Find My Work!

The Crew fell to the defending champs on a baseball diamond on Saturday night. This dropped Columbus to 10th in the Eastern Conference and makes a playoff spot look a lot more unlikely. The goals that the Black & Gold conceded were incredibly soft and preventable, so how did the Crew’s tactics fail to stop these soft goals? Let’s dive in. Lucas Zelarayan on the wing This was a surprising change in the pre-match lineups. Caleb Porter sang the praises of James Igbekeme over the past weeks, so he decided to slot in Igbekeme in midfield and push Zelarayan to the winger position. The idea behind this was to allow Zelarayan to work one on one verses the outside back and hope to create mismatches and chances for Lucas to attack. Zelarayan wasn’t confined to the winger position though, many times he came into the midfield to possess the ball, pushing Igbekeme out to the winger spot. This interchange shows the freedom that the Crew operate with, but it didn’t pan out in the form of goals. I believe another reason for starting Lucas Zelarayan on the wing was because he has looked defensively disinterested in the past when he loses the ball. He is working incredibly hard on the attacking end, but as soon as the ball is turned over, he switches off to some degree. Putting him on the wing requires him to play less defense, but it also restricts his playmaking abilities to one side of the field, unless he dropped into the midfield role. Defensive setup is very vulnerable to counter attacks We all saw the second goal, right? Josh Williams and Jonathan Mensah just sleeping 10 yards past the halfway line while arguably the most dangerous player in the entire league sits behind them ready to bear down on Eloy Room. Yeah, it was pretty bad, the kind of stuff I teach the 13-year-old girls I coach. On a more serious note, I’m not sure if this was a tactical call by Porter or just a lapse of concentration by the cernterbacks. One thing I am sure of is that Columbus is setting up in a way that leaves them incredibly vulnerable to get exposed on the counterattack. On many occasions when the Black & Gold are on the attack, the only two players back are the two cernterbacks. The wingbacks have been getting really high to help bring width and attacking numbers, but it leaves Williams and Mensah out to dry. When you have attackers as fast as Castellanos and Talles Mango going against Williams and Mensah, you are bound to get burned. Now the Crew has to learn that by throwing a ton of players forward is not producing goals. There has to be a balance of dangerous attacking play and stout defensive performance. Columbus has been throwing too many numbers forward, and they keep ending up getting burned for it. The lack of a vertical threat for the Crew This was incredibly evident throughout the game on Saturday. I’ll say it, Miguel Berry is not a starting caliber player in MLS. A good sub? Sure, but he should not be starting consistent games for the Columbus Crew. When Columbus sold Gyasi Zardes, it was thought the Berry would take over and hopefully start to produce consistently, but in reality, that hasn’t panned out. The Black & Gold lack a quick, decisive player up top who can stretch defenses, create space for Lucas Zelarayan, and finish good chances. An example for Columbus was Taty Castellanos on Saturday. Granted, it will be hard for the Crew to find a player of Castellanos quality, but Columbus needs a gamechanger like him to partner with Zelarayan. This is why the Black & Gold had success in 2020 on their run to an MLS Cup title. Gyasi Zardes was the player stretching defenses and allowing Lucas Zelarayan to work his magic. The formula is there in front of them, now Columbus has to go out in the next transfer window and sign a DP who can provide this for the Crew. Then we will hopefully see results turn, and the Black & Gold can return to winning ways. In the meantime, they have to figure out how to compete and consistently grind out results.

The Columbus Crew finally got back to winning ways this past Saturday, trouncing a lowly DC United squad 3-0. After finally getting on the scoresheet for the first time in April in MLS play, the Black & Gold added two more goals before the final whistle blew. All Crew fans are hoping that this puts the club back on track to keep climbing up the Eastern Conference standings and find that playoff spot. There was not much change in Columbus’ tactics from the last game, but there were a few nuanced tweaks that compelled the Black & Gold to victory. The Crew in a 4-3-3 For the second straight game Columbus lined up in 4-3-3 and looked really dangerous and organized, something Crew fans haven’t seen enough of in the past few weeks. After watching the Black & Gold in this formation for the past 2 games, here’s what I’ve noticed. First off, the Columbus press has been tweaked a little bit. The Crew used to press in situations where the opponent is getting near the sideline or if Columbus had a numbers advantage, but that has changed. Now, the Black & Gold will man mark and press instantly on a player’s touch. Miguel Berry or whoever is up top just presses the ball until it is passed forward into the midfield. That’s where the Crew midfields will be man marked to the opposing midfield, making it difficult to turn and go at the Columbus defense. This forces the ball to either be played back to the defense where Berry will