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The Columbus Crew made it three straight wins on Saturday night, completing a season sweep against D.C. United with a 2-0 win at Audi Field. The Black & Gold have now scored 12 goals over the past three games while conceding just once to keep their hot streak going. Playmaker Lucas Zelarayan converted a penalty in the first half to get Columbus on the board and forward Christian Ramirez added another to his tally to put the Crew up by two early in the second half. From there, the Black & Gold never looked back. Much of what Columbus did was similar to previous games, but the Crew keyed in on attacking where D.C. had weaknesses. Let’s dive into the tactical side of this match. Playing in a 3-1-5-1 formation in possession The Black & Gold have switched up formations in-game quite often this season based on when they have or do not have the ball. Last weekend, Columbus opted to attack United in a 3-1-5-1 formation and it yielded pretty good results on the attacking end. Starting from the back, the Crew kept the three center backs in their normal positioning to help keep possession and prevent D.C. from breaking forward. Aidan Morris sat right in front of the back three as the lone defensive midfielder to provide a passing option, along with additional defensive cover if the ball was turned over. The wing backs pushed up the field and tightrope the touchline, giving the Black & Gold as much width as possible to attack. Lucas Zelarayan, Alexandru Matan and Darlington Nagbe played almost as three attacking midfielders with Matan on the left, Zelarayan in the middle and Nagbe often on the right side. Forward Christian Ramirez stayed in his striker position but played roamed more that in previous matches. He often mixed up his runs, with some in behind the defense but also dropped into the midfield occasionally. Either way, he posed an attacking option for whoever had the ball. The 3-1-5-1 offered balance between offense and defense. On the defensive side, the Crew still had four defenders back in case of a high turnover. On the offensive side, Columbus had several attacking options in the middle and out wide to pose a threat to the opposing goal. Specifically, against D.C., this formation worked well because the home side played very narrow defensively to combat the three attacking midfielders. This meant that the Black & Gold were able to do what they do best, attack from wide areas. Again, offensive formations are subject to change based on personnel and opponents, but head coach Wilfried Nancy got this one absolutely spot on to exploit United’s defense. Committing numbers forward The Crew has been masterful in this recent stretch at attacking, but also keeping the opponents bottled in its own half. This is due to how many men Columbus send forward in attack. Routinely, the Black & Gold commit up to eight players forward in the attacking third when they have the ball. This means that often times one center back, usually Steven Moreira, joins the attack alongside both wing backs, the midfielders and the attackers. Typically committing that many players forward can be a double-edged sword, but Nancy has stated that he wants his team to play bravely. This means that he trusts center backs Milos Degenek and Gustavo Vallecilla to be able to ward off any counter attacks. On the offensive side, this means a few things. First, the Crew can create numerical overloads and combine to create chances. This is one of the staples of Nancy’s offensive system, and with skilled players like Zelarayan, Nagbe and Matan operating in the middle, it has a high chance of being successful. Second, the Black & Gold are able to maintain width with the wing backs. This can cause the defense to stretch and create space inside for others to operate. On the flip side, if the defense decides to stay narrow, it allows the wide players to create and have time to put crosses into the penalty box. Third, it’s overwhelming to mark eight players. Teams need communication to work out what is going on defensively. The level of communication that opponents need to have when marking eight players while having their backs against their goal is extremely difficult. It gets even harder when the attackers move dynamically and make runs. On the defensive side, the key for Columbus is to keep the opponent in the defensive half and not get countered. The Black & Gold have done a good job of that during this stretch due to a combination of the center backs being solid and the attacking players putting pressure on the opponent. There will likely be some occasions where the Crew will get countered and give up a goal, but right now the Black & Gold are stifling teams with their attacking numbers. Putting pressure on the ball instantly This is the biggest difference in how the Crew plays defensively this year versus last year. Last season, Columbus often pressed for a little bit after losing possession but then dropped back into the team’s defensive shape. This season, that has changed. Now the Black & Gold do not allow opposing players to have time on the ball other than center backs. Nancy has sent a message that teams the Crew face will have to beat them with quick combinations or counter attacks because the Black & Gold will not have much time before a Columbus player presses. The best example of this is Morris. His play has been spectacular this year because before opponents even get their first touch, he is already trying to tackle the ball and win back possession. Keep in mind, the Crew still organize defensively, and don’t do an all-out press, but there is an urgency to put pressure on opponents when they have the ball. This also brings the topic of energy into the conversation. Watching Crew games last year was tough because some players just didn’t seem to have any energy or spark. This season, that narrative has flipped. This squad looks energetic, quick and lively in every aspect, which contributes to the results.

