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The Columbus Crew extended its winning streak on Saturday, coming from behind against NYCFC to claim all three points and winning by a 4-2 scoreline. It was another rocky start in Columbus, with the Black & Gold going down a goal within four minutes. The Crew responded 13 minutes later through Diego Rossi and doubled their lead in the second half thanks to a goal from Max Arfsten. After Columbus’ second goal, their intensity dropped which allowed the visitors to even the game at two apiece. In classic Black & Gold fashion, two stoppage-time goals would net the Crew the three points and extend their win streak. It was an up-and-down game for Columbus, controlling parts of the match but also being on the back foot at times. Let’s dive into all the tactics that helped, hindered, and gave the Black & Gold the win. Columbus’ struggles It is not often that fans of the Crew see their team struggle as much as they did on Saturday night. NYCFC seemed to be on the front foot for the majority of the match, even winning the possession battle with 55% compared to Columbus’ 45%. The big question is how did NYCFC come into Lower.com Field and play the Black & Gold as well as they did? The answer lies in the visitors’ approach to the game, and their defensive tactics. When NYCFC came to Columbus in the quarterfinals of Leagues Cup, they seemed content to sit back and absorb the Crew’s pressure on their defense. They got a quick goal, and then tried to hold out and try to win the game 1-0 or go to penalties if the Black & Gold equalized. They got their penalty wish but could not convert enough from the spot to give themselves the win. Coming into this MLS regular season match, NYCFC’s attitude and defensive tactics took a complete 180. From the first kick, they were pressing the Crew high up the field with five to seven players, trying to prey on Columbus’ mistakes NYCFC’s press was not just throwing players up the field with reckless abandon though, it was regimented and well-thought-out. The visitors tried to compartmentalize the Black & Gold defense and midfielders in possession by pressuring them towards the sideline. New York City essentially wants to cut the field in half, trapping the Crew on a side of the pitch and overloading them. This change in defensive philosophy from NYCFC showed a boldness that was reminiscent of LAFC’s approach to Columbus in the second half of the Leagues Cup final. In that game, LAFC decided to press higher and harder in the second half with more disregard for their defensive stability. In that half the Black & Gold made more mistakes and turned the ball over, which gave the opposition a foothold in the game. NYCFC head coach Nick Cushing must have been watching, because that is exactly how New York City played the Crew in this matchup. Their pressure with seven players and a high line gave Columbus more potency in attack, but they first had to worry about getting the ball to the attackers. Too often NYCFC’s pressure yielded a wayward pass or bad touch, which set them on the attack down in the Black & Gold’s end. The visitor’s defensive pressure was one side of the coin. On the other side, they had a possession-based offense that had a definitive purpose in the Crew’s defensive half. NYCFC’s game plan on offense was to push their outside backs high up the field to play underneath their wingers. Columbus’ wingbacks often stepped up to pressure the visitor’s outside backs, which then drew out the Black & Gold outside center backs to cover NYCFC’s wingers. This defensive coverage not only made the Crew undermanned on the backline, it caused them to shift over to the ball side. Now the backside was wide open, where only one Columbus wingback had to mark both NYCFC’s opposite-side winger and outside back. This only left New York City with two defenders deep, but they were able to win the ball in the Black & Gold’s half so there was little worry of being exposed defensively. Both the pressing tactics and offensive setup from NYCFC was sublime, but it ultimately did not gift them a victory. They, along with many teams around MLS, are learning that no matter how well you gameplan you cannot count out Wilfried Nancy’s men. Finding a way to win This was not the Crew’s best performance by a longshot, but they still scored four goals and grabbed all three points. Columbus’ will win is a perfect combination of tactical setup and team mentality. First, the tactics. The Black & Gold got into trouble (much like how they did against LAFC) when they tried too hard to build out of the back at all costs. NYCFC was pressing with seven players, leaving the back end open for the attackers to find space on direct balls either into their feet or over the top. Once the Crew saw and grew into the game, they were able to have success breaking NYCFC’s press and getting some attacking chances. Ironically for a team that lives and dies by building out of the back, they played better when they went direct. Although Nancy set and conditioned his team to be fearless when playing out of the back, they are also set up to have direct options. Cucho Hernandez is one of the best players in the league at drifting around the attacking third and getting into the defense’s blind spot. A direct ball into him can spell doom for an entire team just based on his positioning. This direct safety valve became Columbus’ number one option to attack NYCFC. If they could find Hernandez on a sprint, the defense was more than likely going to pay. Another release to NYCFC’s pressure became all three attackers dropping into the midfield and receiving the ball to feet. The visitor’s pressure made it hard to find those passing lanes at times, but if they opened and the attack could turn into an undermanned defense, the race to goal was on. Rossi and Christian Ramirez have become masters at dropping into the midfield and then playing off each other. Their development as playmakers has given the Black & Gold a new dimension, and a new option to go direct as opposed to playing out of the back. To NYCFC’s credit, they went for the Crew’s throat and got a few good punches in, but it was not enough. This Columbus team just does not quit. No matter how much play has gone against them, they continue to scrap because they know goals can come out of nothing. They kept to that mentality, and it netted two goals in stoppage time to secure three points. Just another so-so performance that is overcome by the mentality of a hardworking team.

The Columbus Crew resumed their winning ways on Wednesday evening, besting the Philadelphia Union on Columbus’ return to MLS play. The Black & Gold featured a heavily rotated squad, with nine changes from the starting XI from the Leagues Cup Final. The Crew backup brigade kept it scoreless deep into the second half, when Wilfried Nancy decided to dip into his star power off the bench. Nancy brought on Yaw Yeboah, Max Arfsten, Diego Rossi, Cucho Hernandez, and Darlington Nagbe to try and steal three points for Columbus. The plan worked, with Yeboah bagging a goal off an assist from Arfsten to secure the only goal of the game for either team. The Black & Gold now sit 10 points behind Inter Miami in the Eastern Conference with two games still in hand. By fielding a mostly rotated squad, Nancy and his staff had to tweak their formation and tactics for this matchup. Let’s dive into those decisions. Rotated squad – new formations After the Leagues Cup triumph on Sunday, going into Philadelphia on Wednesday would always be a short turnaround for the Crew. Facing a Union side that has struggled this season, Nancy decided to go with a mostly rotated lineup for a large portion of that match. The brilliant manager that Nancy is, he knew that if he rotated his squad, he needed to also tweak their formation and tactics to fit the team on the field. That is exactly what he did, and it netted Columbus three points after the 90 minutes were up. In the back, the Black & Gold had Yevhen Cheberko at the central center back spot, with Malte Amundsen to his left and Sean Zawadzki on the right. DeJuan Jones and Marcelo Herrera split out wide as wingbacks, with Derrick Jones and Alexandru Matan inside as center midfielders. The team was rounded out by Dylan Chambost, AZ Jackson and Jacen Russell-Rowe in attack. From the beginning, the Crew lined up in their typical three/five back defense with two central midfielders and a fluid attack. After surviving an early Philadelphia offensive surge, Columbus finally showed their hand in possession. The first formation the Black & Gold shifted to on offense was a 2-4-4. Amundsen and Cheberko stayed back while Zawadzki moved into central midfield alongside Jones. Matan and Chambost acted as half-pivots between the outside center backs and the wingbacks, who were now up high as wingers. The key in the 2-4-4 is Zawadzki. Naturally brought up as a midfielder, he can easily transition from the backline into the midfield without a problem. He is the player that made the 2-4-4 work as well as it did due to his versatility. Because Zawadzki could move into the midfield, this freed up Matan to have fewer defensive duties and go up into the attack. With natural ball-winners like Jones and Zawadzki in the center of the pitch, this gave the rest of the team a pass to extend themselves further in pursuit of a goal. The 2-4-4 was used by the Crew in buildup and transition situations. When Columbus reached Philadelphia’s attacking third, they morphed into the second formation of the night, a 2-2-6. The change from the 2-4-4 to the 2-2-6 was easy, both Matan and Chambost moved up into the attack. Both midfielders would play underneath or alongside Jackson and Russell-Rowe, who acted as the fluid attackers in this formation. This formation gave the Black & Gold the opportunity to put pressure on the Union backline and create those overloads that Nancy loved. The front six had the freedom to interchange and play off each other but mostly stuck to their positions more than the usual starters did. This could be due to their limited playtime and still trying to learn the system, but they still generated some half-chances directed at Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake. In the second half, Crew fans got to see the third formation change of the night with Columbus changed into a 1-3-6 in attack. Much like the Leagues Cup final against LAFC, the Black & Gold changed into this formation that looked like a diamond in the back, with six attackers up top. Cheberko stayed deep with Amundsen and Zawadzki moving slightly higher, having Jones complete the diamond at the top. This gave the defensive line different depths and widths that they could move around and find passing lanes from, especially when the Union started pressing with four players. The fourth and final formation that the Crew changed to a 3-3-4 just before the substitutes came on. Again, the backline consisted of the three center backs, but they cupped the line a little bit to give extra support to the midfield with the outside center backs. The midfield line was flat with Matan on the left, Jones in the middle, and Chambost out on the right. The attack remained mostly unchanged, with the wingbacks outside along with Jackson and Russell-Rowe as dueling strikers. These formation tweaks not only changed as the situations in the match changed, but they also played to the strengths of the players that were on the field. Nancy has set up teams differently depending on who he has available, which is one of the many reasons why he is such a great manager. Some coaches play a rigid system no matter what personnel they have, but Nancy is completely different. He knows his players are multidimensional and can adapt, which is why he can toss in these tactical wrinkles. While the formation changes for the rotated squad did not yield a goal, they did their job. They kept Philadelphia from scoring while also generating some half-chances of their own until the closers could come off the bench to finish the job. Nancy and the Crew coaching staff essentially made this a 30-minute game when they brought on the usual starters, and it paid off big time with three points.