continue to press, or a bad pass will be made, then the Black & Gold are on the attack. Another nuance to the press is the Columbus wide backs. If the ball reaches an opposing winger, Pedro Santos and Stephen Moreira will instantly step up to press and try to turn the ball over. When this happens, occasionally a midfield will fill in the space where the back vacated, so the Crew can’t get countered in that space. Secondly, the midfields have been more interchangeable in a 4-3-3. This means that the three players that the Crew have in midfield can switch with each other positionally to allow some creative freedom. The Columbus midfield on Saturday was a revolving door, sometimes Morris would be high up the pitch, but then the next possession it was Nagbe or Artur. This displays the understanding that each of these players have for Caleb Porter’s system. They all know their job and work together so well, that they can fill in for each other and allow their counterpart to create. This just makes the team beautiful to watch, because we get to see 3 guys working so well together in harmony while producing for the team. I think Morris has been a huge addition to the starting XI, and I hope that Porter can continue to utilize him and get him game time in the future when Lucas Zelarayan returns to the starting lineup. Finally, the Crew has maintained their philosophy of creating positional overloads, despite the change in formation. I touched on this in one of my earlier tactical reviews, but Caleb Porter’s whole mantra is creating positional overloads to gain an advantage over the opponent. The simple way to explain this is that Columbus wants to have more players in an area than their opponents. This numerical advantage is useful in getting forward in attack through combining with each other and pressing on defense. This was evident on Saturday by the way that the Black & Gold wingers pinched so far across the pitch. When the opposing team had the ball near the sideline, the winger on the opposite side of the pitch would be all the way in the middle of the field. That’s because the Crew shifted all three midfielders, a winger, a wide back, and sometimes even Miguel Berry to create numerical advantages to win the ball and then break through the opposing defense. Usually this would happen on opposing throw ins or goal kicks. This tells me that Porter’s system still works in a different formation, and that it can still be effective and get the Crew three points on any given matchday. Dropping into a 5-4-1 This was employed later in the game after halftime when the Crew was guarding a 2-0 lead. Last week we saw Columbus dropping into a 4-5-1 against Kansas City, but this week it was more of a 5-4-1, but only in certain spaces. When DC United would come on the attack and get close or come into the Black & Gold’s half, one of the wingers would drop into a wingback role. This happened when DC had the ball coming down the wing, in this case the backside Crew winger would drop deeper into a wingback role alongside either Pedro Santos or Stephen Moreira. This would allow Columbus to have more numbers behind the ball and allow Santos or Moreira to be free from marking the backside runner. There may be a few reasons for this change. The Black & Gold might just have been preparing to park the bus and protect a two-goal lead, in which case they would have been comfortable having an extra defender back and sacrificing their help in attack. Another reason is to free up more space for Miguel Berry or later Lucas Zelarayan to have more space to be free and create. By dropping that winger all the way back into defense, it frees up the entire side that the once occupied. Now, they only switched to a 5-4-1 when on defense. When Columbus went back on the attack, whichever winger was back (Derrick Etienne or James Igbekeme) would fly up the field and support whoever was on the ball. I think the reason for the change was a little bit of both parking the bus and creating more space, but it paid off for the Crew, as they keep a clean sheet for the second straight game. Lucas Zelarayan playing up top This is a change I think we will see Caleb Porter play around with in the upcoming weeks. Given that the Crew only have Miguel Berry on the roster as a quality starting striker, Columbus needs options to play up at that number 9 spot if Berry is struggling to produce. I’m not sure if we will get to a point where Zelarayan is starting the game playing that striker position unless Berry gets hurt but knowing that he can play up top and produce is a big ace for the Black & Gold to have in their pocket. If Caleb Porter does decide to play Zelarayan up top, it allows him to plug in Aiden Morris into the midfield, who has been on fire for Columbus as of late. A midfield of Artur, Nagbe, and Morris can prove to be highly productive, and it doesn’t sacrifice Zelarayan’s time on the pitch. This midfield trio would benefit the Crew because all three players are highly technical and very good at putting in work on the defensive end, so they can win more balls in the middle of the park and give the attackers more chances going to goal. Another positive is that you are pushing your best player on your team closer to goal and getting him in more dangerous positions. Again, I’m not sure Columbus will come out of the gate in a game set up like this, but it is an interesting concept to play around with.