The Columbus Crew won the team’s second game straight at home with a 4-0 thrashing of Real Salt Lake. This win moved the Black & Gold up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference and set an offensive milestone for the club, scoring 10 goals in the last two games. Central midfielder Aidan Morris was the star of the night, scoring a brace and bossing the midfield throughout the 90 minutes. Playmaker Lucas Zelarayan also got in on the scoring action from the penalty spot and winger Yaw Yeboah finished off the visitors with the fourth goal in second half stoppage time. The Crew has looked much better these last two games with new tactical nuances being revealed in each. Let’s dive into this match. Moreira and Nagbe play as half pivots Earlier in the season, fans saw Morris play the role of a half pivot, or a player that takes space between the outside center back and the wing backs so a wing back can get higher up the pitch. This happened often on Saturday night, but there was a new twist. Both right center back Steven Moreira and center back Darlington Nagbe played the role at the same time. When the Black & Gold had possession, Nagbe drifted out left to take up the space left wing back Will Sands vacated going forward. This allowed Sands to get higher up the pitch in almost a winger position without leaving too much space behind. On the right side, Moreira did the same thing so that right wing back Mohamed Farsi could push forward as well. This left more space in the middle for Morris to occupy, along with Alexandru Matan and Zelarayan. Both attacking midfielders were free to drop back and help build out of the back and Columbus could maintain the team’s width. Now the question is what is gained by having two pivots instead of only one? With two pivots, Columbus got both wing backs into wide attacking positions instead of just one. This stretched the RSL defense and opened up space in the middle for the midfielders to create. It also made the Crew less predictable because now the team can get the ball to a wing back on either side, rather than focusing on one flank. The Black & Gold then built normally from the back, being patient and only going forward when it was open. It was still the same offensive system being employed by head coach Wilfried Nancy, just with the wrinkle of having two pivots, rather than one. Changing formation offensively It’s no secret that Nancy prefers to line up in a 3-4-2-1 or some other variation of a five/three-back system. But when Columbus got possession on offense, the team switched how it looked drastically from a formation standpoint. On defense, the Crew settled into a 5-3-2 formation. As soon as they won the ball back, however, the Black & Gold switched to something looking more like a 4-1-4-1. Milos Degenek and Gustavo Vallecilla manned the center back positions that have previously been in a four-back system. As mentioned, Nagbe and Moreira stepped into the outside fullback positions while operating as half pivots, while Morris would be the lone central midfielder. Higher up the pitch, Zelarayan and Matan stay as dual No. 10s, with Farsi and Sands as wingers. Christian Ramirez was the lone striker. This was a risk/reward call by Nancy. The offensive output was the reward, but also the defensive risk. Often the Crew gets around eight players into the attacking third as much as possible, leaving two defenders back to cover the counter. This means there usually will be an open man on the offensive end due to the overload of players in that area. That’s the reason why Columbus had so many attacking opportunities throughout the game. On the risk side, the Black & Gold dared RSL to counter with the team’s two strikers going against Degenek and Vallecilla. It was a classic training ground 2 v. 2 battle between the visiting attackers and the home defenders, and it was overall won by the Crew. The shift from a defensive five backline to an offensive-oriented back four is one of the main reasons Columbus had such attacking success, and it’s something to keep an eye out for in the coming games. What is Nancy’s offensive system? Nancy hasn’t taken long to put his imprint on the Crew, but what exactly is his offensive system? After six games, fans of the Black & Gold can agree this team is fun to watch. The question is what sets this team apart offensively from past Columbus squads. After watching the game tape, there are four keys for Columbus in the attacking third. The first is getting around seven to eight players forward in attack. This usually means that in a typical three-back offensive system, one center back joins the attack. This has been Moreira. This gives the Crew a numerical advantage and forces opponents to choose how to defend. Opponents can leave attackers forward to counter, but risk getting overloaded. The other option is to defend with nine or 10 players, but then are pinned deep with no outlet. This is exactly the dilemma that Nancy wants teams to face. The second key is attacking from the wide areas of the pitch. This is why the Black & Gold put so much effort into getting the wing backs forward. It stretches the defense, which frees up space inside for skilled players like Zelarayan and Matan to operate. This also applies to attacking players drifting out wide, like Zelarayan and Cucho Hernandez did earlier in the season before the forward got hurt. This approach keeps defenses on its toes and allows players to create in 1 v. 1 situations. The third key is the front three dropping deeper or receiving the ball to feet. This has been more the case since Ramirez took up the mantle of the starting striker after Hernandez’s injury because that’s more his play style. This approach draws the center backs out and allows space to open up behind, which brings up the fourth key: secondary runners. When the attackers drop in and the center back covers, the passing lanes open up quickly. This is why the first runner through isn’t always the best pass to make because the defense’s focus is on them. That being said, not every goal is going to be scored by a secondary runner, but it is a common theme that keeps popping up in different games. This is the reason why it will be interesting to see where Hernandez fits into this peaking Crew team when he comes back. He will definitely be a starter, but watch if the team’s style changes with him in the lineup compared to other players.

The Columbus Crew thrashed Atlanta United at home on Saturday night with an offensive explosion that resulted in a 6-1 win. It was one of the most dominant wins in Black & Gold history with four players scoring their first goals for the club. This was a game that many Columbus fans did not look on with optimism, as the home side playing without the likes of goalkeeper Eloy Room, midfielder Lucas Zelarayan, forward Cucho Hernandez and center back Milos Degenek due to international duty or injury. Atlanta came in atop the Eastern Conference but was missing a few players as well such as World Cup champion Thiago Almada and U.S. center back Miles Robinson. In a battle of undermanned teams, the question was who would rise to the occasion. The answer was convincingly the Crew. The Black & Gold employed a similar game plan to recent weeks but played in a different formation, which rendered a positive result. Let’s dive into what worked so well in this match. Playing a 5-2-1-2/3-5-2 The biggest change head coach Wilfried Nancy made to his squad was opting to go with two strikers up top instead of just one. In recent weeks, the Crew lined up in a variation of the 5-2-2-1 formation, but that changed on Saturday night. Despite being low on center backs, Nancy stuck with his preferred back five/three defensive look. Philip Quinton moved to the center of the three center backs and Gustavo Vallecilla made his debut, giving the Black & Gold a left-footed left center back. The Crew controlled the game from the start due largely to how this different set up moving forward. Taking a player out of midfield and using two strikers gave playmaker Alexandru Matan more room to create and roam. While any Columbus team will be better with Zelarayan in the lineup, vacating that space by taking out the second attacking midfielder gave Matan more room to operate. Not only did Matan have more space, but so did central midfielders Aidan Morris and Darlington Nagbe. Often, Morris recognized the space in front of him and charged forward, gaining ground for the Crew. This was one of the advantages of playing a two-striker formation. The downside was that the Black & Gold did not have as many players in the middle of the pitch to combine in the build-up. But this wasn’t a factor because both strikers accommodated for that. Occasionally, Christian Ramirez or Jacen Russel-Rowe would drop into the midfield area to play a quick one-two to help advance the ball up the pitch. The beauty of this formation is the ability to shift into other structures when needed. For example, Columbus attacked in