The Columbus Crew added another trophy to the case on Sunday night, knocking off LAFC yet again to win Leagues Cup. This is the third straight win over LAFC for Columbus, besting them in the 2023 MLS Cup Final and the 5-1 drubbing out in LA earlier this season. The game started off well for the Black & Gold, looking dangerous in LAFC’s half and ultimately finding the opener through Cucho Hernandez’s head. The second half was a different story though. LAFC made changes to their gameplan and came at the Crew, now putting Columbus on the back foot. The visitors equalized with an Oliver Giroud header off a corner kick, and the game remained tied until stoppage time. Despite being outclassed in the second 45, the Black & Gold kept pushing and found the go-ahead goal yet again through Hernandez. A counter just a minute later secured the third goal and the Leagues Cup title for Columbus, this time with Hernandez assisting Jacen Russell-Rowe. It was a game of tactical adjustments by both sides, but it ultimately saw the Black & Gold’s playstyle triumph over LAFC’s. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into the championship matchup. Strong start From the moment the ball was kicked, the Crew were looking dominant as usual. The first half of this game was reminiscent to how the first half of the 2023 MLS Cup Final went, lots of Columbus possession and good chances to build a lead. The first way the Black & Gold had success was by finding out what LAFC was doing defensively, and then game planning around that. Early on, LAFC was trying to clog the middle of the pitch, playing in a 5-4-1 defensive formation. Both the defensive and midfield line pinched to try and force the Crew to attack from wide areas. To remedy this, Columbus tweaked their formation to find the passing lanes in the middle of the pitch, while also maintaining width with their wingbacks. The Black & Gold switched to a new looking formation that is very different from how the Crew usually lines up. Rudy Camacho stayed back as a deep-lying centerback while Malte Amundsen and Steven Moreira would move up field in the channel. Sean Zawadzki sat as a lone central defensive midfielder, while Darlington Nagbe moved up as a left-side no. 10. The defenders and Zawadzki formed a diamond, with Nagbe higher up the field in the attacking midfield space. One of the front three would also drop into the right attacking midfield space to balance the formation with Nagbe. This meant that the other two attackers would play up top as dueling no. 9’s, with the wingbacks outside of them. This essentially put Columbus into a 3-1-2-4 on offense. LAFC’s defensive structure also played a massive part in the Black & Gold’s success in the first half. The visitors decided to defend narrow and deep into their own half, not very intent on applying pressure to the Crew in possession. This let Columbus have a lion’s share of the ball and enough time to break down LAFC’s defensive block. The only time LAFC decided to pressure players in possession was when the centerbacks marked the Black & Gold attackers who were dropping into the midfield. The visitors tried to chase the Crew backwards if they could but were otherwise just content to sit in their block and wait for the counter. This idea of waiting to counter Columbus did not yield any clear-cut chances for LAFC due to the Black & Gold’s ability to win the ball back quickly after losing it. Camacho and the rest of the defense did a great job in the first half stepping up to break up passes and fending off attackers trying to hold play up on the counter. Both the Crew’s tactical setup and LAFC’s willingness to sit back led to the Black & Gold building a 1-0 lead in a strong first half showing. Hanging on in the second half The second 45 was an entirely different story for the Crew. A compound effect of LAFC deciding to press and Columbus being stubborn in building out of the back made for a touch half for the Black & Gold. The visitors came out in the second half with a completely different gameplan that hinged on going for the win at the expense of possibly exposing their backline. The gamble paid off from the jump, pressing the Crew and turning them over time after time. LAFC came out of halftime and began pressing high up the field with five players, with five defenders staying back. Pressing with five matched Columbus’ buildup numbers, with Nagbe sliding back alongside Zawadzki in midfield. This gave the Black & Gold two options to beat the press, they could have the attackers drop into the passing lanes to receive the ball to their feet or go long overtop. Going direct instead of constantly relying on building out of the back now became the best course of action for the Crew, but they did not adjust. For much of the second half Columbus kept trying to build out of the back. This led to poor touches, wayward passes and numerous LAFC dangerous attacking moments. Going direct is not the first attacking avenue the Black & Gold want to utilize, but they needed to in the second half. Because LAFC was up pressuring the Crew’s backline, there was a sizeable gap in the midfield between the visitors attacking and defense. The times Columbus broke the press in the second half was when they dump the ball into a dropping attacker in that space, and then they could go from there. In the end, the Black & Gold ended up getting away with their poor second half performance due to LAFC’s inability to pressure the Crew in wide areas. Hernadnez was allowed to receive the ball to feet off a throw-in while LAFC was arguing with the referee. This gave him the time and space to pick out a good ball into the box that Russell-Rowe shieled Hugo Lloris from seeing, giving Columbus the go-ahead goal. Despite being outclassed in the second half, all the Black & Gold needed was one chance to find the winner. Even in a half where they were on the back foot, struggled to get clean touches and looked second best at times, they found a way to get the win. That’s what makes this team so special and hard to gameplan against. Tactically, LAFC did everything right in the second half. They pressed, forced bad passes and took a chance on a corner. The one thing they did not do was maintain a hard-working attitude for the full 94 minutes. Their inability to step out on Hernandez and close him down on the go-ahead goal tells you all you need to know about these teams. Columbus has the talent and the work ethic to find ways to win, no matter the situation. That is why they are MLS Cup champions and now Leagues Cup champions, and they do not look like slowing down anytime soon.

