy of Dan Cooreman. Graphic by Anna Gritzenbach. CALEB DENORME | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | cdenorme@butler.edu The Butler University Alumni Association announced the 2025 alumni award recipients who will be honored at an Alumni Recognition Ceremony during Homecoming. Among the alumni recipients is Butler graduate and former Butler Collegian staff member Dan Cooreman. Cooreman will receive The Butler Medal on Sept. 26, an award that is the highest honor given by the Butler University Alumni Association. The Butler Medal recognizes individuals for “a lifetime of distinguished service to either Butler or their local community while at the same time achieving a distinguished career in their chosen profession and attaining a regional or national reputation.” Cooreman — a journalism graduate in the class of 1976 — served on the Collegian from 1973 to 1976. During the 1975-76 school year, Cooreman served as the Collegian’s editor-in-chief. Professionally, Cooreman worked at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Birmingham (Ala.) Post Herald, the South Bend Tribune and The New York Times (NYT). He retired in 2015 after serving as an editor of the Sunday Business section of The NYT. Throughout his professional career and after his retirement, Cooreman continually gave his time, energy and resources to mentoring up-and-coming journalists who worked at the Collegian. Cooreman also serves as the College of Communication’s (CCOM) Dean Advisory Board Chairperson, advising and supporting CCOM’s vision. Upon receiving this prestigious honor, Cooreman provided this statement to the Collegian by email: “My service to Butler has always been a natural way to say thanks for an education that opened the doors to a long journalism career. I never expected to win an award for it. The late Professor Art Levin, a Butler legend, always told his students that ‘journalists have a front-row seat on life.’ Thanks to him and so many others at Butler, I enjoyed living that life for 40 years.” “Butler has seen vast changes in the decades since my graduation, but as a former Collegian editor, I know one astounding tradition that has endured: The valiant Collegian staff still works into the early-morning hours on publication nights to produce a vibrant newspaper for the campus community. That is something for all of us to celebrate.” “I’m humbled and grateful to be included among this year’s honorees. Just take one look at their wide-ranging backgrounds and accomplishments, and you have proof that there is indeed strength in diversity.”

The Columbus Crew got back to action on Saturday, traveling to New Jersey to take on the New York Red Bulls in a pivotal Eastern Conference matchup. With only a few games remaining, both sides were looking to climb the table to make or sweeten their position within the playoff picture. It was a back-and-forth game, with both teams having chances to open the scoring, but neither side converted, ending the match in a 0-0 draw. Both teams picked up a point, but disappointment was shared by both sides’ who wanted to claim all three. It is another dismal performance from a Black & Gold team who have just not been good enough this season. The offense – even with the inclusion of Wessam Abou Ali – is still sputtering despite the attacking power the Crew have on paper. In another disappointing draw, let’s dive into all the tactics. RBNY’s tactical setup and Columbus’ struggles Coming into this game, the Black & Gold had been in a rut since crashing out of Leagues Cup. Without Darlington Nagbe, the Crew have looked lost and ultimately uninspiring. The same themes happened in this game as well, but New York played a part in that too. First, let’s tackle what RBNY did to make Columbus uncomfortable in possession. Teams often try a plethora of different presses to affect the way the Black & Gold can build out of the back. All of MLS knows the Crew like a possession-dominant system, and because of that Columbus deals with a lot of different defensive looks. On Saturday, New York had a defensive shape that the Black & Gold had not seen before. Red Bulls stayed in a 4-3-3, but the midfield and attacking lines were offset towards a different sideline. New York’s attacking three shaded over to the left side of the field, while the midfield cheated more to the right. This shape allowed RBNY to have a balanced defensive shape that only gave up space to the Crew’s left center back (LCB) (Malte Amundsen) and the droppers on the right half of the field (Andres Herrera, Daniel Gazdag or Diego Rossi). In the moments where the ball looks like it could be going into those spaces, New York’s setup allowed players to cover. If Amundsen got the ball on the left side, one of Red Bulls’ midfield three could step up and mark him. If it looked like the Black & Gold were trying to switch the point of attack to the right side of the field, the New York midfield could shift, or the left winger could drop in to cut off passing lanes. The RBNY offset press caused the Crew problems during moments of the match. This offset press made it incredibly hard for Columbus to find space. Typically, when a team defends the Crew, there is some amount of space that they are giving up whether it is the wide areas or central midfield. RBNY gave up space to Amundsen and on the right side for droppers, but they closed down that space quickly with how their structure could adapt. Although this pressing structure confused the Black & Gold for a while, it was not foolproof. The Crew had attacking movements and was at least one Rossi chance away from taking the lead due to good attacking play. We are used to seeing Wilfried Nancy coach teams to unlock the puzzle and win games that way, but they have been missing that last step recently. The fix for Columbus in this game was going up the field with more tempo. If the Black & Gold combined before RBNY could fill the gaps, the Crew could get into good attacking spaces. As has been the trend in the past few weeks though, Columbus could not score for the life of them. They struggled to even generate a shot in the first half. The big question is, why have the Black & Gold been so stale the past few games? For starters, the absence of Nagbe is showing. The Crew captain is the perfect holding midfielder to dictate tempo, win the ball back and allow Dylan Chambost to move into the attack because Nagbe can cover him. Without Nagbe running the midfield, Columbus has been chasing shadows. Part of this also falls on the manager. Nancy simply cannot play Taha Habroune in central midfield without pairing him with a ball-winning midfielder. Habroune is a budding young player who is going to have a great professional career but asking him to have increased defensive duties is not working well. Habroune often is caught ball-watching, is second to react on crosses and at times simply gives up on defending and jogs around. His lackadaisical approach to being a true central midfielder is causing the Black & Gold problems. Another issue is the inability to finish easy chances up top. Rossi, Gazdag, and the rest of the attack have seemingly lost all killer instinct. Much of the lack of chances has to do with how stagnant the offense looks. There is little movement, no creativit,y and too often they recycle the ball back to Patrick Schulte. In the first half, the Crew turned RBNY over near New York’s box, but instead of having a shot or being aggressive, they decided to play the ball back to Schulte. The simple fact is that when you look at the offensive creativity for Columbus right now, it resembles the 2022 offense led by former head coach Caleb Porter. Fans of the Black & Gold know how that ends and will not want to see the trend continue. Adapting to Wessam Abou Ali Another thing that the Crew needs to figure out in the final few weeks is how to base their offense around Abou Ali. Not every striker is created equal, and while Abou Ali is a talented goal scorer, he is not the same player as Cucho Hernandez. Hernandez was a jack-of-all-trades in the attack. He was mobile, could create, and was also dangerous from every part of the pitch. Abou Ali on the other hand, is more of a true no. 9 up top. This is not an implication on the Palestinian striker. A true finisher playing up top with creators around him is exactly what Columbus needs. Instead, the emphasis is now on the players around Abou Ali to figure out how to best service and create around him. This responsibility rests firmly on the shoulders of Rossi and Gazdag. Both the Uruguayan and the Hungarian need to get back into the role of being creators, rather than pushing the envelope as goal scorers. Think of Rossi in his first season with the Black & Gold. Fans were frustrated with the lack of production from the standpoint of goals, but Rossi actually was an integral part of that championship run. He routinely gave Hernandez and Christian Ramirez space to work and provided a number of assists during that span. That is exactly what Rossi and Gazdag both need to do now. The goals will come with time; they cannot force it. Now, they should focus on how to best link up with Abou Ali and give him the best looks possible. From what we have seen so far, that will likely look like having quick one-two combinations with each other in tight spaces. The wingbacks will be wide in case the ball needs to be recycled, but if Rossi and Gazdag can use Abou Ali as the focal point of the attack to run and attack off of, the Crew might figure out their scoring issues sooner than people think. Although Columbus has been in a rough stretch, it seems like Nagbe is closer to a return. At the same time, the more practice Abou Ali gets with his new teammates, the more dangerous the Black & Gold will become.