a 5-2-1-2/3-5-2 but defended in a 5-2-3 because it better suited the team’s pressing style and defensive setup. This is a very fluid formation that can do a lot of different things if Nancy wanted it to. Overall, the Crew’s flow offensively looked better, but now the question is where does Nancy go when he has everyone available? Only time will tell, but having too many players now playing well is a good problem for the Black & Gold to have. The positioning of Matan Watching Matan on Saturday night was a thing of beauty for those who tracked his movements and paid attention to what he was doing. He played a vital role in the Crew’s victory, but it wasn’t for playing a set position. Matan was all over the attacking third, which simply means that he was playing as a position-less player. We’ve seen the Black & Gold do this previously on occasion, most recently with Hernandez given free rein to roam up top. Noticable was Matan’s reading of the game and how he was able to find pockets of space for himself in promising attacking areas. Sometimes it was in the middle in the space of a traditional attacking midfielder, but other times he drifted out wide almost as a winger and attack from an angle. Matan drifting wide created space for the two strikers by drawing a defender with him. From there, the forwards can go 1 v. 1 against the center backs and a well-timed ball could put them in behind the defense. This also kept the defenders on their toes. It’s hard work marking a front two and also having to worry about where Matan is because he is so hard to get off of the ball once he has it. He enjoys tight spaces and even in this early seaso has shown the willingness to dribble at defenses. It will be interesting to see how Zelarayan fits into this role, because he has done this in the past as well but is considered more of a traditional central attacking midfielder, whereas Matan has more pace and ability to shift. Just another thing to look out for in the coming weeks. Columbus’ press vs. Atlanta’s press Both teams would have liked to press high, but the Black & Gold were the team that was sharper in that area of the game on Saturday. While both squads had the intention to press, they went about it in different ways. United wanted to press hard to the ball, meaning almost all the time that Columbus was in possession in its own half Atlanta, sent a man to press the player on the ball. This was typically their striker Miguel Berry. The problem with that approach from the Five Stripes was that an aggressive, on-ball press can leave teams vulnerable behind. With the Crew wanting the play out of the back, this played straight into the home side’s hands. While the Black & Gold struggle with the New York Red Bulls’ press, they looked better on Saturday. Columbus played the ball quicker with one-touch passing and was calm and composed. The Crew’s press on the other hand was a tad delayed. If the Blcak & Gold lost the ball, they pressed with numbers right away if they thought they could win it back. If not, Columbus called off the press and drop back into a 5-2-3 and man-marking system. The front three of Russel-Rowe, Ramirez and Matan slowly move forward to put more urgency on the backline in possession, while the wing backs and midfielders man-marked to take away options to play through the center of the field. This is why United sent up so many long balls with no options and the Crew was patient in the delayed press. Quinton and Vallecilla were able to eat up those long passes and gift Columbus with possession again and again. It was yet another bright spot of what Nancy is building with the Black & Gold and an example of how good the Crew can be with more time and practice.

The Columbus Crew fell on the road to the New York Red Bulls, losing 2-1 on Saturday in what was a rough night for the Black & Gold. The Crew went up 1-0 in the first half after Alexandru Matan bagged his first goal for Columbus. From there, the Red Bulls had their way, scoring two goals in the second half to send the Crew home with nothing to show for their trip. It was a frustrating game for the Crew and growing pains plagued Wilfried Nancy’s team again in this early season. Let’s dive into what the Black & Gold did tactically in this match. Strategy on offense All of MLS knows that New York loves to press high, which was why Nancy said this matchup for the Crew was going to be very telling of how far the team has come. Columbus did a few things to combat this high press, but nothing materialized that led to concrete goalscoring chances. The first thing the Black & Gold did was send the outside center backs really wide to stretch the Red Bulls press. Center backs Phillip Quinton and Steven Moreira drifted close to the sideline in an attempt to create passing lanes inside or find a pass to the wing back. Often to help this, midfielder Aidan Morris played as a half-pivot on Quinton’s side so that left wing back Will Sands could push up the pitch. If the Crew made it out of the back, the strategy up top surprisingly didn’t change much with forward Cucho Hernandez missing from the lineup. Often Matan or Lucas Zelarayan played as a False 9, attempting to draw the opposing center backs out of position to allow the attacking midfielders or wing backs to make runs in behind. The problem for the Black & Gold was getting the ball up into those attacking areas. Too often, they tried to play centrally through the Red Bulls, which is the strength of their press. Columbus needed to connect and get the ball to the outside where the players could go one-on-one or go direct down the field. Perhaps young forward Jacen Russell-Rowe would have been a better option from the start of this game because his bigger frame and natural positioning likely would have been more ideal for holding the ball after the direct passes than Zelarayan or Matan. The flanks need to be more utilized by the Black & Gold going forward. The Crew had zero crosses in the game and was committed to going through the middle by playing through balls but didn’t adjust when it wasn’t working. Similar defensive styles. Different offensive results The Crew and the Red Bulls have somewhat similar styles in the way the teams set up to play in certain parts of the game. For example, both teams like to press high but have different styles of press. Columbus likes to press when the team loses the ball and try to win it back right away to possess again. New York does the same thing, but with a more aggressive, constant style. The difference between these teams was what they did when they won the ball back, and the offensive results were vastly different because of this. Often when the Black & Gold won possession, the ball went back to the center backs and was moved around the backline. The Crew had the ball a lot, 62.2 percent of it, but wasn’t aggressive enough to try and advance the ball to possess in New York’s half rather than their own. The Red Bulls, on the other hand, looked to advance the ball up the pitch right after winning it. If that wasn’t on, then New York pulled it back. This is type of pressing and counter attacking aggression that put the Black & Gold on the back foot on both goals they conceded. It is what the Red Bulls have done for years to promising results and Columbus couldn’t handle it despite knowing what was coming or press and push enough themselves. If the Crew had looked to go forward with the ball instead of back, the Black & Gold could have broken the press on multiple occasions. This would put New York under more pressure, and maybe even led to more chances. Youth and inexperience are beginning to show Nancy has made it known that he trusts younger players. For the Crew, that means Quinton, Sands and wing back Mohamed Farsi getting significant game time in this early part of the season. Quinton has had solid moments and other moments of inexperience in the first few games. Sands continues to refine the offensive side of his game, playing a more advanced role than in the past. Farsi has been a bright spot for the Crew, but struggled with his decision making when on the ball against New York. With that being said, inexperience was on display Saturday night, which is a good and bad thing. On the first goal, Quinton got caught high up the pitch while his counterpart Moreira was also high, which led to a goal in transition for New York. Both center backs can’t be up the field because then Degenek is left alone. Because Moreira was still tracking back, a runner was unmarked at the back post which led to an easy rebound goal. On the second goal, Farsi gets caught napping, after giving the ball away, as Red Bull right back John Tolkin ran right behind him and played an uncontested cross to the back post. Quinton didn’t check his shoulder to see ther runner at the back post, which led to an easy second goal for the home side. These mistakes are to be expected with young players. That being said, there are learning opportunities here for both players involved.