The Columbus Crew advanced to the Leagues Cup final with a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union. The game started off strong for Columbus, controlling the match from the opening kick instead of conceding seconds after the first whistle blew. Diego Rossi continued his hot run of form, scoring only 12 minutes in on a rebound that bounced off Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake. The Union would answer with a goal of their own off a bad giveaway in the back for the Black & Gold. The Crew’s tradition of shooting themselves in the foot was kept alive and well with this goal. Columbus’ response would be strong and decisive though, with Rossi adding a second tally before halftime and Cucho Hernandez finishing one of his own to secure a 3-1 victory for the Black & Gold.  The Crew will face familiar final foe LAFC on Sunday for a shot to be Leagues Cup champions. Columbus had a good showing in this game, with little doubt being left as to who is the better team. Let’s dive into the tactics of this match, and how the Black & Gold will stack up against LAFC in the final Attacking Philadelphia’s defense Teams around the league have tried different philosophies to slow the Crew down throughout the season. Some match Columbus’ formation hoping to match the Black & Gold’s overloads. Others have stuck with their own tactics and stayed true to their identity. Philadelphia coach Jim Curtain took the middle ground on Wednesday night, borrowing from both schools of thought. Curtain kept his team in a 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield, not matching the Crew’s 5-2-3. The Union stuck to their guns and decided to play their formation rather than setting up in a new look and risk being uncomfortable. Philadelphia simply did not roll out the balls and play Columbus like any other team though. Curtain tried to force the Black & Gold to attack down the left flank, rather than the somewhat preferred right wing. This approach makes sense from the Union’s point of view. Mo Farsi is a more dynamic player in tight spaces and can be dangerous with an overload of teammates around him to combine with. On the other side Max Arfsten is still dangerous, but he is more of a crossing marksman rather than a quick scat wingback like Farsi. So naturally, Curtain wanted to plug up the right side so the Crew would be forced to play down the left side. Apparently, Philadelphia felt more comfortable defending crosses as opposed to defending overloads and numerous combination plays. Now Columbus presents this problem to every team they line up against; they simply do not comply by anyone’s rules. From the minute the ball was kicked the Black & Gold flew down the right wing, to the exact side Curtain wanted to prevent them from exploiting. Despite the game plan and extra manpower on that right side, Philadelphia still was outmanned and passed around. That is what can happen when you have a team that is as comfortable on the ball as the Crew is. Other than attacking Philadelphia’s seemingly stronger left side of the defense, Columbus learned from their mistakes in the NYCFC game as well. In the quarterfinals, the Black & Gold squeaked through on penalties after struggling at times against NYCFC. One of the reasons for that struggle was due to how flat the Crew’s midfield was. In this game against the Union, Columbus remedied that by pushing Sean Zawadzki higher into an attacking midfielder role and having Steven Moreira step into the midfield. With Zawadzki higher and Moreira alongside Nagbe, the Black & Gold were able to have more attacking passing options and Zawadzki higher up the field to engage the repress. These changes paved the way for the Crew to have a smooth game, outside of one boneheaded moment trying to build out of the back. Columbus will have to nullify those rare mistakes with counter-kings LAFC coming to Lower.Com Field on Sunday. Game planning for LAFC The real Black & Gold waxed LAFC last time they met in July out in Los Angeles. The Crew hounded the hosts with their pressure all night, banging in five goals and only allowing one. All the fans know the recent history between these two teams, and it’s been one-sided in Columbus’ favor. LAFC is not a team to be taken lightly though, especially with the attacking weapons they have and Hugo Lloris between the posts. So, what do the Black & Gold need to do to get the job done and secure another title for Columbus? It will take a good team performance, but there are a few points of emphasis. First, they must eliminate the stupid mistakes. I’ve said before that the Crew only concede stupid, self-inflicted goals or absolute unbeatable, world-class strikes. There are not many teams that can break Columbus down and create a well-worked goal, almost all those moments come off a poor decision or turnover from the Black & Gold. LAFC’s whole mantra is blitzing teams on the counter, so if the Crew are turning the ball over, they could be in for a world of hurt. This team is designed to give up a goal in exchange for scoring multiple goals, but LAFC is a team that can match Columbus’ firepower if the Black & Gold are sloppy. Second, the Crew must press like they pressured LAFC in July. In July, the hosts did not have a second to think on the ball before they were being pressed by a Columbus player. That same level of intensity is necessary in a final, especially against a team of LAFC’s caliber that wants revenge for the past two outings. The Black & Gold opted for a man-marking pressure in MLS Cup and in the July regular season game. The midfielders and backline stepped up and made sure they had LAFC covered, which made it hard to find passing options to go forward. They need the same type of press and intensity on Sunday. Finally, the Crew needs to take their chances when they come. Not a lot of chances get wasted in Columbus, but if the attack has an off night it is going to be tough to win this game. Hernandez, Rossi and Ramirez all need to be on their game from the first minute trying to break down Lloris’ wall in the net. I have a feeling this game is more on the Black & Gold than it is on LAFC. This is the Crew’s game to lose, and if they play sloppy in possession and in attack, they will be at risk of losing this game. Knowing Wilfried Nancy though, he will relish having the control and upper hand in this match. Needless to say, this will be a must-watch final for all parties involved.

The Columbus Crew advanced into the Leagues Cup semifinals following another come-from-behind victory, this time against NYCFC. The visitors went up only seconds into the game, following a bad giveaway by Rudy Camacho that left a New York attacker one-on-one with Patrick Schulte. From there, it was an uphill battle for the rest of the match. Columbus would eventually find the equalizer courtesy of Cucho Hernandez. Max Arfsten delivered an exquisite ball into the box, which Hernandez met with his head to tie the game. Both teams had chances but could not finish them en route to a penalty shootout. Newcomer DeJuan Jones dispatch the winning spot kick for the Black & Gold, sending them to a semifinal matchup with the Philadelphia Union. Tactically, this game looked very similar to how the Crew played against Miami. They struggled at times to stick to their fast paced, fluid identity and it caused them problems. Let’s dive into all the tactical decisions that went into this Leagues Cup quarterfinal victory. Columbus’ struggles Out of the gate, it looked like it would be an unlucky night for the Black & Gold. Setting a Leagues Cup record of 12 seconds for the fastest goal conceded is not anyone’s idea of success, but that is exactly what happened to the Crew. From that moment forward, Columbus looked better, but still slightly off. Much like in the first half of the Miami game, the Black & Gold looked disconnected, sloppy and contained, three things that would not normally be used to describe a Wilfried Nancy-coached team. So, what was preventing the Crew from playing how they normally did? There were a few factors, both due to self-inflicted issues and opponent’s game planning.  First, the self-inflicted problems. From the start, there was a disconnect between the backline and the midfield on offense and defense. Columbus struggled to find Darlington Nagbe and Sean Zawadzki in the middle of the pitch, which made building out of the back more difficult than it had to be. One reason for this was because Nagbe and Zawadzki were playing as two flat defensive midfielders. This is not a problem if an attack would have dropped into the attacking midfield space, but Diego Rossi and Hernandez were opting to come deeper in the channels, rather than the attacking midfield. This meant that NYCFC was not having to stretch themselves defensively and commit to guarding Nagbe and Zawadzki one-on-one. They could help each other to form traps in the middle of the field while the backline stepped up to mark the other Black & Gold attackers. This is one of the many reasons why there were more turnovers than normal committed by the Crew. On the other side of the ball, Columbus was having the same issue, but with an added wrinkle on the back end. Nagbe and Zawadzki were flat, which meant that the NYCFC defensive midfielders or defenders in possession could move up freely without being pressed. Typically, the Black & Gold like to commit one of their defensive midfielders to step forward and press the cutoff man for the opponents, but that was not happening often enough to set up the pressure for the Crew. That was problem number one, but problem number two occurred at the same time along the defensive line. If Nagbe and Zawadzki were going to play flat during the press, the backline needed to step higher to draw the attackers offsides. If they had done this, it would have been much harder for NYCFC to pick out a pass. The problem arose when the Columbus backline stayed deeper than normal, giving the attackers free reign to probe and run behind the backline with no pressure on the ball by the Black & Gold midfielders. This led to dangerous situations where the Crew had to defend one-on-one, something they do not love to do. The last factor that contributed to this slow start to the game, was NYCFC’s game planning. The visitors had done their homework and devised a gameplan slowed Columbus down for the time being. NYCFC decided to press with four, one striker and a line of three behind him. The striker would press Camacho, while the two outside midfielders would push up on the outside centerbacks. The attacking midfielder for NYCFC took care of the Black & Gold’s split, usually Nagbe. It was more of a resisted pressure than what Miami did, allowing the Crew to commit the mistake themselves rather than trying to force the mistake by all-out pressure. Because the centerbacks and the split midfielder was cutoff, Columbus had to find new avenues around the pressure. This often was resolved by the attackers dropping into a wide wingback space and receiving the ball, then combining with either Mo Farsi or Arfsten who had gone high up the field like a winger. Once the Black & Gold figured that out, the game opened much more for them. NYCFC did a good job at slowing the Crew down, figuring out their passing patters to apply pressure and forcing mistakes, but they could not stop the Columbus machine. Once the Black & Gold figured out their identity and how NYCFC was combatting them, they looked dangerous as usual. Finding a foothold The Crew began finding success in this game when Hernandez dropped into that attacking midfield space and the team started to attack from wide areas. Both these little changes played a factor in Columbus getting on level terms and trying to push for a second goal. When Hernandez began dropping into the midfield, he filled that space that either Zawadzki or Nagbe would usually take up if they were staggered. Typically, it was Aidan Morris who would go up into that attacking midfield vacancy when he was here, but Nancy opted to keep Zawadzki and Nagbe flat in the midfield in this game. That meant the space was open for the attackers to exploit because NYCC was pushing their defensive midfielders higher to compete with Columbus two midfielders. Because they moved higher, now NYCFC had to decide to push one of their centerbacks up to press Hernandez or drop back and wait for the recovering midfielders to get back in transition. This now gave the Black & Gold’s most dynamic and dangerous attacker the freedom to create and find passes from a deeper midfield spot. It also meant that he could make late-arriving runs and use the other attacker’s runs as decoys to create space for himself. This is exactly what happened on the Crew’s goal. Hernandez started deep and after a failed combination, just hung out at the top of the box. Once the ball was recycled wide for Arfsten, he let Christian Ramirez and Yevhen Cheberko make darting runs towards the front post. This dragged the defense out of position and gave Hernandez the space to get a good jump and direct the ball into the back of the net. After the goal and into the second half, Columbus began to figure out a pattern of play and an attack plan that worked well against NYCFC’s setup. The visitors had a balanced formation that was hard to poke holes in but were forced to rotate to compete with the Black & Gold’s front five, and even sometimes six attackers. The Crew discovered that they had to most success when the ball would be switched quickly to a wing, and then played to the backside to catch the defense over-shifting. This constant sliding back and forth across the field is tough on a defense, and they are bound to lose track of runners after a while. This has been in Columbus’ wheelhouse for the past few weeks. Many of their goals have come from the ball being played out wide from a central area, and then attacking a back post cross as the defense tries to shift. The only way that teams can combat this is by playing with a back five or six, which would limit their ability to counter and get up in the attack. They would lose offensive power for defensive stability, and risk having a constant barrage of the Black & Gold attack on top of them, without an escape plan. While the Crew did not grab a second goal to kill the game in regular time, their calmness on penalties saw them go through to the next round. Another up-and-down match for Columbus, but this team has figured out how to win games when things do not go their way from the first kick. That is a dangerous quality to have, especially in a sudden-death tournament like Leagues Cup.