The Columbus Crew returned to MLS action on Saturday, travelling north of the border for a Trillium Cup match against Toronto FC. Early on, it looked like the Black & Gold would end up having their way after Diego Rossi opened the scoring inside of ten minutes. The Crew held onto control throughout the lion share of the rest of the game but were unable to double their advantage before Toronto caught the Columbus defense napping to even the game. Daniel Gazdag seemingly got onto the scoresheet to give the Black & Gold the lead again, but a suspect offside review overturned what would have been the Hungarian’s first goal from the run of play for the Crew. In the end, Columbus walked away with the points shared and another collapse against inferior opposition. In a game that offered an opportunity to gain some momentum heading into the home stretch of the season, let’s dive into all the tactics that netted the Black & Gold a point. It’s all about the outside center backs The key to this game for the Crew was the outside center backs. Every offensive movement depended on where the outside centerbacks ended up, and what runs the other players could make off of them. In possession, Columbus morphed into a 1-4-2-3. Sean Zawadzki stayed deep as the lone centerback, with Steven Moreira and Malte Amundsen up as wide midfielders alongside Dylan Chambost and Taha Habroune. Rossi and Gazdag roamed as floating attacking midfielders, with Ibrahim Aliyu up top and flanked by Max Arfsten and Andres Herrera. Having four players in the midfield gave the Black & Gold flexibility on offense and transition defense. When attacking, the midfield could choose a route of attack based on how Toronto responded to the numbers. If the home side filtered wide to cover the wingbacks and outside centerbacks, Habroune and Chambost could combine with Gazdag and Rossi through the middle. If Toronto went compact, the outside center backs played into the wingbacks and overlapped to create those wide overloads. Again, the versatility of Moreira and Amundsen allowed the Crew to move just beyond those two options. Chambost and Habroune had the opportunity to move into the attacking midfield if both outside center backs pinched into central midfield. This sequence of movements gave Rossi and Gazdag more freedom to roam in different spaces, while also having more attacking options in close proximity to combine with. On the flip side, when Moreira and Amundsen decided to move into a wing-back role, the actual wingbacks who were higher up the pitch pinched inside as a second and third striker. More bodies in the box equals more chaos for Toronto to deal with. The other plus is that now, Columbus has two of their best crossers (Moreira and Amundsen) on the wing to pick out those targets. That tweak of allowing Moreira and Amundsen to hunt down the wings or inside gave the wingbacks more freedom as well. Arfsten and Herrera knew that they had coverage with the outside centerbacks behind them, so both wingbacks made diagonal runs in the blind spots of Toronto’s defense. While none of these runs directly yielded a goal, those dangerous runs generated good goal-scoring chances for the Crew. Looking back on this game, the two players who impacted the game the most positionally were both outside center backs. If Moreira and whoever he is paired with are on their game, Columbus is as good as it gets. Another collapse to a lesser opponent Simply put, the Black & Gold should have won this game fairly easily. Toronto is not the worst team in the league, but they have had struggles. Winning away from home is never a walk in the park, but after the opening ten minutes and how the Crew were controlling the game, surely Columbus fans thought this would be a 2-0 or 3-0 game. Instead, the Black & Gold folded yet again late in the match, conceded a stupid equalizer, and could not find the decisive goal to get all three points. A draw is a draw, and the Crew will take the point, but great teams do not go far in this league by tying games they are supposed to win. There is no tactical reason as to why Columbus got the result they did. Wilfried Nancy drew up a good game plan and had the Black & Gold in goalscoring positions, but the Crew coasted through the final phase of the game. Look at Toronto’s goal. A corner that is initially headed out by Columbus falls to Habroune, who whiffs on a clearance that would have given the Black & Gold’s defense an opportunity to get up and apply the repress. As the ball is recycled out wide, Habroune does not close down the Toronto attacker quickly enough to cut off the cross. The cross is played in, Jacen Russell-Rowe does not check his shoulder, and Toronto has a tap-in equalizer. What happened on that particular play is lazy defending by two bright, young stars for the Crew. Habroune has been sensational as of late, and Russell-Rowe has his moments as well. This goal, though, is inexcusable from a work ethic standpoint. Even 77 minutes into the match, you have to close down attackers and make sure marks are covered like you did in the first minute. Those mental mistakes late in games are what have plagued Columbus this season. Fans will talk about the lack of a true goal scorer outside of Rossi, Gazdag’s ineffectiveness in front of goal, and Patrick Schulte’s blunders, but the real problem is the work ethic late in games. In terms of alarming trends to have around your team, conceding lazy late goals is perhaps the most worrisome. Nancy and the Black & Gold coaching staff have a week to figure it out, but as we head into the playoffs, there is not much more margin for error.