The Columbus Crew traveled back home after getting a point on the road against Toronto FC. The Black & Gold had to fight back in the game after going down 1-0 in the first half, but a Jimmy Medranda goal in the 75th minute would secure at least a point for Columbus. It was a back and forth game for the Crew, controlling the game in the first 15 minutes but having stretches of the game where they looked on the back foot. Tactically, there were some high and low points that contributed to the game’s outcome. Let’s dive in. The Good It’s always better to start off with the good news first. The Crew got a road point early in the season against an Eastern Conference rival after going down a goal. While the team didn’t play extraordinarily well throughout, there are some stretches in which they looked dangerous and threatening. In the opening 15 minutes of the match, Columbus had a bulk of the possession and generated some decent chances that just lacked a killer finishing touch. One of the things that worked in that opening phase of the game was the Black & Gold’s “secondary runners” in attack. Cucho Hernandez hasn’t gotten on the scoresheet yet this season, but he’s been creating opportunities for others to get in scoring positions based on his positioning. In the 14th minute he had a sequence where he dropped into midfield near the right wing and received a pass from Darlington Nagbe. Since a defender was on his back, he played a quick little slip pass to a streaking Mo Farsi who then played a pass a little bit out of the reach of Alexandru Matan. Since Hernandez dropped in, he pulled a Toronto defender with him and opened up space in behind for Matan and Farsi. Since that defender was drawn out, TFC had to shift over to cover that space, leaving the middle of the field wide open. If Farsi had connected with Matan, the young right-wing back would have had a clear path to goal with only an aging Michael Bradley on his heels. The other good thing Wilfried Nancy did was push Nagbe higher up the pitch. Often in the first half he gained ground simply by dropping his shoulder and waltzing through the defense. This is something Crew fans have wanted to see for a while, and hopefully it continues because between Nagbe and Lucas Zelarayan, defenses won’t be able to touch them. The Bad The Black & Gold did not adapt quick enough to the changes Toronto made in the game. In the first 15 minutes the Crew dominated, keeping the ball and putting the home side under pressure. That was until TFC changed their press, and then Columbus didn’t adjust. Toronto didn’t start out pressing very high, but with the Crew’s high rate of possession they switched to almost a man-to-man press that made life very difficult for the away side. TFC took away Columbus’ ability to break lines by man marking Aidan Morris and Nagbe, and then they sent their front line to press up on the Crew’s defense which led to bad passes, turnovers, and chances for the Canadian side. The Black & Gold had two options, go long and get your players up top to hold up the ball, or have your attackers drop in and help you play out. Going long didn’t work out very well because Hernandez isn’t a true hold up forward, and Columbus didn’t drop their attackers in, so the Crew had a massive gap between the midfield and their attackers that was being exploited by Toronto. The lack of adjustment by Nancy is something that is to be expected in the early season. The team has a new coach and new players, but this is an adjustment that Nancy just missed on. The other downside of this game was the wingback play of the Crew. In this young season, Farsi has shined and showed that he can play with the first team and be a regular. Other than him, that other side has been up for grabs in terms of who locks down that starting spot. The absence of Will Sands has been a big loss so far for the Black & Gold and Jimmy Medranda’s health will be a big upgrade depth wise, but other than those two it’s hard to see where Yaw Yeboah and Luis Diaz fit. Yeboah hasn’t played terrible, but it’s the versatility to be able to defend and attack that is lacking. The attacking aspect is there, but defensively he has been suspect. The jury is out so far on Diaz. I think all Crew fans would love to see the Costa Rican play more in the future, but it will be interesting to see where he fits into Nancy’s system. Fans in Columbus all know what he can do offensively, but it’s the defensive side that will be captivating to see. The Goal It’s always fun to watch such a simple pattern of play that has been taught to all ages make a cameo on the professional level. Medranda’s 75th minute equalizer was the result of one of the oldest soccer patterns in the book: the Up-Back-Through. The ball started with Medranda who played a split ball to Matan. Matan then dropped it back to Degenek because he had a defender on his back and the Austrailian played it over the top perfectly for Medranda to strike. The beauty of this pattern is it can work at all levels of soccer, you don’t have to be a pro to pull this off. Medranda continuing his run was the key, because Matan dragged his defender out to open up space for the wingback to get in behind. It’s something small and miniscule that led to the goal, but it’s just living proof that the patterns that are practiced on the training ground from a young age are engrained in the brains of these professionals. The Crew were fortunate to be on the good end of that on Saturday night.