The Columbus Crew advanced to the quarterfinals of Leagues Cup on Tuesday with a dramatic comeback victory over Inter Miami. Still without Lionel Messi due to injury, Miami came into this game with the other Barcelona boys ready to pick up the slack. Miami did just that, taking control of the game for the first hour of the match and building a 2-0 lead. Then in the 67th minute the Crew were given a lifeline courtesy of Christian Ramirez’s head. A mere two minutes later, Columbus was level with the visitors as Diego Rossi tapped in a back-post ball from Cucho Hernandez. The momentum had shifted, and the Black & Gold would find the winner in the 80th minute. Rossi slipped through the defense and placed the ball into the side netting to complete the comeback. It was another game where the Crew were night and day in terms of their quality of play. Let’s dive into all the tactical decisions that hurt, and ultimately helped Columbus grab a victory and advance to the quarterfinals. Struggles in the first hour Anyone who watched this game could see that the Black & Gold were not their usual dominant selves for a large part of this match. Messi or not, Miami is a tough opponent with a good coach at the helm. This was never going to be a cakewalk like Crew fans are so accustomed to seeing these days. There were a few things that the visitors did to make Columbus’ life difficult on top of the Black & Gold making their own lives difficult. Miami head coach Tata Martino’s decision to match formations with the Crew proved to work at first, but later found out it would not work in the long run. Miami coming out and matching Columbus’ formation made it easier to press the Black & Gold. Martino employed a man-marking press, putting a defender on every single Crew player that was involved in the buildup. Columbus had a hard time exploiting the high press because they could not drag Miami out of their defensive shape, because their shape was a mirror to the Black & Gold’s offensive shape. This meant that overloads were essentially taken out of play, and the only ways to beat the press was to counter quickly when Miami lost the ball, play long into feet or attempt to lose the man-markers. On top of this, the Crew were atrocious in the first 60 minutes of this game with their touches and passes. Even the great Darlington Nagbe was being turned over at a higher rate than normal. Miami’s first goal was indicative of these struggles. Steven Moreira took two bad touches and had his pocket picked, which led to a free header in the box because Yevhen Cheberko had to rotate over. Despite Miami’s press and Columbus’ poor technical play, no factor was more impactful on the Black & Gold than their slow pace of play. It seems odd to say a Wilfried Nancy side had a slow pace to their offensive play, but that was the case on Tuesday night. More than usual, the Crew were taking too many touches and not getting others involved around them. Not spraying the ball around and attacking Miami in those transition moments gave the visitors a chance to get back on defense and prepare for a Columbus attack. This continued into the second half, which eventually led to Miami’s second goal of the night. Alexandru Matan came on for Sean Zawadzki to start the second half along with Ramirez and Mo Farsi, taking out Dylan Chambost and DeJuan Jones. Matan took way too many touches, got his pocket picked and ended up watching Miami add a second to their tally. Bringing on those substitutes gave the Black & Gold more familiarity and punch going forward, but it was not until Ramirez’s goal went in that the Crew really woke up. 30-minute sprint to the finish  Everyone says that a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous lead in soccer. Whether you believe it or not, that saying became a reality for Miami on Tuesday. The visitors had full control. They had demoralized Columbus by soaking on pressure and making them pay on the counter. Miami had done everything right until the Black & Gold figured out how to attack their defense, and how to get Ramirez a free header in gimme range. The Crew ended up figuring out that the way to get after Miami was to switch the point of attack quickly multiple times. Playing quick, horizontal balls to the wide areas shifted Miami’s defense and caused them to organize and communicate constantly. That much communication breeds an opportunity for a mistake, which is what Ramirez capitalized on. Hernandez played the ball out left for Max Arfsten, drawing out the right wingback for Miami while Ramirez drifted inside towards the six-yard box. Farsi, who had cut inside as an additional striker, moved towards the ball, dragging Miami’s left centerback with him. This vacated space is what opened for Ramirez, and what allowed him to get a free header in the box. Another wrinkle in this goal, was the back-post defending by Jordi Alba and Noah Allen. When Hernandez switched the ball for Arfsten, both Allen and Alba drop deeper, while Sergio Busquets and the rest of the defenders stepped up. Allen and Alba kept Ramirez onsides due to a communication issue and the other defenders stepping high. From that moment, the energy in Lower.com Field changed. The fans could smell blood in the water, and they knew what was coming next. Sure enough, two minutes later Rossi struck on another back-post ball to even the game. This goal started all the way from the back, on a goal kick. A pass was played quickly to Farsi who raced down the right sideline to link up with Hernandez, who had drifted out wide. The keys to this goal again are the decoy runners, miscommunication and Columbus’ quick pace of paly in transition. Miami’s right wing-back was late getting back on defense because he had gotten high into the previous attack. When Ramirez made a darting diagonal run towards the penalty spot, Miami right centerback Tomás Avilés follows him. This left Rossi wide open at the back post to receive the cross from Hernandez and tap in the Black & Gold’s second goal of the night. If Avilés had passed off Ramirez to Miami midfielder Yannick Bright, he could have marked Rossi and prevented the goal. Again, miscommunication and bad soccer IQ sunk Miami in that moment and allowed the Crew to get back into this game in a flash. After the two goals in rapid fashion, it went back to looking like the Black & Gold of old. Quick passes, smart runs, calm on the ball and dangerous. Then in the 80th minute, Columbus found the dagger. The Crew’s third goal yet again, hinged on a quick pace and more miscommunication from Miami’s defense. Ramirez received the ball at the halfway line and played a pass into space for Farsi. Miami’s defense was in recovery mode, which allowed the Canadian wingback to cut inside. As Farsi cut inside, backside defenders Busquets and Marcelo Weigandt both did not recognize the situation and step up with the rest of the defense. While Farsi cut inside, Rossi was making a diagonal run from left to right, in front of Farsi. The Canadian played a quick slip ball into Rossi’s feet, and the Uruguayan picked out the far corner to put Columbus into the quarterfinals. So, what changed around the 60th minute to help the Black & Gold get back into this game? A large part must be placed on the substitutions. While it took 15 minutes to settle in, Matan, Farsi and Ramirez played an immense role in giving the Crew a victory. Matan came in and gave Columbus a more attack-minded midfielder who could join the attack to form a front six. Farsi of course had an amazing game down the right side, providing the ultimate assist to Rossi in the 80th minute. T here was not a player that impacted the game more though, than Christian Ramirez. Chambost struggled to get on the ball in the first half and seemed lost at times in the fluid attack with Rossi and Hernandez. Ramirez came on at halftime and instantly changed the game. He dropped into the midfield and played exquisite layoff passes to the wingbacks and other attackers, and then he just had a poacher’s mindset to grab the first goal and give the Black & Gold a lifeline.  The other thing that changed was the Crew’s mindset and belief. Sometimes all you need is a spark to start a chain reaction, and Columbus needed one on Tuesday night. Not every game is going to be dominance from the beginning, and sometimes the team will need a moment of individual brilliance to start a snowball effect. Ramirez’s goal provided that for the Black & Gold, and it changed everything From that moment the Crew’s pace changed, they were lively on the ball and quick to attack and defend. It was as if they had sleepwalked for 60 minutes but woke up as soon as Ramirez’s ball hit the back of the net. Columbus needed a goal to get the crowd and belief back on their side, and they ultimately found it. Miami failed to adjust, which played a part in the three-goal landslide, but the Black & Gold will not care. They are onto the quarterfinals on Saturday in front of another deafening Lower.com Field crowd.