The Columbus Crew ended the losing streak on Saturday night by tying Sporting Kansas City 0-0. While a win would have been more preferable to end to streak, the Black & Gold leave Kansas with a point to show for their road trip. This leaves Columbus in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, only one point behind a playoff spot. While the Crew have struggled in recent games to find goals and produce results, Saturday night in Kansas City was far different tactically than past games for the Black & Gold. Pressing in a 4-3-3 formation The biggest difference from the past few games was the Crew’s pressing structure. We’ve seen Columbus press in a 4-4-2 and a 4-1-4-1, but this game they decided to press in a 4-3-3 formation. This was not really groundbreaking because the Black & Gold came out set up in a 4-3-3 with their lineup with Nagbe and Morris staying up higher than Artur. The nuance of the press would come from the wingers and midfielders. Instead of pressing for short spurts at those “opportune times”, Columbus came out and man marked the middle. This consisted of either Miguel Berry or one of the wingers pressing the defender on the ball, and then Aiden Morris, Darlington Nagbe, and Artur would step up to find the nearest Sporting KC player and just stay on their back. This allowed the attackers to press the player who had the ball harder, without fear of being passed around. This also allowed the Crew to win the ball in the midfield and break on the counter. Typically the would only press when the ball got passed toward the end line to an outside back, so this allowed Columbus’ speedy wingers to close down quicker. The beauty of pressing in the 4-3-3 was that the Black & Gold didn’t have to revert to their default offensive formation, because they were already in it. While it didn’t yield a goal, the press did make Kansas City turn the ball over several times and give the Crew a few dangerous chances on the counter. Sitting back in a 4-5-1 and playing more direct Huge change here. For the longest time, the Columbus Crew have been the team that possesses the ball, side to side passes, and breaks down the opposition by methodical passing and patience. Many find it boring while I find it somewhat beautiful, but for the first time in a long time the Black & Gold did not play that brand of soccer. For much of the game the Crew were content to sit back in a 4-5-1 and allow Sporting KC to have the ball in their own half. If they saw a chance to press Columbus would send the wingers flying up at the opposing defense hoping to snatch an opportunity, but other than that they were fine just for the home side to hold the ball. Then, when the ball was turned over the Crew would play very direct. This means instead of playing the “boring” brand of soccer that’s associated with the club, they would play quick long balls, through balls, and throw numbers forward in attack. This also included getting Nagbe and Morris forward, and both wing backs forward to try and create a numerical mismatch in the opponent’s half. This left only Artur and both center backs to prevent a counter by Kansas City. This was a risky move by leaving only three defenders back, but the Crew needed a goal, one which they never found. The different play style yielded a positive result for Columbus, giving a team that doesn’t perform well on the road a point to return home with, and maybe some hope for the fans that they can still right the ship.

The Crew lost again Saturday, this time at home, by two goals to Orlando. This marks the third straight loss for Columbus, as critics are building for head coach Caleb Porter and the Black & Gold players. With this loss the Crew slip to 9th in the Eastern Conference standings, trailing the final playoff spot by two points. Although the Black & Gold have now failed to score in their past three games, changes were made to try and make Columbus more potent going forward. Unfortunately, those changes didn’t pan out in goals. Let’s take a look at some of these adjustments. Pressing in a 4-2-4 formation A big change to the Crew’s normal tactics on Saturday was the decision to utilize a new formation, the 4-2-4. In this new formation, Columbus would send Lucas Zelarayan up top alongside Miguel Berry almost as a 2nd striker, while Derrick Etienne and Yaw Yeboah pushed up as well, forming a line of 4 attacking players. This new pressing formation meant the Black & Gold were trying to throw more numbers forward to try and win the ball higher up the pitch. Columbus has struggled to score goals, that’s no mystery, so Caleb Porter decided to gamble by pushing guys higher to try and win the ball in dangerous, goal scoring areas. Along with Zelarayan and the wingers pushing up, Darlington Nagbe and Artur slid into that central midfield area and played alongside each other. Their job was to immediately press the Orlando midfielders who get the ball if the opposition broke the first line of the Crew’s press. In terms of the defense for the Black & Gold, the only change was the wide backs pushing up in the half space between the defense and midfield. This is what broke down for Columbus. Because those wide backs pushed a little bit higher than the center backs, the Crew were vulnerable to long diagonal balls over the top to the opposing wingers. The wide backs weren’t able to recover in time, and the center backs are too slow to keep up with Orlando’s pace down the wings. It was an aggressive try by Caleb Porter to get his team to score, but it didn’t pan out in the end. Attacking in a 4-2-4 formation Another component to the game was how the Crew decided to set up their attack. Typically, they would attack in their traditional 4-2-3-1, but Porter switched it up against Orlando. Some of this change might have to do with how they pressed and not wanting to change from their pressing formation, but the change didn’t do much damage in terms of goals. The way they set up was the same as when they pressed, with Lucas Zelarayan pushing up next to Miguel Berry as a second striker and the wingers coming alongside both of them. The role of Zelarayan as a striker though was different than Berry’s role. Zelarayan would start up top next to Berry, but he would drop into midfield and receive the ball to feet, hoping to draw the opposing center back with him. Then, this would give Miguel Berry the opportunity to run in behind the defense in the space that Lucas Zelarayan cleared out for him. The problem the Crew ran into was that Orlando’s center backs let Zelarayan drop into midfield and receive the ball, and then let the Orlando defensive midfielders deal with Lucas. When Columbus found out this wasn’t working, Zelarayan began to drift wide and become interchangeable with the Black & Gold wingers. He was just trying to find space to create and make some magic, but Orlando did a really good job a sitting back and plugging those holes, which is why the Crew had so many shots blocked. Another aspect to the 4-2-4 is the wide backs pushing up really high. When Columbus got high into Orlando’s attacking third, Pedro Santos and Stephen Moreira came forward and played almost as a second set of wingers. This gave the Crew support high up the pitch, but also left them vulnerable to the counterattack. With all these players forward, the only players back on defense were Milos Degenek, Jonathan Mensah, and one of the Black & Gold defensive midfielders. This is why Columbus was so vulnerable to the counter, because they didn’t have speed guys on the outside to keep up pace with Orlando’s wingers. Again, this formational change in the press and in attack for the Crew was a big aggressive risk by Caleb Porter, and it didn’t pan out. I don’t believe it is time to panic, because the MLS season is 34 games, and we are only 20% through it. So, buckle in, because these next few weeks will be a big defining moment in whether the Black & Gold’s season ends in triumph, or disappointment. At least the team and the coaching staff recognizes that there is a problem, and they are willing to try new ideas and tactics to try and right the ship.