The Columbus Crew picked up their first win of the 2023 season on Saturday night with a 2-0 win over DC United. A Lucas Zelarayan brace powered the Black & Gold to have a Crewsmas to remember in a game where Columbus was uncharacteristically out possessed by Wayne Rooney’s side. It was a good team win for a side that is just beginning to scratch the surface of their potential under new head coach Wilfried Nancy. With more games comes more tactical nuances and details Nancy installs, so let’s dive in. The Front Three One thing all Crew fans can be excited about is the potential of the Black & Gold attacking front three with Cucho Hernandez, Lucas Zelarayan and Alexandru Matan. Hernandez and Zelarayan are locks to be dangerous, but Matan has shown that he can play, despite past criticisms of his defensive willingness. The key to the front three being dangerous in this game was their ability to move around and not be restricted to one area of the pitch. Many times, in this match Hernandez was all over the attacking half of the field on the right wing, left wing, and of course the center which is his natural striker position. His variety of positioning makes it hard for defenders to track with him and it allows him to have different attacking vantage points instead of always going through the middle. Matan and Zelarayan are slated to play as two attacking midfielders, but they often will drift depending on where the ball is. Nancy likes to create numerical advantages in the wide areas of the pitch so they will often shift over ball side so they can provide support to help the team break out. Another thing to watch for is the variety of runs they will make. One particular pattern of play that worked well for the Crew was Matan cutting inside and then slipping the ball through to a streaking Zelarayan. This happened or came close to happening a few times, and one time it resulted in Zelarayan’s second goal of the evening. The ball never made it to Hernandez, but the times this pattern happened he was making a delayed run from the top of the box to receive a cutback from Zelarayan. The attacking options for Columbus are subject to change as the year goes on, but it looks like the Crew are in good hands so far. Defensive press and style I touched a little bit on this last week, but with more game tape comes more understanding of exactly what Nancy wants his squad to do. On the defensive side of the ball, the Crew have opted to play an aggressive constant press and a high line so far this season. Often when the opponent is possessing the ball, the Crew will send the front three to press the player that has the ball and cut off potential passes. Darlington Nagbe and Aiden Morris also will go mark players that could potentially receive the ball so they can get easy interceptions if a bad pass is played. The wingbacks will often join in as well, taking away the wingers as potential pass options. So, the only options for the opposing team in possession now is to attempt to play through it and combine or go long and hope the striker can hold the play up. Now, while the pressing was not perfect on Saturday, it was improved from the first game against Philadelphia. The idea of playing a high line is so that the Black & Gold can keep their opponents in their own half if possible. If the press doesn’t work out and the other team breaks, the defenders have the options to have an offside trap or step to a bad pass or heavy touch. The only downside to playing this high line is if a pass is timed right the other team can have a clean break on goal. Columbus will continue to tinker with their defensive system in the coming weeks, but after two games they seem intent on creating chaos for opposing teams. Aiden Morris playing as a “half-pivot” Last year in the Caleb Porter system, one of the defensive midfielders would play the role of the “pivot”, where they would drop in between the center backs so the outside backs could get upfield. On Saturday, Aidan Morris would sometimes take up the role of playing as a “half pivot”, between the outside center back and the wingback so the wing could get higher up the pitch. This happened a lot on Yaw Yeboah’s side, which makes sense because he is the more offensive geared wingback. Morris would drift out wide and occupy the space the wingback would usually take, and then Yeboah moved higher up the field in more of a pure winger position. This allowed the Crew to be able to connect down the sideline and possibly get Yeboah in a favorable attacking position against an opposing outside back. This is also smart on the defensive side too, because if Columbus got countered, Morris would already be in a position where he could cover for Yeboah. This is something minute that may not play much difference at the end of the game, but with time this could lead to wingbacks racking up assists or even goals from getting in more attacking spaces.

The Columbus Crew opened up the 2023 season with a 4-1 loss to the defending Eastern Conference champions Philadelphia Union. The Black & Gold would go up in the first half due to a Union own goal, but the home side would rattle off four unanswered goals, two of them penalties, to take all three points. The Crew looked strong in the first half, but lost momentum in the second half, allowing the Union to take control. This game marks the beginning of the Wilfried Nancy era in Columbus, and with that comes a new set of tactics. Let’s dive in. Playing in a 3-4-2-1/5-2-2-1 The biggest change from last season was the formation that the Crew lined up in on Saturday night. In the Berhalter and Porter eras, fans were used to seeing a 4-2-3-1 formation week in and week out. Nancy, however, brings a big change because he usually prefers to play with three center backs and two wing backs. On Saturday, the defensive core consisted of Degenek, Quinton and Moreira in that central defensive role, with Will Sands and Mo Farsi in the wingback positions. Wingback will be a position to keep an eye on as the season progresses, because Nancy’s system relies on those backs getting high into the attack, but also supplying defensive cover in transition. Nagbe and Morris playing the two defensive midfielders was not a surprise, but in front of them they had two attacking midfielders, Lucas Zelarayan and Alexandru Matan. Zelarayan and Matan would play almost positionless in attack, roaming from sideline to sideline and being able to create freely. They would often switch sides just based on the runs they were making and let those dictate where they were on the pitch. Cucho Hernandez was the lone striker up top, and he played into what Zelarayan and Matan was doing as well. The front three would often press as a group as soon as the ball was turned over, not allowing Philadelphia to have too much time to settle on the ball. Fans should expect to see more of this formation going forward in some capacity or another due to Nancy’s preferred system. Fans should also expect this team to get much better as time goes on. With new tactics comes new learning curves, and this team just needs time to get comfortable in their coach’s system. Offensive strategy In the first half, the Crew looked like a well-oiled unit, defending and attacking with purpose and even grabbing the opening goal. The second half was a different story, but the way Columbus went forward offensively was very promising. The offensive emphasis for the Black & Gold was attacking down the wings and then getting a high number of players up in possession. To attack the width, often the outside center back (usually Steven Moreira) would form a triangle with the defensive midfielder and wingback. This created a numerical advantage in that