The Columbus Crew kicked off their 2024 Leagues Cup campaign with a 4-0 drubbing of Sporting Kansas City. Columbus forward Diego Rossi struck twice in the first hour to build a 2-0 lead for the Black & Gold, continuing his hot run of form. Substitutes DeJuan Jones and Dylan Chambost marked their debuts in impressive fashion, scoring the other two goals in the match. Jones’ goal became the fastest debut goal in Crew history, only 20 seconds after he stepped onto the pitch. Columbus’ win now sets them on a crash course with Inter Miami CF, on Tuesday at Lower.Com Field. The Black & Gold’s win over SKC was very similar to what they did earlier in the year against the same opposition. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into this win for the Crew. Running in behind from the half spaces Columbus’ fluid attack gave Kansas City fits all night, especially in the second half once the Black & Gold found their stride. The main reason for this domination was the types of runs the Crew offense was making. SKC opted to defend in a 4-4-2, with a flat midfield and backline. In this flat formation, there was five to 10 yards of space in between the defenders and midfielders. This space is where Columbus lived, and how they made Kansas City pay repeatedly. The first key was to figure out what the visitors’ defensive line would do when the Black & Gold attack would drop deeper into the midfield. Some teams opt to have their defense man-mark and follow those runners, but SKC decided to stay in their defensive shape. This gave Kansas City a sense of defensive solidity and safety. They were not going to concede by having the Crew pull their center backs out of position and play into the vacated space behind them. That tactic has worked immensely for Columbus this season, but in true Wilfried Nancy form, he had contingency plans. Since SKC was not following the dropping runners, the Black & Gold could do a few things. The first passage of play they did was play directly into the attackers’ feet. This allowed the attacking player to turn into space and run at the backpedaling defense. With attackers as dynamic as Rossi, Cucho Hernandez and Christian Ramirez, that can be a tricky situation for defenders. The next step for the Crew was to try and get runners in behind, despite SKC’s reluctance to move forward and expose space in behind. Although they did not want to move up, they were forced to, because they had to defend the turning attacker who had just received the ball. That is where the runs in behind opened. Because Columbus’ attacking players were dropping 5-10 yards in front of the defense, they were able to get a head start on their runs to blow by the stagnant defenders. This combination of speed and precision is exactly what led to the Black & Gold’s first goal of the night. Hernandez received the ball to feet, and the defense backed off. Rossi then made a diagonal run from right to left across the center backs. The defenders failed to communicate and pick the Uruguayan up, which allowed Hernandez to slot a pass in behind. From there, it was up to Rossi to put the ball away, which he did. The Crew’s ability to be an attacking Swiss army knife has been lethal for other teams so far this season. That potent attack showed up again on Friday, to the tune of four goals and a knockout stage victory. The positioning of Sean Zawadzki Filling Aidan Morris’ shoes was never going to be an easy task. Despite the challenge, Sean Zawadzki has stepped up for Columbus, showing up all over the field on the offensive and defensive side. Against SKC, Zawadzki flew around the pitch taking up a plethora of different positions. He started off as a central midfielder, but throughout the night he would become an attacking midfielder, wingback, and even a center back. Starting off with his natural position, Zawadzki lined up as a central midfielder alongside Darlington Nagbe. Although he started in a deeper midfield position, he quickly transitioned into the attacking phase of the game. Most of this switch is due to how Nagbe likes to play. The MLS veteran enjoys playing a deeper role, spraying passes around the field and controlling the tempo of the game. This prompted Zawadzki to move into a higher attacking midfielder position, shaded more towards the left side. To balance the formation, Black & Gold attackers would drop into the midfield on the right side, forming an attacking midfield partnership with Zawadzki. Nagbe would complete the triangle by sitting as a central no. 6. Zawadzki did not stay in the center of the pitch all night though. When the Crew wanted to attack down the left side, the young American shifted out onto the left side as a half-pivot between Max Arfsten and Malte Amundsen. This pushed Arfsten higher and allowed more space for the attackers to drop into the midfield. Sometimes on that left side, Zawadzki would make overlapping or inverted runs around Arfsten to provide an additional attacking element. In a sense, he became a second left wingback with Arfsten pushed up so high. With Zawadzki’s adaptability, it is impressive to see how many positions he can take on in one match. This positional fluidity is incredibly valuable to Nancy and the coaching staff, which is why Crew fans should get used to seeing Zawadzki’s name on the team sheet.

The stars of MLS and Liga MX descended on Columbus this week, set to clash in the MLS All-Star game at Lower.com Field. The Columbus Crew had five its players selected, along with head coach Wilfried Nancy leading the way for MLS’ best. The game had fireworks out of the gate, with Liga MX opening the scoring just 16 minutes into the match. Columbus’ own Cucho Hernandez evened the score seconds later, combining with fellow Black & Gold attacker Diego Rossi to find the back of the net. From there MLS had its chances but were unable to covert while on the other side, there was a completely different story. Liga MX would score three unanswered goals on the way to a 4-1 victory over their American counterparts. Despite this being a friendly, Nancy’s fingerprints could be seen in the way the MLS All-Stars played, especially in the second half. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into this all-star matchup between MLS and Liga MX. First half tactics – universal approach In the first half of this game, the MLS All-Stars looked different from how Nancy usually lines his teams up. Crew fans know by now that the French manager prefers to go with a three-back defense, with wingbacks who will fly up the field. Typically, Nancy will also have two defensive midfielders and three interchangeable attackers up top. In this All-Star game though, the veteran MLS coach decided on a more universal approach to his formation. After only a few days with this team, there was not enough time to implement the full-scale Nancy-ball that Columbus fans are accustomed to. Because of this, the MLS All-Stars lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, a very common setup for teams around the globe. Not only is this formation easy to adapt to for a professional player, it fits the strengths of the starting 11 Nancy came out with. In the back, Roman Bürki was between the posts with Justen Glad and Thiago Martins in the center of defense. Outside of them sat Miami’s Jordi Alba and Colorado’s Keegan Rosenberry as the outside backs. Sergio Busquets and Hector Herrera were the double no. 6’s, with Luciano Acosta in front of them as the no. 10. The attacking three consisted of Hernandez as the striker, with Rossi out on the right flank and Portland’s Evander on the left flank. This gave the MLS All-Stars a balanced approach going forward, with enough numbers back to be solid defensively as well. Despite the formation change, the squad still followed in the tactical footsteps of their coach in certain aspects of the game. For example, the MLS All-Stars pressed in a similar fashion to how the Black & Gold like to press. The front three would apply quick pressure on the Liga MX back line while Busquets and Herrera stepped up to mark the cutoffs in midfield. Because it was a friendly and not a real game, the pressure was applied in a subdued fashion, but it still worked from time to time. This squad also took after their coach from the standpoint that their formation was adaptable. Despite lining up in an unfamiliar 4-2-3-1, Nancy still found a way to introduce a freedom and free-flowing brand of soccer into the game. For example, Alba would often abandon his post as a left back and move either into the midfield alongside Busquets or into the attack as a winger. So, the formation changed from a 4-2-3-1 to a 3-3-1-3 or a 3-2-5. If the formation was tweaked to one of these three-back shapes, space opened for the ex-Barcelona boys to combine and work their magic. When the ball was switched into Busquets feet, he instantly began to look for Alba on that opposite side to get in behind the defense. This was how much of the first half went, with Rossi and Hernandez finding the lone goal for the MLS All-Stars. In the second half there would be a complete tactical change, one that looked much more like the Black & Gold fans have come to enjoy. Second half tactics – Nancy-ball In the second half, Nancy finally gave in and put the MLS All-Stars into a more Crew-esque formation. The MLS side lined up in a 5-2-3 with wingbacks that would turn into wingers, with an entirely new lineup on the field. French legend and current LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris sat between the sticks, with Columbus favorites Rudy Camacho and Steven Moreira in front of him. Colorado’s Moise Bombito filled out the back three as the other outside center back. Luca Orellano from FC Cincinnati lined up on the left flank, while Federico Bernardeschi played on the opposite side of the pitch. In the middle, Mathieu Choinière partnered with Riqui Puig as the central midfielders. Denis Bouanga, Christian