The Crew fell again on the road Saturday against a solid Philadelphia team, dropping them to 7th in the Eastern Conference. The Black & Gold conceded early due to an Eloy Room howler and was never able to claw back into the game. This now marks two straight games in which Columbus has failed to score and conceded the winning goal on a defensive mistake. The way the Crew was set up was different from the past few games in subtle ways, but the scoring touch was lacking from the Black & Gold’s attacking players. Switching to a 4-4-1-1 and 4-4-2 defensively The Crew lined up on Saturday in the classic 4-2-3-1 formation that they usually do but shifted when the ball was turned over. What formation they switched to depended on where the ball was on the field. When Philadelphia had possession in the middle of the pitch, the Black & Gold would play in a 4-4-1-1 with Lucas Zelarayan as the lone attacking midfielder with Miguel Berry in front of him. Derrick Etienne and Yaw Yeboah would drop in deeper than Zelarayan in the half space between the defensive midfielders and Lucas so that the Union couldn’t get behind them. When the ball was switched wide, Columbus reacted by going into a 4-4-2 formation. The wingers stayed in the exact same spot as in the 4-4-1-1, but Lucas Zelarayan stepped up alongside Miguel Berry and took the weak side of the field. This means that Berry always pressed the ball on the sideline, while Zelarayan prevented the switch. Artur and Darlington Nagbe also stepped up a little bit more in the 4-4-2 than in the 4-4-1-1 to prevent Philadelphia’s midfielders from receiving the ball and turning. The Crew’s whole defensive mantra was keeping Philadelphia in front of them, pressing the ball, and then preying on a bad touch, pass, or mishap by the Union team. Columbus pressing as soon as the ball goes toward the sideline I’ve already touched on this a little bit, but this is the “opportune” pressing system that is a staple of Caleb Porter coached teams. When the ball is in the middle of the pitch, the player in possession has lots of passing options, and it’s easy to get exploited if you press too hard. This is why the Crew tended to sit back in the 4-4-1-1 in this situation, but as soon as the ball was played to a wide back or winger, the press was on immediately. The idea of pressing toward the sideline is more opportune than pressing in the middle because the options are cut down. As soon as the Black & Gold press, the field is cut in half, and so are the opposing player’s options because the Crew are cutting off the switch, cutting off the pivot player, and they are backed up against the sideline. Typically, if the press works, the only options are to play back to the goalkeeper or to play a long ball up top to the striker. If they play back to the goalkeeper Columbus get to step up and gain ground, and if the ball is played up top to the striker, that player is going to have a headache after being run through by Jonathan Mensah or Milos Degenek. The problem on Saturday was the Black & Gold’s press was too slow. The players looked tired and lethargic as they pressed toward the ball, which allowed the Union to either switch the ball or find the pivot player quicker than the Crew were pressing. This is a problem that needs to be resolved in the upcoming games if Columbus wants to get back on track after two straight 1-0 losses. The absence of the “Pivot” player Another staple of a Caleb Porter coached team was missing on Saturday night, the pivot player. In Porter’s system, he wants to possess the ball and break down an opponent until the Crew can create positional overloads and go on the attack. This is accomplished by repeatedly switching the ball and probing the defensive team until they crack, and the Black & Gold can break through. Columbus is completely fine with passing the ball around their back line until they see an opening they can exploit, and this is where the pivot player is so important. Typically, the pivot will be either Darlington Nagbe or Artur. When the Crew get possession in their defensive half, either of the defensive midfielders will tend to drop in between the center backs and provide an extra option for the ball to be played to. This accomplishes a number of things for Columbus. Firstly, it allows the center backs to get wider and pushes the outside backs like Pedro Santos and Stephen Moreira higher up the field. Secondly, it gives the other defensive midfielder more room in the middle to find splits and be creative. Thirdly, it takes pressure off of Milos Degenek and Jonathan Mensah to control playing out of the back. By sticking a midfielder in the backline, it provides a sense of comfort and technical skill for the team as they work the ball around and try to find an opening. On Saturday, the Crew opted to play much of the time without a pivot player. This may be due to conceding the early goal, but Darlington Nagbe and Artur for the most part stayed in their defensive midfielder spot and tried to get the ball to their feet. This change could explain the lack of attacking creativity going forward, because when you remove the pivot player from the defensive line, the wide backs can’t get up as high, the space in the midfield is more occupied, and the wingers are forced to go one on one against the opposing outside backs. The pivot player is essential in Caleb Porter’s system, and it is puzzling to me why they would abandon it for this match. This change though, could explain the Black & Gold’s inability to score on Saturday.