area and with the right combination gave the Crew an opportunity to move up as a unit. Once they were into Philadelphia’s half of the field, Columbus would commit eight out of the ten field players forward to assist in the attack. The only players who stayed farther back was Degenek and Quinton. Since Moreira has the background of being a right back, he would go up from his right center back role to provide another attacking option. When the Crew got into these situations, they were on the front foot. They looked more comfortable on the ball and were making some good combinations, it just fizzled in the second half. Conceding four straight goals is a blemish, but this can be a dangerous offensive team once things click. Defensive strategy The staple of Columbus’ defense on Saturday was having a disciplined high line that would catch the Union offsides. The Crew caught Philadelphia offsides nine times, an amount that was frustrating to the crowd at Subaru Park. This high line was what contributed heavily to the Black & Gold’s success in the first half because the home side could not seem to figure it out. Of course, Jim Curtain made some smart switches at halftime and the offsides reduced dramatically and resulted in the Crew getting blitzed. The other defensive key was how the Crew pressed. As soon as the ball was turned over Columbus switched into a high intensity press to try and win the ball back immediately. The good thing about having numbers in attack is that you have more bodies to press with if the ball does get turned over. When Philadelphia was able to sustain possession for a period of time, the Black & Gold would still apply pressure with the front three. Typically, two players would press up onto the Union center backs, while the third player would mark the splitting midfielder so Philadelphia couldn’t break lines as quickly. The problem with pressing after losing possession is if players overcommit. This was the case on the Union’s second goal. After Zelarayan lost possession, Nagbe and Morris stepped up to try and win the ball back and got caught out by a pass that split them. The gap between the midfielders and defenders was so wide that Philadelphia had a vast amount of space to work with and create, which led to a goal. With time, these tactical mistakes will be sorted out and learned from, but the reality for Crew fans is that we have to allow players to make mistakes and learn if this team is ever going to challenge for a title.

The Butler women’s golf team is preparing to head off to the Big East Tournament next week in South Carolina, in what will be a big test of growth for a young team. The 2022-23 team features four first-years, four sophomores and a lone junior, Alaina Bowie. Bowie has been with the program since her first year, when the 2020-2021 golf season was limited to only the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, she has taken up a leadership role within the squad, due to her being the elder statesman despite only being a junior. “The hardest part for me is I felt like I had to fill some pretty big shoes … but the sophomores do a very good job of helping me out,” Bowie said. “I think that has really helped take the pressure off me and make it more of a family… I’m more of a mom to these kids.” Last weekend, the Dawgs placed third in the Falcon Invitational hosted at Bowling Green, with a starting five golfers that included three first-years, Kelli Scheck, Cybil Stillson and Lily Celentano. The team was rounded out by sophomore Katie Steinman and team captain Bowie, but the junior said that there is a sense of mutual growth among the golfers. “I think as any parent knows, you can learn so much from your kids, and these girls teach me so much,” Bowie said. “I think as much as I get to be an influence on them, they’re an influence on me and helped me grow as a person. So I think it’s a two-way street for sure.” One of these younger influences is first-year golfer Kelli Scheck. Scheck came to Butler from Lake Oconee Academy in Georgia after being a part of three state championship golf teams and winning individually as well. The Georgia native played down the jump from high school golf to college, but said that the mental game is emphasized more in college. “My mental game has definitely changed because in college we do 36-18,” Scheck said. “You just need to keep your head in the game for all 36 holes, all eight hours, it’s just mentally [challenging] for those 36 holes.” Scheck tied a Butler record for the lowest score in a single round, shooting 67 in the second round of the FGCU Invitational in March. Her performance and Bowie’s consistent rounds of shooting 72 and 73 spurred the Dawgs to a tenth-place finish. Going into the Big East Tournament, Scheck said that despite being a younger team, the Bulldogs still have aspirations of a conference title. “I know what I need to shoot, and what’s nice is that we have an extra week to polish up some things before we head to conference,” Scheck said. “Expectations are definitely high for the team because we’re a good group and everybody has the ability to go low.” The ability for everyone to go low at the same time has been a struggle for Butler this year, with the team sometimes struggling from inconsistent play at different times. The Dawgs started out hot in the fall, winning two of their first four events. Since then, the highest the team has placed is third. Head coach Christie Cates, who graduated from Butler in 2016, said that even with the inconsistency, this team has potential. “We’re starting to hit our stride a little bit here,” Cates said. “Overall the kids work hard and want to do well, and it’s great to see their hard work pay off.” Cates was named the head coach of the Bulldogs in 2019, but the roster has changed a lot from last season when Butler had four senior/graduate students on their roster. Despite the lack of experience, she insisted that this young team is exactly where she wants the program to be. “The [first-years] kind of come out swinging which is great,” Cates said. “A lot of them work really hard and have gotten a lot better throughout the season, which is really promising.” Promising is the key word to describe this Bulldogs squad. With no seniors, all the golfers should return barring any transfers, so the program will only grow stronger with time. Athletes need time to grow, but Bowie thinks that there is a certain skill that can make this team dangerous down the road. “Our biggest growth will come in the clutch moments of these tournaments when the girls know they have to perform,” Bowie said. “I think it’s really hard to teach that in practice and even in the fall because you don’t feel the same pressure you felt in the Big East.” Bowie played in the Big East Tournament last year, finishing 21st with a score of +18 over 54 holes. Butler finished fifth out of six teams competing, but that experience was extremely valuable for Bowie going forward into the next season. “I knew there was a lot of pressure,” Bowie said. “But I didn’t really feel it until I was in the moment, until I was there, until you’re competing for your last tournament of the season. I mean, that’s why we work so hard all year.” As the Dawgs prepare for the upcoming Big East Tournament, Coach Cates has a message for her team that no matter how young they may be, they can contend for the title now. “You might think ‘oh, we are a year or two away’ potentially, but I don’t feel that way,” Cates said. “We’ve proven this entire year that we have what it takes, it’s just getting it all going on the same day.” The Bulldogs will travel down to Hardeeville, South Carolina for the Big East Championships, taking place from April 17-19.