The Columbus Crew kicked off their Leagues Cup title defense on Tuesday night, taking on Mexican side Toluca at Lower.com Field. The contest got off to a dream start for the hosts, with Diego Rossi converting a penalty to put Columbus up 1-0. In the second half, Max Arfsten doubled the lead merely five minutes after halftime. The Black & Gold looked in control from the standpoint of the scoreline, but Toluca began fighting back. The visitors got a goal back after Patrick Schulte spilled a seemingly routine shot at the feet of a Toluca attacker, gifting Toluca a goal. The news got worse before it got better for the Crew, with a towering header slipping by Schulte’s hands a short time later to even the game at 2-2. Columbus had a chance for redemption from the penalty spot though, but Rossi’s second penalty of the evening was saved. From there, the Black & Gold went on to lose on penalties and claim only a point from this contest. In another disappointing collapse for the Crew, let’s dive into all the tactics. Columbus’ early dominance The first 15-20 minutes of the game were a dream for the Black & Gold. The Crew got on the board from the penalty spot and created a number of other scoring chances that should have been converted. Much of this early attacking prowess was actually due to the way Toluca was pressing, which played right into Columbus’ hands. Toluca came out of the gates pressing in a 5-5 but not pushing up their backline to supplement the press. This pressure left a huge gap in the midfield for Rossi, Daniel Gazdag and Dylan Chambost to exploit. When those dropping attackers received the ball, they could simply turn and run at the retreating defensive line. From there, the game became smaller. It was five Toluca defenders against however many attackers the Black & Gold mustered. Often, Toluca’s problem was when they collapsed or narrowed the defense in response to the driving attackers. This vice of the backline gave the Crew wingbacks more space to receive the ball and then take on their defender. Columbus achieved these overloads by building out of the back in a 1-3-1-5. Both outside centerbacks moved up alongside Darlington Nagbe in midfield, with Chambost moving higher as a roaming attacking midfielder. Jacen Russell-Rowe remained up top as the target man, with Rossi and Gazdag freely roaming underneath. The outside centerbacks also had the freedom to move up the field and overload the wings with the wingbacks. Once the first block of five pressers was broken, the Black & Gold wanted to get as many numbers forward as possible to overload the Toluca defense. With Steven Moreira and sometimes even Yevhen Cheberko moving into the attack, they were able to accomplish just that. It was a great start for the Crew, but the home side will be wishing they took advantage of more of their chances off the bat. It could have easily been 3-0 in favor of Columbus heading into halftime, but slight miscues in the execution limited the Black & Gold to one goal. Toluca’s resurgence The entire match changed a little bit after the Crew scored the first goal of the game. Toluca saw that their pressure in the 5-5 was not working, so they opted to make a change. The visitors instead doubled down and decided to apply more pressure, now going after Columbus with seven to eight players. Toluca’s new press actually looks much like the Black & Gold’s. This change sacrificed Toluca’s defensive stability for a more robust pressing strategy, but it also flipped the emphasis of the game. In the 5-5 press, Toluca put the pressure on themselves to turn the Crew over and win the ball. Pressing with five players is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, especially against Columbus. More turnovers were going to need to come from Toluca making a great play, rather than forcing the Black & Gold to make a poor one. Now, with seven or eight players sent to press the Crew, the home side began to make mistakes. Passes were sloppy, touches were not in control and the turnover numbers began going up more and more. By forcing Columbus into mistakes rather than banking on their press to generate them, Toluca got back into the game. Of course, the press was a significant part of Toluca’s comeback, but it was not the only reason they got back into the game. The Black & Gold’s inconsistencies reared their ugly heads again. Poor goalkeeping on multiple occasions from Schulte did more harm than good. The Crew’s defense is still aerially inept, the offense tends to struggle connecting passes and finishing “can’t miss” chances. These constant screw ups continue to sink Columbus in games where they have a good start, but fall over the finish line. For the second straight game, the Black & Gold blow a lead in the second half. Wilfried Nancy is all about building habits, but this certain trend is not one he will want to see continue.

Butler suspends Social Justice and Diversity requirements. Photo by Andrew Buckley. EMMA MCLEAN | MANAGING EDITOR | emclean@butler.edu CALEB DENORME | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | cdenorme@butler.edu Butler University has suspended its Social Justice and Diversity (SJD) academic requirement for students, citing compliance with government standards and trends. The university claims that the decision is intended to protect the institution’s access to state and federal funding, which includes grants and financial aid programs. In a message sent to the Butler community on July 24, university leadership clarified that while the SJD requirement is no longer mandatory, the associated courses will remain available as non-core options. The decision does not affect the availability or scheduling of current SJD-designated classes. This move comes nearly two months after Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita sent a letter to the university and President James Danko condemning Butler’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies. Rokita stated in the letter that “virtually all forms of racial discrimination—even those employed in service of the interests of diversity, equity, and inclusion—are unlawful.” The Attorney General asked Butler to provide answers regarding the university’s DEI policies by June 27 to analyze Butler’s concurrence with civil rights laws. Rokita wrote that Butler’s answers would also shed light on the university’s non-profit standing. Despite the changes in academic policy, Butler expressed a steadfast commitment to “fostering an inclusive, respectful, and intellectually vibrant campus community.” The university stated it would continue to offer resources through the Division of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Student Affairs (DEISA) for all students who wanted to participate. University leadership acknowledged that the change may raise concerns and promised ongoing dialogue and transparency as they navigate the evolving legal landscape. In a statement published by Butler’s Student Government Organization (SGA), President Eloise Ayotte and Vice President Elena Clark write, “We believe that engaging with diverse perspectives and social justice issues is essential to the academic and personal growth of every student … we will continue working to ensure [these values] are upheld in our classrooms, programs, and student spaces.” Proceeding without the SJD requirement raises concerns regarding Butler’s standing with DEI. While leadership promised continued support of inclusivity efforts, the future of broader DEI initiatives on campus is uncertain. The Butler Collegian will continue to report on this story.