The Crew fell to Nashville 1-0 on Saturday at home after the Black & Gold fell behind and was never able to answer back. On a day that honored a Crew legend, Columbus lacked a signature Pipa finish to get on the board at Lower.Com Field. Nashville came into Columbus with a game plan to shut the Crew down and succeeded by walking away with all three points. While the goal that Nashville scored could be attributed to Pedro Santos losing footing and not being able to challenge the header, the Black & Gold knew they should have capitalized on some of their chances in the match. Here’s what the Crew did with their game plan for Nashville. Wingers pinching on the attacking half One way that Caleb Porter decided to attack the stout Nashville defense was by pulling his two wingers closer inside so that they could possess the ball better in the attacking third. We saw this mostly with Derrick Etienne coming inside almost alongside Lucas Zelarayan to give another option to gash through the opponent’s defense. I think Porter’s cause behind this switch was to try and unlock the away side’s defense by quick passing and give and goes. Combinations between Zelarayan, Zardes, and one of the wingers provided a few glimpses of promise, but never panned out in a goal. The hard thing about playing Nashville is dealing with their low block defensive structure. They were content with just putting 9 guys behind the ball, clogging passing lanes, and forcing the Crew to make absolute magic happen for a goal. Then, once the ball would be turned over, Nashville would outlet to Mukhtar or Sapong and go off to the races. By pulling the wingers in, Porter was trying to find little pockets where he could have numerical advantages and combine, but the spaces just weren’t there. When you put 95% of your team back on defense, it’s going to be hard for the other team to score, and that’s what Columbus ran into on Saturday. Artur dropping into defense to send the wingbacks up Another change was in the Crew’s defensive structure while Columbus possessed the ball. With the wingers up top pinching in toward the middle of the field, the space they left was now occupied by Pedro Santos and Stephen Moreira. This allowed to Crew to have some creativity and width, as well as numbers inside to combine and get on the end of crosses. Now Caleb Porter knew he didn’t want Jonathan Mensah and Milos Degenek to be forced to deal with Mukhtar, Leal, and Sapong alone on the break, so Artur dropped in sometimes to play a 3 back defensive formation whole the wingbacks were up high. So, in case the Black & Gold did turn the ball over, it would be an even 3 vs 3 transition instead of the pacey Nashville attack running past the two Crew center backs. This also pushed possession higher up the field so Columbus wouldn’t turn the ball over in their own half. Most of time the ball was higher up the field being possessed by the Columbus midfield, but occasionally when the ball would make its way back to the defense, the wingbacks would drop back to help push the ball higher. The emphasis was getting the ball through the chunk of nine Nashville defenders to Lucas Zelarayan’s feet and letting him make magic. He had a few chances in the game, but none that he could add to his goal tally with. Playing a “Ball Heavy” Formation I’ve touched on this a little bit in the last two points, but this was very important for Saturday. Caleb Porter’s whole system revolves around creating numerical advantages and combining. Many times, the Crew tried to accomplish this by shifting the whole midfield and even the opposite side winger over to the half of the field where the ball was. From there, the opposite side’s wingback would move up into the space that the winger had once possessed. Now Nashville would have to make a choice to either shift all their players over to defend the numbers or stay in place and risk Columbus combining and getting through on goal. The only downside to this tactical change is when you shift all these players into one area, there’s not much space to work with and exploit. It gets congested, and the only way out is by all the players being on the same page and quickly combining to go forward in attack. Not to restate my earlier point, but the Black & Gold had some good combination play, but it just didn’t result in a goal. The idea and tactical setup was all there, but it was just the stubbornness of Nashville’s defense and a Pedro Santos slip that sent the away team back to Tennessee with all 3 point

The Columbus Crew played out a 1-1 draw on Sunday verses a competitive New York side who currently sits 4th in the Eastern Conference. The game was deadlocked at 0-0 until the 84th minute when a cross deflected off of multiple players before finding the back of the net. Later, the goal would be attributed as an own goal to Black & Gold goalkeeper Eloy Room. The hosts looked to have secured all three points until a Darlington Nagbe toe poke levelled the game in the 95th minute of the match, it was essentially the last kick of the game. This result keeps the Crew undefeated on the year, and sitting in 2nd place in the East, but the game was different from the others in the way Columbus set up tactically. Columbus’ Relaxed Approach This was surprising to me as I started to watch the game. Typically, the Crew comes out the gates with long spells of possession, lots of passes, and just seem to feel to opponent out. This time however, Columbus decided to give New York the baton and let them try to control the game. This not only put pressure on Red Bull to figure out their own attack, it also took away their best goalscoring option, the press. New York is well known for their high, aggressive style of pressing. This allows them to force their opponent to turn the ball over in dangerous areas and score easy goals off of transition. This did not match up well with the Crew’s highly possessive and slow building attacking play. So, Caleb Porter decided to switch to a more direct approach and try to exploit New York on the long ball. If that isn’t working, it’s not a big deal, because then New York wouldn’t have the opportunity to win the ball deep into Columbus’ territory and have an easy goalscoring chance. Porter’s hope was to defend well, send balls deep into New York’s half, and possibly snatch a goal somewhere along the way. Exposing the three back system New York’s line up also is very telling of their system. By employing a 3-4-2-1 formation, this gives them the opportunity to