The Butler women’s basketball team is back in action in Hinkle Fieldhouse on Wednesday, Feb. 15 to take on the Georgetown Hoyas in a Big East battle. The Bulldogs are coming off a 63-62 road victory over Providence that improved their record to 8-17 on the season. The Hoyas are looking to snap a three-game losing streak, after recently falling to UConn 67-59 at home. These two squads met earlier in the season on Jan. 11, with the Bulldogs routing Georgetown on their home floor 72-48. The Hoyas will be intent on evening the season series. Here’s what you need to know before tip-off in the Circle City between Butler and Georgetown. Who: Butler vs Georgetown When: Feb. 15, 7:00 p.m. Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse How to watch/listen: FloSports Limiting scoring from Georgetown’s guards The Hoyas’ strength on the offensive end lies in their two guards, Kelsey Ransom and Kennedy Fauntleroy. Ransom is averaging 13 points per game and Fauntleroy is right behind her with 11.9 points per game. Not only are they leading their team in scoring, but they also have accounted for nearly 41% of Georgetown’s points scored this season so far. Slowing down this kind of efficiency will be the key for Butler’s defense if they are to sweep Georgetown in the season series. Coach Austin Parkinson will have his hands full getting his defense to lock down both guards and force other Georgetown players to be the primary scorers, but even shutting down one of the guards could suffice. The last time these two teams faced off, Ransom had 16 points, while Fauntleroy only contributed 7. Look for the Butler defense to key in on at least one of these guards and force the other one to take the game over. Efficient shooting on the offensive end In the previous game against the Hoyas, Butler shot 50% from the field, 54.2% from beyond the arc and 100% from the line to cap a blowout for the Dawgs. These numbers are up significantly from their season averages, which is why this high conversion rate is what the Bulldogs need to get the win on Wednesday. Efficient shooting and good shot selection can defeat even the strongest teams in the country, and Butler accomplished that last time they faced Georgetown. The other key for the Bulldogs is to be a swiss army knife on offense. Having multiple points of attack worked in the past for the home side, with three players scoring in double digits the last time they faced off with the Hoyas. A diversified approach on offense makes it harder for opposing coaches to scheme a way back into the game and shut the offense down, which is why Butler will need everyone to contribute on the offensive end on Wednesday.

The Butler men’s basketball team will head into a sold-out Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday night looking to knock off the 13th-ranked team in the nation, the Xavier Musketeers. Xavier comes into this heated matchup off of a 96-71 win over St. John’s on Feb. 4. The Bulldogs are also coming off a win over the Red Storm in more dramatic fashion, winning by two points after St. John’s tying bucket was waived off at the end of regulation, giving Butler a much-needed victory. Here’s what you need to know before tip-off between the Bulldogs and Musketeers. Who: Butler vs. Xavier When: Feb. 10, 7:00 p.m. Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse How to watch/listen: FS1/WXNT 1430AM Limiting Xavier’s Guards The key defensively for the Bulldogs will be attempting to hinder the play of graduate student Souley Boum and junior Colby Jones. The tandem of Boum and Jones has been a nightmare for opposing defenses so far this season, with Boum averaging 16.3 points per game and Jones averaging 15 points per game. Butler’s guards will have to make sure they are on top of their defensive game if the Bulldogs want to win this game. Boum’s specialty is hitting shots from beyond the arc with high efficiency. He ranks fifth in the Big East with a three-point percentage of 41.8%. Don’t be mistaken, Boum isn’t merely a shooter. He is also fourth in the Big East in assists per game and 14th nationally for assist-to-turnover ratio. All indicators point to Boum being the focal point of the Musketeers’ offense on Friday night. Jones on the other hand is an incredibly efficient scorer to compliment Boum. Over the course of the season, he has shot 51.4% from the field, and 42.1% from three. He also shoots around 70% from the charity stripe, so even if he gets fouled he can hurt opposing teams. If Boum struggles to get out of the gates, look to Jones to possibly take over the backcourt. The Bulldogs taking care of the basketball and rebounding If Butler wants to upset Xavier, they have to minimize the number of turnovers they give to the Musketeers. When you give a team like Xavier extra opportunities on the offensive end, they make you pay. The Bulldogs only had 11 turnovers against St. John’s on Tuesday which is the seventh-lowest total in a game this season, coming back from a 19-turnover game game against Marquette. The other key point for Butler will be rebounding. Xavier has a seven-foot towering forward in Jack Nunge who will look to be a force on the boards, so it’s up to Manny Bates and Jalen Thomas to get gritty in the paint. The Bulldogs have been outrebounded by around five rebounds per game throughout the season, so being on the plus side of rebounds is key for Butler on Friday night. Any possessions that the Dawgs can secure for themselves and not Xavier is a positive.