The Columbus Crew were back in action for a midweek clash against Nashville SC, but fans will be wishing there was no game at all. The hosts took the lead just over a minute into the match, marking the second straight game where the Black & Gold have conceded within two minutes. Nashville grabbed another goal in the first half, sending the Crew into the locker room in a 2-0 hole. After the events in Cincinnati on Saturday, it was not a stretch to say Columbus could make the comeback. Unfortunately for fans of the Black & Gold, it was not meant to be. Nashville would eventually make it 3-0, and that is how the game would end. It was an incredibly ugly game from Wilfried Nancy’s side, so let’s dive into all the tactics that sent the Crew home with nothing to show for. Nashville’s well-thought-out gameplan Nashville came into this game with a clear motive on the offensive side. They were going to use Columbus’ tendency to attack and throw numbers forward against the Black & Gold. The hosts accomplished this by defending with eight players and leaving only two attackers up top. By locking down the defensive end, Nashville invited pressure onto the backline and drew the Crew out. The more Nashville dropped back, the more Columbus wanted to get numbers forward to find overloads. It was at these moments that the Black & Gold would be the most vulnerable on the back end, with Sean Zawadzki typically being the only defender deep. The deep backline would stopgap any type of approach from the Crew, then when the ball was turned over the emphasis was on the first pass out. One easy way to bypass Columbus’ repress is to play a quick long-ball over the top to the attack, which is exactly what Nashville decided to do. At the first whiff of a turnover in play, Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar drifted wide onto opposite ends of the field. Both attackers then became options for quick long-balls out of the back to trigger the counter. With Zawadzki only back to stop any counter chance, Nashville had a two vs. one chance if they could get the ball out fast enough. Many times they did, charging at an out-of-depth Zawadzki and attempting to outrun Steven Moreira and Yevhen Cheberko who were recovering. If Zawadzki took the ballcarrier away, the backside passes to Mukhtar or another trailing Nashville player would be open. If Zawadzki dropped off, he would just delay the problem until the attack was closer to Patrick Schulte’s goalmouth. Nashville was incredibly smart at taking a tenet of the Black & Gold’s philosophy – finding numerical overloads – and applying it to their own gameplan. The Crew want to commit nine players into the attack? That is fine for Nashville, they just countered the undermanned backline with two attackers to create an overload of their own. In the end, Columbus simply had no answers. Nashville ran riot for most of the night, netting three goals and sending the Black & Gold home with nothing to show for. Columbus’ shortcomings On both ends of the pitch, this game was a disaster for the Crew. The defense could only be described as “Swiss cheese” after conceding in the opening two minutes for the second straight game, this time courtesy of Zawadzki’s chest. Offensively, there was no real bright spot outside of a few chances that were blocked by the Nashville defense. Columbus has a history of games like this so far this season. One day, the Black & Gold will muster a comeback from 2-0 down against Cincinnati, but the next they can look pedestrian on offense and completely inept on defense. To give credit where credit is due, Nashville came into this game with a clear gameplan and a track record in the top half of the East, but the Crew are better than a 3-0 scoreline. The biggest and most glaring problem from Columbus was the sloppiness and complacency. Easy passes, touches and shooting opportunities looked impossible when a player in Black & Gold was attempting it. Chances to turn into space and open the game up were bypassed for dropped passes and negative movement. Easy mistakes like that engrain an almost lazy mentality in a team for a game. Everyone is looking around for someone to be the spark, but the spark never came. Along with the sloppy mistakes was an attack that missed the biggest opening Nashville gave up, the wide channels. The hosts defended with a narrow midfield three (or four sometimes), but Darlington Nagbe and Amar Sejdic were content to stay central. Often times this season we have seen the Crew’s midfielders drift wide as a temporary half-pivot to connect the backline to the higher wingbacks, but that never happened in this game. That small change could have helped Columbus build around that narrow midfield or pull those midfielders wide so Diego Rossi and Daniel Gazdag could drop into that vacated space. Unfortunately for the Black & Gold, that small switch never happened. Wednesday night in Nashville was the perfect storm of a midweek match, a sloppy performance and an opponent having a stellar gameplan to sink the Crew. Columbus still is in the top sector of the Eastern Conference, but they will not want a repeat of this performance anytime soon.

The Columbus Crew enjoyed a typical trip to Cincinnati on Saturday evening, coming from behind a 2-0 deficit to win 4-2 in Ohio’s southern city. After two goals in the opening five minutes by Pavel Bucha and Evander gave Cincinnati a lead, the Black & Gold responded by rattling off four unanswered goals to seal all three points and claim the state. Diego Rossi, Max Arfsten, and Taha Habroune all got onto the scoresheet, with Miles Robinson contributing to the score as well with an own goal. Cincinnati controlled the pace of the game at the beginning of both halves, but other than those times the Crew were threatening. Wilfried Nancy gets the best of Pat Noonan yet again on Cincinnati’s home patch, pulling Columbus within two points of the top of the Eastern Conference. Let’s dive into all the tactics that helped the Black & Gold land a Hell is Real victory in Cincinnati. A nightmare beginning For any Crew fan watching this game, the first five minutes had a feeling of dread attached to it. Bucha laced a first-time shot into the back of the net in the opening minute of the contest, followed by Evander finding the far corner on a half-volley outside the box. Both goals were gut punches to Columbus early in the match, but it is not uncommon to see the Black & Gold concede these goals. The first goal for example. Ibrahim Aliyu, who started at right wing-back in place of Mo Farsi, was caught waiting for a pass and had his pocket quickly picked by the Cincinnati defense. Aliyu’s complacent behavior left Steven Moreira in no-man’s land with a quick decision to make. The reigning MLS Defender of the Year was in between dropping off and committing to challenge the streaking Cincinnati ballcarrier. Moreira jumped up to try and halt the attack right there, but the opposing player got a touch before him, skipping down the sideline relatively unmarked. These two mistakes forced the Crew into a situation that no manager likes to see: overextension. Now the entire defense had to shift over to that right side with Aliyu too high up the pitch to defend and Moreira trailing the play. Columbus shifted over and were not correctly marked, leaving Bucha open at the top of the box on a late-arriving run. While the first two mistakes by Aliyu and Moreira gave Cincinnati an attacking chance, the marking for Bucha actually falls on the Black & Gold’s recovering midfielders. Looking at the Crew defense, many of the defenders and recovering midfielders were marking pockets of space rather than players. Dylan Chambost drops too deep, allowing Bucha to run into that open space and dispatch the goal. While this goal may look bad due to the immediacy of it in the match, it does tend to happen. With