get up high and press using the 6 players they have in midfield. This sometimes leaves them vulnerable though, with three defenders left to clean up the mess if the midfield breaks down. Columbus’ coaching staff went into this game with a plan of attack hoping to exploit the narrowness of Red Bull’s three defender system. The key was to get as wide as possible, as quickly as possible. This meant getting the ball to Derrick Etienne or Yaw Yeboah on the wings in transition as many times as they could. While the Crew soaked up pressure on the defensive end, Yeboah and Etienne were always ready to break if the Black & Gold were to win the ball. While the speed advantage was clear between the two wingers and the lumbering center backs, the hard part was getting them the ball. Long balls from the back played by defenders or the dual defensive midfielders could be read easily by those opposing center backs and won in the air. This was the case a few times, but the Crew did have their share of opportunities on the break. Even if a goal didn’t result directly from this tactical switch, it created dangerous chances for the Black & Gold to capitalize on. The Berry and Zardes Conversation I know everyone is tired of hearing the speculation around Gyasi Zardes and Miguel Berry. Who will start? Who’s the better fit? Will one shine while the other is relegated to the bench? My answer to all these questions is WHO CARES. It is never a problem when you have two players from the same position group challenging each other to get better and fighting for minutes. Especially when it is not affecting the team chemistry or morale. Forget all the media buzz and look at what each of them offered in this game. Miguel Berry disappeared the entire first half of the match. To be fair, the system was not set up for him to be touching the ball every possession, but there were still opportunities where he could drop into midfield to help the attack but just stood on the center line. Again, this is not a bash on Berry, I just think there was more he could have done to help the team out while he was on the field. After Gyasi Zardes got subbed on, I started noticing the striker position being more and more involved. Now did Zardes miss that sitter in front of a wide-open net? Yes, indeed he did, but at least he was in an advantageous goal scoring opportunity! Zardes was also integral in the game tying goal for Darlington Nagbe, setting up Luis Diaz to run down the wing and then drawing the defender away from Matan and Nagbe in the box allowing them to tie the game. I’m not choosing sides, I’m not creating controversy, and I’m not promoting that there should be animosity between Zardes and Berry, but in my eyes, one outperformed the other in the game on Sunday. This could be due to tactical switch, fresh legs, or what be it, but it made a difference in the match that was integral for the Crew securing a tie.

The Columbus Crew came from dropping behind early to winning against Toronto FC 2-1. The Black & Gold persevered through a part-time blizzard after conceding a header in the 14th minute to Jesus Jimenez courtesy of goals by the fantastic Lucas Zelarayan and Derrick Etienne. This raised the Crew’s record to 2 wins and a tie, bringing the season point total to 7, up to 1st place in the Eastern Conference for the time being. The home team struggled early, but a change in tactics at halftime spurred Columbus to victory. A More Aggressive Style of Pressing The press was a game changing factor for the Crew. Caleb Porter typically likes to press at opportune times. This means the team will instantly press when the opposition takes a bad touch, makes a bad pass, get near the sideline in their own half, or if the Crew have a numerical advantage on defense. In the second half after being down 1-0, Porter decided to shift to a more aggressive approach and create numerical advantages to cut the field in half for the opposing offense. When Toronto was possessing the ball in their own half early in the second half, the Crew shifted Miguel Berry, Lucas Zelarayan, Yaw Yeboah, and then both Artur and Nagbe to isolate the left side of Toronto’s defense. This cuts down the number of passing options for TFC and creates turnover opportunity for the Crew to break out and strike on the counter. To help ensure that Toronto couldn’t switch the ball, Derrick Etienne shifted up to play to the left of Miguel Berry in a left striker position. Now the only way to get out of this press would be for Michael Bradley or whoever else was on the ball to send a long ball up top to their striker. Now the problem would be the aerial beast that is Jonathan Mensah. This was the key for the Crew getting back into the game, and ultimately changed the game. Brilliant adjustment by Caleb Porter and the coaching staff. Getting More Numbers in Attack This is the main way that Columbus’ offensive game plan changed in the 2nd half. In the first 45 minutes the Crew struggled to create and finish offensive opportunities, so Caleb Porter made the change at halftime to push Darlington Nagbe and Artur higher up the pitch. Instead of having either Nagbe or Artur dropping in between the center backs to better keep possession, the center midfielders fought to get higher up the pitch to get into goalscoring opportunities. Not only did this get two of the Black & Gold’s most effective long shot specialists closer to the opposing goal, it creates mismatches against Toronto’s defense. By adding two more pieces into the attack that takes attention away from Lucas Zelarayan and both wingers, allowing them to create and go into one on one situations. I don’t expect the Crew to come out of the gate pushing both Artur and Nagbe up the field because the drawback is that it leaves Columbus vulnerable in defense. All in all, it was a gamble that was worth taking and it paid off i