Benteke, and Hany Mukhtar rounded out the 11 as the attacking trident. This approach looked more familiar to Crew fans. While the team was not as technically sound and cool on the ball, the All-Stars loosely resembled the style of play that has become so beautiful in Columbus. Camacho played as the central center back in the back three as he usually did and had a decently good game. There were a few miscommunications on the Liga MX goals, but the French center back controlled the game well and made important challenges. His Black & Gold counterpart Moreira had more freedom in this game. Columbus fans are accustomed to seeing the Frenchman spring forward into the attack from his defensive spot, but Moreira seemed to be free to roam wherever he wanted to. Not only did he make runs into the attacking third, he also sat in the midfield at times alongside Choinière as another defensive midfielder. Moving Moreira into the midfield made the formation evolve into a 2-2-1-5. Both Camacho and Bombito stayed back, while Moreira and Choinière were the midfield anchors in front of them. Moreira joining the midfield pushed Puig forward and allowed the LA Galaxy star to have more attacking freedom. Both wingbacks pushed high as wingers, linking up with the front three. This change in tactics and formation yielded good results for the MLS side. They generated several scoring chances, hit the woodwork multiples times but was unable to find a goal. There were two goals given up to Liga MX in transition, but that is the risk you run when playing in Nancy’s system. Columbus’ final All-Star checked into the match later in the game, with Darlington Nagbe coming on to join the midfield and link up with Moreira and Camacho. When Nagbe checked into the game, he sat as a lone no. 6 with Puig in front of him. Moreira still moved into the midfield at times but hung back after the goals went in to provide more defensive support. While it was not the result that the fans of the MLS All-Star team wanted, it was a good display in a soccer-centric city. Columbus got to prove how good of a host city it was, and the Crew’s stars got to showcase their talents and how the Black & Gold like to play beautiful soccer.

The Columbus Crew’s six game unbeaten streak came to an end on Saturday, falling to Atlanta United 2-1. It was a tale of two halves for Columbus, starting strong in the first 45 but faltering in the second half. The Black & Gold grabbed a lead courtesy of a Diego Rossi tap-in 36 minutes into the game, but that lead would not last the full 90. In the second half, Atlanta centerback Stian Rode Gregersen rose for a corner and slammed the ball into the back of the net, giving the home side their much-desired equalizer. A mere 16 minutes later, Atlanta took the lead from the same player hitting the same header from the same corner that they had scored from earlier. From there, the Crew could not get back into the game, suffering their first loss since June 19th. It was a combination of tired legs and tactics gone wrong that sunk Columbus in this game. Let’s dive into those tactical changes that did and did not pan out for the Black & Gold. A strong first half The Crew came out of the gate against Atlanta, and it looked like business as usual. They were dominating possession, getting deep into the home side’s attacking third and generating good looks for the attackers. Much like their last matchup against Charlotte, Columbus just could not find that killer instinct to finish these chances off. Rossi pounced on a rebound given up by Brad Guzan, but other than that the Black & Gold looked tame around goal. Despite the poor finishing, the Crew controlled the first half thoroughly. During this first period, Columbus debuted two different formations that they have not usually opted for. The first formation was a 1-2-2-5 when the Black & Gold were in the attacking third. Rudy Camacho stayed back as the lone centerback, while Steven Moreira and Yevhen Cheberko sat in front of him like two defensive midfielders. In front of Moreira and Cheberko, Alex Matan and Sean Zawadzki played as two wider attacking midfielders. This was a more natural role for Matan, who had to play as a more defensive midfielder when Atlanta was on the ball. Spread in front of the attacking midfielders was the attacking five, consisting of the wingbacks and Cucho Hernandez, Christian Ramirez and Rossi. This front five gave Atlanta fits to cover in their back four setups. To counter this, the home side dropped and additional midfielder into the defensive line on the outside. This freed up more space in the middle for Matan, Zawadzki and any attacker that dropped into the midfield, but it plugged up some of the overloads the Black & Gold were working on. The second formation the Crew ran out was a 1-3-6. This is a slight tweak from the 1-2-2-5, moving Matan out wide on the left to combine with Max Arfsten, while Zawadzki dropped in between Moreira and Cheberko in midfield. This switch was Wilfried Nancy’s attempt to free up overloads on that left side, springing Arfsten to spray crosses into the box for the attackers to pounce on. It worked to an extent, with some quality balls being played into the box, but nobody was able to finish a chance except for Rossi. This strong first half would not last though, because in the second half Atlanta adjusted. Those adjustments generated chances and gave the hosts corner kicks. From there, fans of the Black & Gold know the rest of the story. Falling apart in the second half In the second half, Atlanta decided they were going to have a run at the Crew. While many teams could have laid down and let the swarms of possession to wash over them, Atlanta clawed their way back into the game. The first key for the hosts was to try and go long as quickly as possible to catch the Columbus defense up high. With only Camacho back as a true defensive player, he would be one-on-one with Atlanta’s striker. While Camacho is a seasoned veteran, the hosts thought their attacker up top would have to win a battle with the Frenchman one of these times. Once Atlanta’s approach of going long started to show holes in the Black & Gold defense, it led up what would be an onslaught of corners. Those corners would eventually win the game for the home side. The Crew decided to defend corners in the hybrid approach, some zone but also some man coverage. They put Mo Farsi on Gregersen, and Moreira on another Atlanta attacker while the rest of the Columbus squad marked the six-yard box. There were a few problems with this decision. First, Farsi is a lot smaller than Gregersen. This allowed the towering centerback to use his strength and height to fight through Farsi’s defense and find the ball. There is a reason not to have a taller player like Camacho man marking though. If Camacho is in a zone, that frees him up to go and attack the ball freely, rather than forcing him to stay on a mark and have the smaller defenders attack the ball. It all depends on the philosophy of the coach. In Nancy’s eyes, he wanted to see his taller players like Camacho and Cheberko attack the ball freely without having to worry about a mark. While it may have worked all year, it did not work on Saturday night. Gregersen scored to even the game and would eventually grab a second goal on an even worse defensive set piece from the Crew. On the second corner, Gregersen started unmarked near the penalty spot. Columbus went for a more zone-heavy approach, letting the centerback make a free run in and jump over everyone. It was an adjustment from the last corner, but it was a terrible mistake that likely lost the Black & Gold the game. Now we also must address the non-tactical side of this. The players need to do better. No matter what corner coverage a team is running, they need to also have players who are willing to go and attack the ball to clear their defensive line. The Crew did not have that on Saturday. They looked lethargic, disinterested and straight up gassed when defending those vital set pieces. Those mental and physical lapses can be the difference in getting three, one or no points at all. That is what happened to Columbus on Saturday, giving the Black & Gold a bitter taste heading into the All-Star game

The Columbus Crew picked up four points this week, slaughtering LAFC away from home before drawing against Charlotte FC in a midweek matchup at home. Columbus traveled to the West Coast ahead of an MLS Cup rematch against LAFC, in a game many thought would be highly competitive. It was for about the first half hour, and then the Black & Gold opened the floodgates and poured in five goals on the defending Western Conference champs. The Crew turned around and returned home for a Wednesday clash against Charlotte FC, looking to continue their win streak and move up the table. It was an off night for Columbus, dominating possession but not converting enough chances to grab the win. A Nicolas Hagen gaffe gifted Charlotte an equalizer; from there, the Black & Gold could not find the winner. Despite the rough game, the Crew are still unbeaten in their last six matches. Wilfried Nancy had his squad firing on all cylinders in the LAFC game, but they faltered at home against Charlotte. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into both games. Offensive tactics against LAFC The Crew exploded against LAFC, scoring five goals to secure their fifth straight win. In this match, Columbus seemed to do everything right on the offensive end. True to Nancy’s form, his game plan was not single-faceted. The first key on offense for the Black & Gold revolved around the wingbacks and Steven Moreira. When the Crew retained the ball, Max Arfsten and Mo Farsi would do different things. On the right, Farsi would push up into the attack as a winger, while Arfsten pinched inside as a wider central midfielder. Moreira evened out the midfield by vacating his spot as an outside center back to slide into a wider central midfield role on the right. This gave Columbus a familiar 2-4-4 look on offense that they have perfected over the past season. The focal point of this tactical move was Moreira and Farsi. Both had a lot of responsibility on their shoulders but for completely different reasons. For Farsi, his job was to aid the attack and cut open the LAFC defense. He often did this by joining the attacking interchange with the front three. This fluid front four made it hard for LA’s four defenders to track, even with the help of midfielders. This attacking fluidity meant that the Canadian wingback had the freedom to cut inside and overload the middle as a striker or choose to stay out wide if necessary. In this game, Farsi should be considered as a right winger, rather than a right wing back because of how much attacking work he was doing. On the other hand, Moreira had to figure out how to balance his attacking freedom, with defensive solidity. With Farsi so high up the field and sometimes out of position when he strayed inside, the Frenchman had to cover for him when LAFC retained the ball. This meant at times Moreira had to be more conscious about going forward and even had to rely on Darlington Nagbe to help cover Farsi’s vacated spot. If Farsi could recover on defense, he would return to his natural wingback spot. But if not, it was Moreira’s job to hold down the fort. This shows the trust that Nancy has in both players, to give Farsi the freedom to attack, but also rely on Moreira to lock down that side at times on his own. The second key to the Black & Gold attack was the plethora of runs and patterns of play the attackers did to confuse the LAFC defense. One repeated pattern the Crew utilized was to play into the feet of an attacker, who would then lay it off for a secondary runner. This specific pattern of play paralyzed the defense and forced them to either back off the dropping attacker, or risk having the secondary runner blow past them. Columbus did this repeatedly, and the defense could not figure it out. This is one of the main reasons why having Christian Ramirez in the lineup has yielded such good results. He is a forward who can drop back into space to lay the ball off, and then become the secondary runner himself and go poach goals in the box. This offensive strategy worked for the Black & Gold to the tune of five goals and three points. Nancy will be hoping they can keep this high level of offensive play as the season draws on and Leagues Cup begins. What went right, and wrong against Charlotte The Crew had a strong showing against Charlotte for much of the game but was missing that killer touch they had in previous weeks. Multiple chances came and went without the ball hitting the back of the net, including a Ramirez free header at the back post that he should score 99 times out of 100. We should start out with what went right for Columbus. For much of the game, almost everything was going right apart from the finishing. The Black & Gold were creating quality chances and having the lion’s share of possession while Charlotte struggled to string more than two passes together. The way the Crew created those chances was by overloading the sides of the field, forcing Charlotte to overshift and then finding the short switch to change the focus of play. Often this meant absorbing the visitor’s gradual press and finding the extra open man. This typically ended up being one of the wider wingbacks on the opposite side, or Sean Zawadzki on the back side. The way Columbus created these overshifts was by overloading their midfielders to one side of the field. In this matchup against Charlotte, it was usually the right side. Both Amundsen and Moreira would move up into the midfield and slide with Nagbe and Zawadzki, leaving the far side of the pitch wide open for a switch. Once the ball was switched to the opposite side, now all those players were in the perfect position to make late-arriving runs into the box for a back post ball from Arfsten. These late-arriving runners make it hard for the defense to track, especially if they do not have enough players to cover. The Black & Gold did this all game but could not find the killer blow to go two goals up. This left the door open for Charlotte, and the visitors took their chance. If there is one thing that has killed the Crew all year, it is conceding stupid goals. We have not seen a lot of teams break down Columbus and score a well-worked, team-oriented goal, especially when the Black & Gold are at home. The story on Wednesday was no different, with the mishap coming from Hagen in the back, making his first start in the absence of Patrick Shulte who is in France for the Olympics. A long pass over the top into the striker was misjudged by the goalkeeper, who swung and missed the ball. The Guatemalan goalkeeper recovered in time to ultimately face the shot, but it was slotted through his legs into the back of the net. In all fairness to Hagen, he had an outstanding game outside of that one moment. But in that fleeting moment, the Crew saw three points turn into one. The goal was very similar to the mistake Shulte had last season down in Cincinnati, which shows how hard it is to be a goalkeeper in Nancy’s system. Hagen’s mistake was not the only thing that sunk Columbus though. Poor finishing and uncharacteristic turnovers plagued the team at times and allowed Charlotte to get a foothold. It is a wake-up call for a team that has been unbeatable in the past few weeks, that they still have work to do. Still a good week for the Black & Gold, but they will be hungry for better results heading into a Saturday matchup with Atlanta United.

The Columbus Crew continued their recent hot streak, blowing out Toronto FC 4-0 at home. Columbus has now won eight of its last nine games, climbing to third in the Eastern Conference. After an early goal for Toronto was disallowed, the Black & Gold grabbed a legal goal of their own off a corner and the head of Cucho Hernandez. Christian Ramirez grabbed the second, Mo Farsi finished the third and then Diego Rossi capitalized off a Toronto backline blunder to put the Crew four goals to the good. From there, Columbus never looked back, tallying another three points in the race to catch up with Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati atop the Eastern Conference. The Black & Gold tweaked their normal lineup and shape in this matchup to have some rotation from the midweek matchup with Nashville. Let’s dive into all the tactical decisions and nuances that allowed the Crew to emphatically send Toronto packing. The positioning of Alexandru Matan and Columbus’ formational adaptability One of the early surprises when the lineups were announced was the inclusion of Alexandru Matan in the starting 11. Typically, we would see a defensive midfield player like Aidan Morris, Sean Zawadzki or Derrick Jones included in the squad to sit alongside Darlington Nagbe. On Saturday, that responsibility fell to Matan. The Romanian usually has been granted more of an attacking role higher up the pitch. In this game, he would have to put in defensive work along with getting up into the attack. With a more defensive minded midfielder alongside Nagbe, Columbus likes to line up in a 5-2-3 that can quickly turn into a 3-2-5 or other variation. In this game, the Black & Gold stayed in a 5-2-3 on defense but used a litany of different formations to adapt to Matan’s attacking prowess. The first formation they used on offense was a 2-4-4. 20 years ago, coaches would have never thought they could invert a 4-4-2 to a 2-4-4, but Wilfried Nancy does not opt for convention. Both Rudy Camacho and Yevhen Cheberko stayed as the centerback pairing while Steven Moreira moved into the right side of the midfield as a half-pivot to Farsi. Nagbe and Matan both sat in central midfield, but the Romanian had more freedom to get forward into the attack. Out on the left in midfield, Rossi would often drop in from an advanced position to occupy that space. This gave Hernandez and Ramirez more room to operate up top and allowed Rossi to get on the ball earlier in the attacking play. The Uruguayan also was a half-pivot bride to Max Arfsten, who was pushed up high on the left wing. Yet again, this formation was subject to change, which is why there was no surprise when the Black & Gold switched to a 2-3-1-4. This formation change was a simple tweak. Rossi would move higher up the field into an attacking midfielder role while Matan slid out to the left midfielder spot he left. Nagbe now held down the middle by himself, with Moreira pinching a bit more into the middle so there was not a massive gap in between him and Nagbe. In the second half, the Crew switched back to more of a traditional 3-2-5. While Columbus has played most their matches in a 3-2-5, this one was different due to the personnel in the lineup. With Matan still in the back, the 3-2-5 had more of an attacking approach. The tweak came in the midfield with him and Nagbe. Nagbe sat deep like a true defensive midfielder and pinched into the center of the pitch. Matan advanced higher up the field as a no. 10 but shaded more towards the left side. Why the left side? Further back on the defensive line sat Moreira, who is more attack-minded out of the two outside centerbacks. With Matan on the left side of the attacking midfielder space, that left enough room for the Frenchman to make runs up the pitch into the right no. 10 spot. If Moreira made these runs and stayed in the attack, the Black & Gold unlocked yet another formation: a 2-3-5 with an inverted triangle in the midfield. The defense and attack remained the same, but Nagbe now sat as the lone central no. six, while Matan and Moreira played as dueling no. 10s in front of him. Yet again, this formational fluidity is now second nature to the Crew, but it is impressive how they can adapt their playstyle to match the strengths of who is