Columbus’ tendency to commit numbers forward comes times when pockets of space will be open and exploited. The first goal is a prime example of a turnover leading to a negative chain reaction. Cincinnati’s second goal is more on the raw attacking skill of Evander than anything the Black & Gold did wrong. The home side does well to switch the point of attack to the far side, giving Robinson a long-range look at goal which was blocked by Yevhen Cheberko. The follow-up shot by Evander is world-class. Bouncing across his body to the far corner is a ridiculous strike that would be difficult for any team to counter. If there were any points to learn about from this goal, it would be how the Crew’s midfield is caught standing. Chambost moves over to put pressure on Robinson, but Daniel Gazdag jogs behind the play, seemingly ready to sprint into the attack when Columbus wins the ball back. Again, not an egregious goal to concede due to the absurd strike from Evander, but there are small things the Black & Gold can work on to make sure it does not happen again. The opening five minutes might have been hell for the Crew, but Columbus was about to inflict some fire and brimstone on Cincinnati throughout the course of the next 85 minutes. Columbus’ response If there is one thing the Black & Gold love doing, it is coming back from 2-0 deficits in Cincinnati. The prospect of a comeback looked bleak in the opening minutes, but never count out Nancy’s men. After the first two goals went in, the Crew showed a direct intent to put pressure on Cincinnati on both sides of the ball. Let’s start defensively. True to form, Columbus pressed the home side constantly to try and turn the ball over. The Black & Gold defenders often pressed on Cincinnati’s first touch, looking to dislodge the ball the moment an attacker received it. The interesting tweak Nancy made was to have the Crew backline man-mark Cincinnati’s front three. Evander, Kevin Denkey, and former Columbus striker Kei Kamara were all man-marked constantly by Sean Zawadzki, Moreira, and Cheberko. Oddly enough, this did not mean that the Black & Gold were pulled out of position. The Crew backline did an amazing job at filling in and passing off marks, making it hard for Denkey and Kamara to get touches on the ball. Evander often dropped into the midfield deeper, allowing the defensive line to pass of his mark to the midfielders. This was key when Cincinnati opted to possess the ball rather than play on the counter. After going up two goals, the home side often decided to slow play down and possess around the Columbus repress. The pressure did not stop, but it was evident that Cincinnati was trying to take the sting out of the game and eliminate any foothold the Black & Gold might find. When Cincinnati possessed, they controlled the game. After a while though, the home team decided to play more on the counter as the Crew had more of the ball. Instead of trying to possess against Columbus when they gave away the ball, Cincinnati changed game plans to see if they could strike fast much like they did in the opening five minutes. That is where the game changed. Cincinnati started turning the ball over and could not hold play up – much due to the Black & Gold man-marking their attackers – allowing the Crew to have more of the ball going forward. As Cincinnati tried to counter and press, they also threw numbers forward and left the midfield wide open. This mistake gave Columbus acres of space to exploit and run into at a recovering Cincinnati backline. We saw this firsthand on the Black & Gold’s first goal. Darlington Nagbe breaks the initial line of pressure and runs for 50 yards into open space before offloading the ball to Aliyu. Much of this openness in the middle was due to Cincinnati’s pressure. Noonan’s side pressed with five, leaving only five players on a deep backline. The Crew took this space and used it to their advantage, bagging three goals until the Cincinnati coaching staff made a change. As soon as the home team began clogging up the middle, Columbus had to change their attacking focus yet again. Arfsten and Aliyu became more valuable on the flanks as Cincinnati contributed numbers to the middle, showcasing the Black & Gold’s multifaceted attack plan. In the end, Cincinnati may have inspired their own downfall with the reckless combination of a deep line and a high press. The Crew will not mind though, as they worked for every single goal they scored. It was another fairytale night in Cincinnati for the Black & Gold, but the home side was yet again haunted by the flames.

The Columbus Crew grabbed another three points on Sunday, this time against Eastern Conference leaders Philadelphia Union. It was a tale of two halves for the Black & Gold, spending much of the first half in Philadelphia’s territory but absorbing more pressure in the second half. Mo Farsi found the breakthrough near the end of the first half, when a cross from fellow wingback Lassi Lappalainan skipped into his path at the back post. From there, the Crew had a few more chances but were unable to convert any to double the lead. In the end, Columbus secured another big three points at home against one of MLS’ toughest teams. Wilfried Nancy and his coaching staff had some adjustments to make when Philadelphia attempted to flip the game on its head in the second half. Let’s dive into all the tactical decisions that went into the Black & Gold’s victory. First half This match was like playing two different games in one. In the first half, the Crew were the aggressors for much of the period. Much of that was due to how Philadelphia decided to defend. In the first half the Union opted to sit in a low block and defend with 10 players until there was an opportunity to counter Columbus. Philadelphia knew that the Black & Gold enjoyed having the ball and preying on opponents’ mistakes, so they allowed the Crew to keep the ball and try to get them to overextend themselves. When that overextension came, the Union tried to attack with pace at a recovering Columbus backline. Although Philadelphia at this point preferred to sit in a low block, they also had some pressure cooked up to keep the Black & Gold on their toes. The Union employed a compartmental press, going after the Crew when the ball was played backwards or to the sides. First off, when Columbus passed the ball backwards it gave Philadelphia to jump up the field on marks and try to force a high turnover. If this initial flurry did not yield a giveaway, the Union would retreat back into a low block until there was another opportunity to press. When the ball was with Sean Zawadzki, Philadelphia looked content to sit in their gaps and play prevent defense. However, as soon as a pass was played out wide to an outside centerback, midfielder or wingback, the Union would begin pressuring the Black & Gold. Philadelphia’s defense attempted to cut off passes to the inside and pushed the Crew towards the sideline, so they had limited passing options. Again, when the initial press did not yield a turnover, Philadelphia dropped back into the low defensive shape to wait for another opportunity to bring pressure. On the other side, Columbus had a few tactics of their own. Nancy knew that the Union likely wanted to sit back and then counter, so the French manager used that against them. While the Black & Gold enjoy building out of the back, when Philadelphia pressed the backline the Crew wingbacks would run in behind the defense. If timed right, the advancing Union backline could cause a streaking wingback to be played into space with a ball over the top. In the same vein, the wingbacks often checked back to the ball for a second before turning and streaking behind the defense. These dummy checks and runs gave Columbus verticality and a dangerous option in behind. In the buildup, the Black & Gold went with a 2-3-5 or 