The Columbus Crew played out a disappointing draw on Saturday vs a short-sided San Jose squad who found their way back into the game due to a pair of late goals by Francisco Calvo. The Crew found themselves a goal down, but up a man due to Jamiro Monteiro being sent off in the 33rd minute. At the 84th minute mark the Black & Gold would watch their 3-1 lead be whittled down before seeing it dissipate before their eyes in stoppage time when Calvo powered home his second header of the game to secure a draw for the Quakes. Caleb Porter did make a few notable adjustments in the game, but in the end the Crew only have a point to show for it. Attacking through give and go’s This is one of the bright spots from the game. The Crew has been so entertaining to watch because in these first two games they go through spells of quick, but efficient, passing sequences. Once all the attackers get on the same page and start doing little one two around the defenders the Black & Gold can be a very dangerous team. By finding numerical mismatches where the Crew attackers outnumber the defenders, they are able to just pass around them and get in high quality goalscoring spaces. Another layer to this style of play is Miguel Berry. Lots of outside noise is being directed at Berry getting the first two starts of the MLS season, but his passing so far has been superb. He has great awareness of where his teammates are on the field and his passes are laser focused at times. Saturday he was missing the goalscoring touch, but he is showing incredible promise for a 24-year-old. Using width and space to their advantage One of the biggest adjustments I observed Caleb Porter make was after Monteiro was sent off for his tackle on Darlington Nagbe. After he knew San Jose was down a man, he instructed Pedro Santos and Stephen Moreira to push wider and higher to stretch the opponents even more. At times, Santos and Moreira were almost a second set of wingers, adding to the attacking threats the Crew had going forward. Not only did this give flexibility down the wing, it opened up space inside for Artur, Nagbe, and Zelarayan to operate. When the defense was worried about getting beat on the outside and shifted to defend it, Zelarayan would scamper down the middle. When the Quakes bottled up to keep Zelarayan in front of them, he would knock it out wide for one of the wingers to wreak havoc. Unfortunately, the Black & Gold had to abandon the hyper attacking approach after San Jose’s second goal, but there were flashes of real attacking danger from the Crew in those areas. The Zardes Substitution: Why is it brilliant? I know what you’re thinking… the substitution was brilliant because Miguel Berry had done nothing all game and Zardes ended up scoring, but that’s not the whole picture. The substitution was brilliant because of what the Crew needed at that moment. From the start of the game, Caleb Porter needed Miguel Berry to feed the attacking pieces around him with great passes and set them up in scoring positions. While Berry accomplished his task, he didn’t get his own name on the scoresheet even though he had opportunities to. So, when the Crew are tied and need a goal, why don’t you put on a natural born finisher and top rate poacher? Gyasi Zardes was subbed on because he was what the team needed at that exact time. Miguel Berry had done all he could, he had set his teammates up in scoring positions and aided the attack mightily, but when you have an ace up your sleeve like Gyasi Zardes, you’re going to pull it out. Now if Zardes had ended up not scoring would this substitution be brilliant? Maybe… maybe not. The fact of the matter is, Caleb Porter had a decision that was a no brainer. The Crew needed a goal, Porter subbed on Zardes, he scored, and now all the USMNT fans who call on Twitter for him to be dropped can rest their thumbs for a week until they figure out something else to criticize him about. Brilliant move by Porter, good poachers finish by Gyasi, and solid offensive day for the Black & Gold.

The Crew played out a 4-0 win over Vancouver this past Saturday on the first weekend of MLS action to start the 2022 season out extremely strong. The Black and Gold were on top of the Whitecaps right from the kickoff until the breakthrough came in the 8th minute courtesy of Miguel Berry. After that the home side never looked back, adding three more before the clock struck 90’. It was a dominant performance overall, largely due to the tactics employed by head coach Caleb Porter. Here’s three takeaways about Porter’s opening day tactical setup that willed the Crew to a comfortable victory. Overloading one side of the field to free up wingers This was a huge part of the game Saturday. Porter expressed in preseason through signings that he wanted more production out his wingers. Last season the goals and assist total was very low from wingers, so Porter went out and signed Yaw Yeboah to reinforce his depth at the position. The second thing he did was adjust his team tactically to free up his wingers and put them in scoring positions. The best example of this was Derrick Etienne’s goal in the 25th minute to put the Crew up 2-0. The Black and Gold passed the ball to Yaw Yeboah on the right wing, and at that moment shifted Zelarayan, Nagbe, Artur, and even Pedro Santos toward the ball while Miguel Berry ran through the defense to pull the opposing defender away from the left flank. The ball was then switched to Derrick Etienne who was left alone on the left side for an easy opening to his season’s goal account. Dropping Nagbe or Artur into defense to free up Fullbacks This is a classic part of Caleb Porter’s system, but it has evolved. Last season the Crew would typically drop in a defensive midfielder to play between to center-backs so Columbus could keep possession and switch the play easier. Now, with either Nagbe or Artur dropping in, Pedro Santos and Steven Moreira can go higher up the pitch and the Crew’s formation can evolve from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-3. This is a more direct attacking approach and give Santos and Moreira the opportunity to create in midfield. This also pushes wingers Derrick Etienne and Yaw Yeboah higher up the field, hoping to get them in more goal scoring areas. Miguel Berry getting the starting nod This is not so much a tactical move, but it made a difference in the game. Miguel Berry was on fire near the end of last season, so out of that respect Porter decided to give him the nod over Gyasi Zardes. This could be just because of Berry’s good play at the end of last year or because Zardes missed bits of the preseason, but the choice seemed to pay off. Berry opened the scoring in the 8th minute but that wasn’t the brightest spot of his play. His passing was sublime. The combinations between him, Zelarayan, Etienne, and Yeboah looked beautiful and created loads of attacking chances for the Black and Gold. The nagging question is now who is the Crew’s starting striker going forward? Will we see Zardes return, or will we see Berry take his sport? Or will Porter find a way to incorporate the pair into the same starting XI? Only time will tell.