on the pitch. With Matan in the lineup, the approach was always going to be more attack-minded, and it worked like a charm. Columbus scored four goals and secured three more points as the season drags on. Attacking approach against Toronto’s backline There has been a consistent attacking style that the Black & Gold have employed over the past four to five games. In this span, the Crew have outscored their opponents 15-1. The recipe for success is simple on paper, but it is much harder to replicate on the pitch. Columbus’ attack relies on creating overloads, forcing over-shifts and attacking vacated space. For that to happen though, there needs to be rapid, dynamic movement off the ball and accurate passing to get through the defense. The first key for the Black & Gold was creating overloads to overwhelm the Toronto defense. They accomplished this by shifting much of their formation to one side. This meant if the ball went out to the left, the Crew would commit 6-7 players to that side and vice versa. This overloading process forced the defense to decide. They could also shift numbers over to that side to combat Columbus’ excessive manpower, or they could remain balanced and risk the multitude of attackers on that side to combine and get through the defense. This is where the idea of forcing an over-shift comes into play. If Toronto decides to stay balanced, that is no problem for the Black & Gold. They will always have a player or two open on the side of the pitch with the ball, and they will be able to play through the opposition. If Toronto shifts more numbers over, now the switch to the other side would be wide open. Sucking Toronto into one side meant the backside wingback and centerback would likely be open to receive a switch. If that happened, the defense would be forced to scramble to the other side to shut it down. If they recover in time, the Crew can recycle the ball and try again. If the recovery comes to late though, now a wingback and an overlapping outside centerback can combine around a lone defender and make the defense pay. That was the strategy for most the night for Columbus, but they did not want to be one, or even two-dimensional. Instead, they offered a third avenue to get after the defense and hit the back of the net. This third way involved pulling the Toronto defenders out of position centrally to attack the space in behind them. The Black & Gold have excelled at doing this as of late, which is partly why all the goals have come. The process involves one of the attackers dropping deeper into the midfield, hoping to drag a man-marking defender with them. If that defender follows, the attacker can play a quick layoff one-two with one of the midfielders to get them in behind. Another possibility involves the dropping attacker not even receiving the ball. In this case, they are just a decoy to pull out a defender so another attacker can run into the space behind them. On the flip side, if the defense decided not to follow the dropping attackers that could also spell doom. The attacker for the Crew would then be free to simply receive the ball to their feet and turn to run at the defense. This puts the opposition on the back foot and forces them to deal with an agile attacker running directly at them with options all around. Simply put, this Columbus attack can make opposing teams pay in a hundred different ways. This adaptable fluid soccer that Nancy has installed permits this kind of freedom, and it works. The Black & Gold’s record over the past few weeks speaks to that, and they do not look like slowing down anytime soon.

The Columbus Crew continued its recent hot streak, downing Nashville SC at home 2-0 on Wednesday evening. Columbus collected a third straight win courtesy of Christian Ramirez and Diego Rossi, who bagged the two goals for the Black & Gold on the night. The Crew have now scored 11 goals in their last three games while allowing just one. They are hitting their stride at the right time, especially since the departure of Aidan Morris for Middlesbrough. The tall task for Columbus was attempting to break down Nashville’s stingy defense. Luckily, they were able to exploit weaknesses, generate chances, and pester the visitors with pressure. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into the Black & Gold’s win over Nashville. Attacking the Nashville backline Nashville has been known around the league since its inception for having one of the strongest defensive lines in MLS. On Wednesday, the Crew faced the always-tough task of taking that backline down. True to form, Wilfried Nancy had a few tricks to give Columbus an advantage. The Black & Gold did a very good job at manipulating the Nashville defense to create spaces for attackers to find. The first way they did this was by attacking the width of Nashville’s defense. The visitors opted to play a very narrow backline, allowing nearly 15-20 yards of space between the outside backs and the sideline. This gave the wingbacks and other filling players acres of pitch to exploit and advance the ball. Another caveat of this narrowness was that it forced Nashville’s outside defenders to go one-on-one against whichever player the Crew had out wide. Because the centerbacks were so close together, it was harder to double the wide attackers. This left the outside backs on an island with players the likes of Max Arfsten and Mo Farsi, which is a matchup Columbus and Nancy will take all day. The second thing they did was offset their formation at times to make overload easier. In the first half, this was very prevalent. The Black & Gold opted to play a 2-3-5 on offense, but they skewed it towards the right side of the pitch. This means that Malte Amundsen and Rudy Camacho were the two centerbacks, and Sean Zawadzki, Darlington Nagbe, and Steven Moreira were in front of them. Moreira is the key to this offset. The two other midfielders stayed central, but the Cape Verde international played on the right, like a pivot between Camacho and Farsi. This did a few huge things for the Crew. First, it gave Farsi more support to keep possession and combine passes with. Second, it created natural triangles with Farsi, Moreira, and any dropping attacker that came back into the midfield. These triangles overloaded the opposition and created a numbers disadvantage. Lastly, it allowed Arfsten to have more space on the opposite wing. By overloading the right side, the Nashville defense had to shift to compensate for the overload. This meant Arfsten had more room to operate, and more time to settle the ball and gain ground before the nearest defender got to him. Finally, the last thing Columbus did was draw Nashville’s defenders out of their natural position. Not only did this create space for the Black & Gold to exploit, but it also took the visitors’ best defenders completely out of the game. The Crew did this by having their wingbacks stay high, and the three central attackers drop into the midfield at different times. Nashville had to decide whether they wanted to chase the attackers off the ball, or sit back, let them turn into space, and then run at the defense. They opted to go with the first choice, which meant they tried to press the Columbus attacking trio on their first touch as they dropped back into the midfield. This opened a whole can of worms for Nashville. Once a Nashville defender was pulled out of position, the defense either had to let that space stay vacated or pinch to fill it. If they pinched, the Black & Gold could go wide and attack from there. If they left the space vacated, one of the remaining central attackers could run into the open space and get through on goal. It was another strong performance from the Crew, Nancy, and his coaching staff. They had a plan for whatever Nashville’s defense decided to do, and it paid off with three points. Columbus’ pressure on Nashville’s defense On the other side of the ball, the Black & Gold were trying to cause havoc by pressing Nashville’s backline. Often it worked, keeping the visitors bottled in their own half. The first key to the Crew’s press was pressuring the defenders on the ball. If the player in possession had too much time, they could pick out a pass and play through the press. So it was on Rossi, Ramirez, and Cucho Hernandez to put in the work and get pressure on the defenders. Sometimes Farsi and Arfsten would venture forward to provide some additional pressure as well. It is tough for a front three to run the entire game and pressure and entire backline, so the wingbacks were the reinforcements to keep Nashville uneasy. The second key rested on the shoulders of Zawadzki and Nagbe. Their job was to mark the midfielders and make sure Nashville could not just play through the middle and break the press. That meant both midfielders man-marked Nashville’s defensive midfielders, with an additional defender like Amundsen or Moreira coming up to help at times. The visitors liked to play with two defensive midfielders and Hany Mukhtar at the no. 10 spot. So, if Nagbe and Zawadzki had taken away the defensive midfielders, Amundsen or Moreira had to step up and man-mark Mukhtar. The third key was all about having a high backline. Columbus’ defensive DNA is to play a high backline to restrict how much space the opponent must keep possession. There is a risk of long balls in behind, but with a veteran defense like the Black & Gold’s, they can afford to take that risk. By having the high backline, it cut down the space Nashville had to keep the ball. It also restricted the space where they could play passes without it being cut out by the Crew. Of course, there were the chances where Nashville would break the press on a moment of brilliance or a long ball in behind, but Columbus did a really good job of making sure their defense was airtight. This three-levelled pressure kept Nashville from scoring on the night and secured another win for Nancy and his Black & Gold squad.