1-3-1-5 look. Steven Moreira often moved into the midfield alongside Darlington Nagbe and Amar Sejdic in the 2-3-5. As the Crew got higher up the field they transitioned into a 1-3-1-5, with both outside centerbacks in the midfield and Sejdic as a roaming no. 8 between the midfield and attacking line. These formational changes and decision to build out of a two- or one-man backline showed Columbus’ intent to get forward and score in the first half, which eventually they did. Second half The second half was a different story than the prior period. After a nearly hour-long weather delay, both teams returned to the pitch with differing strategies yet again. This time, Philadelphia became more aggressive while the Black & Gold struggled to deal with the Union’s newfound boldness. The biggest change was Philadelphia ditching the compartmental pressure and deciding to go with mostly constant pressure. Instead of only pressing in spurts, the Union engaged a press and kept applying it until the Crew broke it or turned the ball over. This gave Columbus some serious problems. The change of pace of the press caught them off guard and they struggled to break it. Philadelphia closed down passing lanes, players and the ball quicker than they did in the first half. This more direct approach from the Union certainly gave the Black & Gold issues. The other big change for the Union was that they did not employ a low block as much as they did in the first half, if at all. Philadelphia’s press warranted them to push their backline higher as well. If they had not moved up their defensive line, there would have been a massive gap for substitute Jacen Russell-Rowe to utilize and break the press. This change left spaces in behind to be exploited by substitute Ibrahim Aliyu and Farsi, but the Crew struggled to have time enough to play those balls over the top. Columbus’ best chances came when they broke the press through the inside channels that Diego Rossi and Daniel Gazdag dropped into. The Black & Gold made some changes of their own at halftime as well. Nancy brought on Russell-Rowe, Aliyu and Andres Herrera and changed the possession shape to build out of the back. Instead of possessing in a 2-3-5 or 1-3-1-5, the Crew reverted to a three-back buildup shape. Morphing into a 3-2-5 gave Columbus increased stability at the back and more passing options on that defense to break Philadelphia’s ramped-up press. Again, there were problems concerning the Union’s direct pressure and how to break it. The Black & Gold did well a few times to find the dropper in the inside channel to turn and break the pressure, but it did not happen often enough to put Philadelphia’s defense under constant pressure. In the end, the Crew’s defense held a shutout and limited the Union attack to claim a clean sheet and the win. Nancy may not be happy with the performance in total, but the three points is all that will matter in the long run.

The Columbus Crew grabbed a second consecutive win on Wednesday, downing Atlanta United 3-1. Columbus’ offense exploded in the first half, netting three goals courtesy of Andres Herrera and Jacen Russell-Rowe. Atlanta’s defense was lacking in the first 45, allowing the Black & Gold to run rampant and pepper Brad Guzan’s goalmouth with shots. In the second half though, the Five Stripes fought back. Brooks Lennon netted a goal that was nearly cleared off the line by Yevhen Cheberko in the first 15 minutes of the second half, allowing Atlanta back into the contest. Luckily for the home fans, the Crew eventually prevailed and came away with all three points. This was one of the best performances of Columbus’ season to date. Let’s dive into all the tactics that saw Wilfried Nancy’s men claim a victory. Offensive dominance and Atlanta’s leaky defense The first half of this matchup was nothing short of a dream for the Black & Gold. The Crew produced three goals and could have bagged more if not for the heroics of Guzan. Herrera opened up the scoring with a ball over the top from Dylan Chambost that he brought down under pressure and calmly dispatched into the back of the net. Russell-Rowe doubled the lead a short time later, sneaking a low shot past Guzan’s foot at the front post. The Canadian striker would then grab his brace off a sublime Diego Rossi dish just minutes before halftime to put the Crew up 3-0 heading into the break. There have been many criticisms of Columbus in recent weeks when the Black & Gold struggled to generate a victory. One of those blights was the fact that the Crew’s offense has looked stagnant and unimaginative at times, but that was not the case in this game. For starters, Columbus utilized a host of formations in this match that put immense pressure on Atlanta’s backline. In buildups coming out of their own half, the Black & Gold morphed into a 2-3-5 with Steven Moreira joining the midfield alongside Darlington Nagbe and Chambost. When the Crew advanced into Atlanta’s half, Cheberko moved up to aid in the buildup on a shortened pitch, changing Columbus’ shape into a 1-4-5. In that 1-4-5, Rossi and Daniel Gazdag often dropped into the midfield to exploit a gap in between Atlanta’s defense and midfielders, essentially shifting the Black & Gold into a 1-4-2-3. Finally, at the end of the first half, the Crew changed yet again. This time, Moreira joined Herrera up high as a double winger tandem, giving Columbus a 2-2-6 look. All these formation shifts are nothing new, but it did put an insane amount of pressure on Atlanta’s inexperienced defense. The Black & Gold’s main plan of attack was to overload the right side with Moreira, Herrera and Chambost. Often those three would be able to combine and unlock the defense, sending the Five Stripes scrambling to cover all the Crew attackers running into the box. From that standpoint, Columbus’ offense looked more dynamic than they had been this season. It was a welcome sight for fans that were craving wins at home after a horrid stretch in May and early June. On the other side of the ball, Atlanta also contributed to this dominance by putting forth one of the worst defensive performances they possibly could muster. Teams have bad games, but there were a few specific things that the Five Stripes got horribly wrong which led to the Black & Gold capitalizing. The first issue was Atlanta’s spacing. After the first flurry of Crew attacks came, the visitors’ backline began to drop further and further back towards their goal. Miguel Almiron and Emmanuel Latte Lath did not want to drop deeper, so they stayed high up the pitch. This meant that Atlanta’s midfielders had to cover a massive amount of ground, which was not feasible. This mistake gave Rossi and Gazdag room to drop in behind the midfielders and run at the defense, or Nagbe and Chambost space to drive the ball forward towards a deep midfield. The second big issue rests squarely on the shoulders of Atlanta’s attacking duo. When the Five Stripes won the ball, Almiron and Latte Lath were not in a position to retrieve a pass from their teammates. This allowed Columbus to regain possession on a turnover or by winning a long ball. The last and possibly most glaring issue for Atlanta was the turnovers. The visitors were extremely slopping in possession and gifted the Black & Gold a lot of great chances. Guzan bailed them out of a few, but the most glaring turnover gave the Crew their third goal of the night. The combination of Columbus finding their offensive footing and Atlanta self-destructing in the first half decided the outcome of this game. Fans of the Black & Gold will want to see more of the same at the weekend. Daniel Gazdag’s best game in the Black & Gold kit Critics have been extremely loud about the play of Gazdag since he came over from the Philadelphia Union earlier in the summer. Gazdag – Philadelphia’s club record goal scorer – has managed zero goals