Overtime, or “OT,” is an opinion column series where the Collegian takes national sports headlines and gives them a Butler-centric angle. In modern-day soccer, talented players are getting more and more expensive each day. Argentine Enzo Fernandez recently sealed his move to Chelsea from Portuguese club Benfica for a whopping $131 million. Neymar, once at Barcelona, set the transfer record with a move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 worth $264 million. This has become the norm in the soccer world, buying top-shelf players for extreme prices and hoping they change the state of the club single-handedly. This is not the case for Premier League club Arsenal, who currently leads the Premier League and continues to look better every week. Over the past few years, Arsenal has been amassing a team that has been under the radar until now by choosing to sign quality players who were backups on other teams. For example, the Gunners went out this past summer and signed 25-year-old Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus for a mere $54 million. Another signing was attacking midfielder Martin Ødegaard from Real Madrid for around $42 million. Ukrainian defender Oleksandr Zinchenko was also a backup signed from Manchester City for around $42 million as well. Do not misunderstand it, these are top players playing at giant clubs, but they were down on the pecking order and did not get the chance to start consistently. Since coming to Arsenal, they have been able to start regularly, and they are showing out on the pitch. In the 14 games he played before sustaining a knee injury, Jesus had five goals and six assists. Ødegaard on the other hand played in 18 matches so far and has contributed eight goals and six assists from his midfield position. On the defensive side, Zinchenko played in 12 games, and six of them were shutouts. Above all, Arsenal sits atop the Premier League halfway through the season. Now what is the significance of Arsenal’s performance and why is their rise so impressive? The answer to that question is that they are creating a change in the philosophy of soccer. Clubs go out and spend hundreds of millions of dollars backed by wealthy owners and hope that their talent meshes on the pitch. Chelsea, another club located in London, has spent around $700 million on players since American Todd Boehly took over as owner in late May of last year. They currently sit 10th in the Premier League table. Senior pharmacy student Afam Nzekwe said that the high spending way that soccer is today is a dangerous game. “It’s a slippery slope as to where the investment comes from,” Nzekwe said. “It’s all about what’s right for your team, and what’s ethically right because ethics at the end of the day are how the world should run. My opinion is as long as the owners of your club are trying to make you the most successful team in the world, what more can you ask for?” Arsenal has changed the way that teams think about building a squad, and it all begins with their manager Mikel Arteta. Arteta is somewhat of a backup himself, working as Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager until he was hired by Arsenal in December 2019. Since his hiring, Arsenal has not spent more than $70 million on a single player. Arteta focused on building an all-around strong team, rather than splashing the cash on a superstar. Sophomore marketing major Johnathan Laczynski buys into Arteta’s philosophy and states that a team is needed to win, not individual players. “If you can’t find that star player, then definitely you need a full unit,” Laczynski said. “If you have all the parts of the field locked down, it’s a piece of cake. Their chemistry and everything is working perfectly for them right now.” The Gunners have had considerable help from players who have come from their youth academies such as England international Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe. They also have had an ascension by winger Gabriel Martinelli, who was signed for a mere $8.5 million dollars in 2019. These past investments are paying dividends now, which is another reason why Arsenal doesn’t have to spend big in the transfer window. The fact still remains that Arsenal is led by former backups. Ødegaard has become a captain for the squad, and the team’s play shows that they follow the example of their captain. They play a beautiful brand of quick passing offensive soccer, but when the ball is turned over, they don’t shy away from putting in the dirty work. This mentality is ingrained in every athlete who has been a backup in their life. First-year exploratory natural science major Tanner Hampton shared that backups always have the will to work hard. Hampton was a backup linebacker his freshman year of high school before starting the next three years. “I want to show everybody that I should be playing,” Hampton said. “You just keep improving yourself and getting better because you want to play…so you’re going to play as hard as you can.” Playing as hard as you can landed Ødegaard, Jesus and Zinchenko a fresh start and a chance to prove that they belonged in professional soccer. So far, they are taking advantage of that chance this season to the tune of 16 wins, two draws and two losses to Manchester United and Everton. Laczynski noted that Arsenal’s recent signings are showing out and continuing to prove they belong among the elite. “I think they’re definitely playing with a chip on their shoulders and trying to prove their worth,” Laczynski said. “When they’re in a team like Manchester City where they’re not able to perform like they want to, they are restricted. They get [signed] to a team [like Arsenal] and they can go out and do what they know they can do.” With still half of the season to go, Arsenal has a five-point lead over Manchester City who sits in second place. The title race is far from over, but the Gunners’ well-rounded squad has their eyes on the Premier League title, and the former backups are continuing to silence doubters with their play.

The Bulldogs will head out east to Queens on Wednesday to take on St. John’s in their second and final matchup against the Red Storm this season. Butler is coming off a 79-39 loss to fifth-ranked UConn while St. John’s recently took down DePaul 81-72. In their previous meeting in Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Red Storm took the spoils with a 65-57 win over the Bulldogs. St. John’s took control in that game early, gaining the lead in the third minute of the game and never looking back. Here’s what you need to know before the Bulldogs’ clash with the Red Storm. Who: Butler vs. St. John’s When: Jan. 25, 7 p.m. Where: Carnesecca Arena; Queens, New York How to watch/listen: FloSports Playing down low Much like the last game against UConn, the key for the Bulldogs will be defending down low and allowing St. John’s to have threes. In their matchup in early December, the Red Storm shot only 27% from beyond the arc and scored 32 of their 65 points in the paint. If the Bulldogs can keep forward Jillian Archer at bay and force St. John’s to take deeper shots outside the paint or from three, Butler could have a chance to win this game. On the offensive side, the Dawgs need to prioritize getting junior forward Anna Mortag going early. Mortag had a team-high 15 points the last time these teams met, so she will have to share a high percentage of the offensive burden yet again if Butler is to have a chance. If Mortag is not able to start off hot, look to sophomore forward Sydney Jaynes to pick up the slack. Ideally, Butler will want to get both forwards going for a one-two punch down low. Looking into the Red Storm St. John’s sits at 16-3 with their only losses coming to Seton Hall, UConn and Villanova. Currently, the Red Storm are on a two-game winning streak with wins over Marquette and DePaul. Going to Queens and getting a win has been tough for away teams, with St. John’s boasting an 11-1 record at home. The Red Storm are led by a pair of seniors, Jayla Everett and Kadaja Bailey who average 17.3 and 13.9 points per game respectively. Butler should expect to see a lot of different personnel from St. John’s, as head coach Joe Tartamella likes to go to his bench often. All 10 players for the Red Storm saw the floor in their win last Saturday against DePaul. The Bulldogs will have to be full of energy if they are to keep up with the pace of St. John’s depth.