On December 2nd, 2018 the USMNT announced that Gregg Berhalter would leave the Crew after 5 seasons to take on the challenge of rebuilding an aging United States soccer squad. He left the Crew after leading them to four playoff appearances in five seasons, and a berth in the MLS Cup Final in 2015. In his wake the Crew hired highly touted Caleb Porter, who had bested the Crew in the 2015 final, but his luck had run out with the Portland Timbers in 2018. The Berhalter era of Crew soccer began in 2013 after he took over for Robert Warzycha. Immediately he began installing his system centered around controlling the ball and pace of play mixed with a defensive style to try and make opponents “predictable”. Berhalter’s offensive emphasis was creating positional overloads mostly for his fullbacks to get up and add another element to the Columbus attack. He accomplished this by cheating the forwards to one side of the field and sending the fullbacks high up the pitch to make a numerical advantage against each side of the opposing defense. He also made an emphasis in controlling the ball until the opportune time to attack. This was most successful when using “pivot players” such as Wil Trapp, Artur, and later Darlington Nagbe as well as the cernterbacks to switch the ball. The downfall of this offensive style was the ability for the defense to be exploited in transition after a turnover. A turnover during the Crew attack could lead to 1v1 defending situations for Crew defenders and could create numerical disadvantages for them on their own side of the pitch. Berhalter’s defensive scheme was to make opponents predictable by limiting the number of passing options to the player on the ball. He also instituted a medium style of pressing when the ball was able to be won. This tactical system was usually used with a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 formation Berhalter’s system led him to a 67-55-49 regular season record with Columbus, scoring 256 goals while conceding 247. His consistency was what made Columbus so threatening, making the playoffs 4 out of the 5 seasons he was at the helm. Over those 5 years he accumulated 1.446 points per match (PPM) and was MLS Cup runner up in 2015. While many may think the Crew preformed and won more games while having more of the ball, a look into the statistics show that in games where Berhalter won or tied, the average possession was 53.77%. On the other side of the coin, average possession was 53.24% in a loss for the Black and Gold during his tenure. While other factors such as injuries and international duty can have effect on the results of some of the games, ultimately controlling the ball and keeping possession was not a deciding factor during Berhalter’s tenure with the Crew. When Caleb Porter was introduced as head coach of the Crew, many fans thought no major changes would come to the on-pitch structure of the team, and in some ways they were correct. Porter preferred playing a similar offensive style to Gregg Berhalter but tweaked a few aspects on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Porter’s first order of business was to push Wil Trapp closer to goal. Porter felt the want to control play, but he wanted his best passer higher up the pitch. This duty fell to Wil Trapp but has now be transferred to Darlington Nagbe. Another tweak to the system was to put the emphasis on vertical passing rather than the possessive based horizontal balls. Porter was keen to attack off the bat, rather than draw opponents in and the breakout. He still valued controlling the game, but instead of controlling in the back, he pushed that responsibility up the field to the attacking midfielders and strikers. This is a technical way to say get Lucas Zelarayan the ball. Porter wanted to push the tempo more than Berhalter did, so he entrusted that job to Zelarayan. Defensively the only big change Porter made was to press as soon as the Crew lost possession to win the ball high up the pitch. This would usually happen near the sidelines so the Crew attackers could trap the other team in and get a turnover high up the pitch. Porter’s 3-year campaign has yielded a regular season record of 35-35-21, with 121 goals scored compared to 113 conceded. He averaged 1.42 points per match, while scoring 1.36 goals per game. The average possession stats show Porter’s adjustments to Gregg Berhalter’s system working for him, having 50.27% possession in wins and ties. The flip side is that when the Crew lose, the average possession over Porter’s tenure is 52.73%. This shows that the Crew are better off when they are pushing tempo with Lucas Zelarayan, rather than possessing the ball too much. Porter’s accomplishments with the Crew are monumental, winning the club’s second MLS Cup title in 2020 with a 3-1 win over the Seattle Sounders, and winning the club’s first international trophy with a win in the Champeones Cup. Overall these two coaches have made life very enjoyable for Crew fans over the past 8 seasons, but fans will always have opinions on who is the better coach. Columbus kicks off the 2022 season at Lower.Com Field against the Vancouver Whitecaps on February 26th. Kickoff is slated to be at 3:30 local time.