in 11 appearances with the Crew this season. Touted as the, or one of, the solutions to the departure of Cucho Hernandez, Gazdag has not hit the ground running. He has often looked lost and has not been able to get the goal to start off his account in Columbus. That being said, although he did not score on Wednesday against Atlanta, the Hungarian was much improved. Gazdag challenged Guzan to make a couple world-class saves throughout the first half, with great attacking play that could have netted him a brace. Outside of the shots though, Gazdag was extremely involved in the buildup and got into the right spaces. On Herrera’s goal, Gazdag was there in the middle of the box as an option for the wingback to pass to if he opted to. In the buildup, Gazdag was crafty and found good spaces to facilitate attacking play. Now, an attacker of Gazdag’s quality will always be measured in statistics. How many goals and assists can he provide the Black & Gold will be the question going forward. That being said, he has come a long way from what he looked like in his first few games with the Crew. We have seen this type of struggle before out of high-profile DP’s coming to the club. Fans do not need to think back too far to remember Rossi first coming to the club as Lucas Zelarayan’s replacement. Those first few games during that 2023 season that Rossi was put into were tough for him to fit in, but eventually he found his form and has been an invaluable player for the Black & Gold ever since. So, what is the point of saying all this? There is a proven track record that players who are brought into Nancy’s system have an adjustment period. Only Cucho Hernandez – regarded as one of the best players in club history – was able to hit the ground relatively running. Chambost, Rossi and even Christian Ramirez too time to settle into Nancy’s system. Gazdag has had time to do so, and you can see him beginning to mesh with the squad and understand more of the tactical system Nancy wants to play. Do not be surprised if he bags a goal or two on Sunday against Philadelphia. Once he gets one, the floodgates will be open and the rest of MLS will need to be on watch.

The Columbus Crew returned to its winning ways on Saturday, taking down the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1. After a break, the Black & Gold returned home to face the team at the top of the Western Conference. Although Vancouver was missing a host of typical contributors, they posed a sizable threat. Columbus took the lead moments into the match when Ibrahim Aliyu got on the end of a cross by Lassi Lappalainen, stunning the Whitecaps from the jump. However, the lead lasted mere minutes after a deflected shot careened past an already-diving Evan Bush to even the game. Later, a careless giveaway by the Vancouver defense and an incisive pass from Daniel Gazdag saw Diego Rossi score the Crew’s second of the night. For the rest of the game, it was Columbus dominance. The Black & Gold scored three more goals, but all three were called back for offside. When the final whistle blew, the Crew gained another three points for the first time in what feels like forever. With a rotated squad, Wilfried Nancy had to make some tactical tweaks in this game. Let’s dive into all the tactics that influenced the outcome. Aliyu at wingback One of the biggest surprises of the night was the inclusion of Aliyu in the starting lineup when there already seemed to be three attacking players in the XI. At kickoff, it was apparent that Aliyu would play a different role than usual for Columbus: wingback. With Max Arfsten on and Mo Farsi returning from international duty, Aliyu and Lappalainen started on the flanks. From the opening kick, this decision seemed to reap dividends after the two connected for the first goal. After coming in from the Houston Dynamo, Aliyu has primarily played in the fluid front three at the spearhead of Nancy’s team. In that role he did well, bagging a goal or two and often looking dangerous around the goalmouth. Like so many other players though, you have to be adaptable to play in Nancy’s system. Moving to the wingback spot for this game, Aliyu fit in decently well. A tenet of playing wingback in Columbus’ system is that you must be able be a dangerous attacker along with a competent defender. Aliyu fit the bill of being dangerous on the attack instantly. On offense, Aliyu stayed high and wide until he saw an opportunity to cut inside behind the outside shoulder of the defender. With most of the defense focused on the fluid front three in the middle, this gave Aliyu a number of chances to cut inside and get behind the defense unmarked. Unfortunately for him, many of these runs were called offside. Vancouver did a good job of keeping a high line and baiting the Black & Gold into those offsides calls. Many of the decisions were close, but it kept the Crew from getting a third, fourth, or fifth goal of the night. Although he offered a different dynamic in attack on the outside, there is still room for improvement. Aliyu currently lacks the touch to play wingback consistently, losing the ball off his foot due to a bad trap or not even getting a touch on the ball. One of the things that makes Farsi so valuable is his ability to bring the ball down instantly and then drive at the defender. On the outside, there is not typically a ton of time to get control with a few touches, so you need to bring the ball under control with as few as possible. Other than the issue of ball control, this game was a really good showing for Aliyu. Now, Columbus knows that if injury or international duty strikes the Black & Gold again, they have a reserve wingback in Aliyu. Columbus’ offensive formational overload Throughout this match the Crew attacked Vancouver by overloading the different phases of the Whitecaps’ formation. From back to front, Columbus altered their formation to have a numerical advantage no matter what area of the pitch they were in. Beginning in Nancy’s classic 3-2-5 offensive formation, the Black & Gold could change whatever they wanted about their shape. The Whitecaps’ offensive line included only one striker, so Andres Herrera moved more forward into the midfield alongside Darlington Nagbe and Amar Sejdic. It does not take three defenders to overload a single striker, so Herrera moved forward on offense. From there, Sean Zawadzki and Yevhen Cheberko played a two-man game along with the midfield to pass around and isolate the single attacker. Once play bypassed the attacking line, the Crew began to overload the midfield. Vancouver defended in a 5-4-1, meaning Columbus needed a minimum of five players to overload the midfield. With Herrera alongside Nagbe and Sejdic, AZ Jackson also dropped into the left midfield pocket to be the fourth option. From there, Rossi, Gazdag, or even Cheberko could move into the midfield to yet again have a numbers advantage over Vancouver’s midfield group. From that moment forward the offensive overload was easy. The Crew committed players forward in the attack and condensed the Vancouver formation. With all the attacking options Columbus had, overloading the defense is the most common formational overload the Black & Gold do. In one movement, the Crew can go from a 2-3-5, to a 1-5-4, and then to a 1-3-6 or 2-2-6. These formational changes are not just indicative of Columbus wanting to attack; it is committing players to a certain area of the pitch so they can win the numbers battle. This creates confusion on Vancouver’s part to mark all these newly arriving players, but it also gives the Black & Gold enough manpower to combine and pass through the defense at any given moment. These changes not only got the Crew three points, but it put this Columbus team back on the right track after a rough month. The Black & Gold played true Nancy-ball on Saturday, a welcome sight for weary eyes.

The Columbus Crew’s winless streak continued as they fell to Inter Miami 5-1 on May 31st. The hosts struck early and often, thanks to defensive mistakes by the Columbus backline and goalkeeper Nico Hagen. Miami netted three goals in the first 25 minutes of the match, heading into the intermission with a 3-0 lead. A header from substitute Cesar Ruvalcaba brought the deficit back to two, but more poor defending and goalkeeping allowed Miami to continue the onslaught. Ultimately, Miami walked away with a comfortable 5-1 victory and the season sweep over the Black & Gold. The Crew has not won a game since May 3, nearly a month ago. In victory as well as defeats, there are tactics at play by both sides that dictated the outcome of this game. Let’s dive into all the tactics that handed Columbus one of the biggest losses of the Wilfried Nancy era. Playing into Miami’s hands As many fans saw in the last matchup against Miami, Javier Mascherano’s side often plays better on the counterattack. Although Miami is among the league leaders in possession, sucking an opponent in and countering with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez would be a potent gameplan for any team in the world. With the Crew leading the league in overall possession, their play style gave Miami a perfect chance to play on the counterattack. The hosts sat in an extremely narrow 4-4-2 on defense and forced Columbus to attack down the flanks. Many of the Black & Gold’s turnovers came in the center of the pitch due to the congestion of the Miami players in that same area. Due to Miami’s narrow approach, the emphasis was now on Max Arfsten and Mo Farsi to cultivate the attacks. Early in the game, Miami rotated its entire formation to the ball-dominant side to leave the backside of the defense wide open. With all the other attacking options stopped by Miami’s narrow approach, the Black & Gold’s best attack opportunities came on aerial balls to the backside wingback. To get those wide chances, the Crew had to commit sizable numbers into the attack. Columbus is not shy about getting defenders forward into an attacking phase, but this time it was exactly what Miami wanted them to do. The second the wingbacks and outside centerbacks flew forward for the Black & Gold, Messi started to roam to find space and be an outlet. From there, when the Crew turned the ball over it was a track meet. Miami threw numbers forward at a disorganized and recovering Columbus defense, reaping the benefits on multiple occasions. The Black & Gold’s recklessness with the ball and on defense landed them in a three-goal hole only a half hour into the match, which meant they had to send more players forward to chip away at the deficit. This cycle of throwing numbers forward, getting countered and conceding a goal was seemingly never-ending, but there was one are of the pitch that influenced the game more than another. The key for Miami in this game was winning the midfield battle. The Crew typically plays with two true midfielders, with outside centerbacks and attackers occasionally dropping in to fill voids. Miami knew the Columbus was light on defensive roles, so they overloaded the midfield. On offense, the hosts essentially transformed into a 4-4-1-1 with Messi as the attacking midfielder. Runners would push back the defensive line for the Black & Gold, allowing Messi and Sergio Busquets the time and space to create against an undermanned Crew midfield. From there, it was goal after goal until the final whistle mercifully blew for Columbus. This loss caps off the Black & Gold’s dismal month. The bad and the ugly Contrary to prior belief, the Crew’s biggest problem is their defense. Originally missing a true goalscoring threat to cap off the dynamic attack, Columbus’ biggest issue has morphed from an inability to score to a lack of defensive stability. Part of the problem is the inherent system. Nancy prides himself on allowing his players to go out and play beautiful soccer, but it does leave the defense exposed at times. With experienced defenders like Steven Moreira, Rudy Camacho and Malte Amundsen anchoring the backline, the Black & Gold used to be able to sort out those transition moments. As time has gone on, that cool-headed but stout defensive approach has vanished into thin air. Goals are going to be scored on a defensive line that plays high and allows it’s outside centerbacks to make runs into the attack. It is up to the offense to outscore opponents, but the defense also has to limit the damage. In recent weeks the Crew have not been limiting damage, they have rolled out the red carpet and invited it. One huge issue has been the number of turnovers. Columbus got into a rut of giving the ball away in the worst possible places and times. That brings on reactionary defending, which creates mistakes and allows the other team to capitalize. The Black & Gold are gifting opportunities to other teams at a rapid pace, which is not sustainable with the current offense. Another problem has been the communication and chemistry. For the Crew to play high-intensity transition defense, there needs to be a lot of communication about marks, where to set the defensive line and who can cover for players who run into the attack. Columbus has missed the mark on all three of these points. Farsi dropped too deep on Miami’s first and third goal to keep the runner onside. There were numerous back post marks that went undefended. Outside centerbacks will make runs and be too slow to get back or not communicate with someone to cover. All three of those defensive tenets have been poor for the Black & Gold in the month of May. The strength of a team starts from the back, and right now, the defensive line for the Crew is one of the weakest links. The weakest link, however, has been the play of Hagen. Taking over for the injured Patrick Schulte, Hagen has routinely not been able to give Columbus stability in between the posts. The Guatemalan’s positioning is not at a pro-level – consistently giving up his front post (Miami’s fourth goal) and getting caught off his line in no-man’s land when he needs to decide whether to drop back or rush the attacker (Miami’s first and third goals, and Charlotte’s corner goal a few weeks ago). On top of that, he withers when he makes mistakes. One of the purest qualities a goalkeeper can have is a short memory. Make a mistake? Put it out of your mind and execute. After Hagen essentially handed Messi the ball, got chipped, made a mess of tipping it over the bar, and ultimately gave up a goal, he could not play out of the back with his feet for the rest of the match. Every time the Crew gave the goalkeeper a back pass, Hagen would hit it long and direct or play a half-hearted nervous pass. At the end of the day, if you need a goalkeeper to step up and be a pure shot stopper, Hagen can do it. He has the ability to make great saves when he has to, but the rest of his game is unpolished and sloppy. If he continues to start in Schulte’s absence, the Black & Gold will have a liability between the posts. As for the rest of the team, this two-week break gives the Crew time to take a breath, get healthy and figure some things out. For Nancy and his coaching staff, the international window could not have come at a better time. It is back to the drawing board for Columbus, because this team is better than their record in the month of May.