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The Columbus Crew started off their 2024 playoff campaign in disappointing fashion, losing their first game at home to New York Red Bulls. After beating RBNY a few weeks ago, the visitors came out with a new game plan to combat the defending champions. This new plan worked well, allowing New York to grab a goal off a corner midway through the first half. RBNY held onto that lead due to strong defensive play and the inability of Columbus to put the ball in the back of the net. This was the first time the Black & Gold had been shut out since mid-September against FC Cincinnati. Despite the early playoff loss, the Crew will be able to rectify their title hopes starting Sunday in Red Bull Arena. Columbus is in must-win mode now, with any further slip-ups resulting in elimination from the title hunt. This game’s result was partly due to RBNY’s game plan, but it also rests firmly upon the shoulders of the players and coach Wilfried Nancy. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into this nightmare playoff start for the Black & Gold. RBNY’s gameplan This was one of the most impressive tactical setups we have seen against the Crew in Nancy’s time in Central Ohio. New York proved that they don’t need to “out-Crew” Columbus to win, but they did manage to dominate the game without the ball. The first change RBNY made was to match Black & Gold’s formation. In the last regular season match of the season, New York rolled out a 4-4-2 diamond formation that they preferred to use throughout the year. However, in this game, the visitors came in with a 5-2-1-2/3-4-1-2 to mirror the Crew’s formation. The shape change seemed to catch Columbus off guard. In the early stages, there were lots of conversations happening on the pitch regarding defensive duties against RBNY’s new formation. The Black & Gold were not being exploited, but they did not seem comfortable by any means. The second thing New York did was implement a press that gave them the maximum output of pressure on the Crew’s backline, while maintaining defensive stability. Columbus has seen a plethora of different presses thrown at them during the season, but this one was unique. RBNY pressed with a block of five, with three players going after the Black & Gold defenders and two marking Sean Zawadzki and Darlington Nagbe. The Crew had seen this before, but New York kept their press narrow to force the hosts to hurt them out wide. For a large portion of the game, Columbus did not recognize or take advantage of what RBNY was giving them. They repeatedly tried to play through the middle and were not getting into the attack as much as they usually did. Part of this is due to the design of the press in terms of what formation New York was in. Typically, the Black & Gold can recognize the wide space is open when they are playing against a back four. In four-back defensive systems, the fullbacks usually don’t follow the Crew’s dropping wingbacks to protect their center backs from Columbus’ fluid front three. In this game though, RBNY was in a back five, which allowed their wingbacks to follow Mo Farsi and Max Arfsten when they would drop deep. If a midfielder like Zawadzki or Alexandru Matan dropped into that wide space, the New York wingback could step up knowing the defensive line would slide over to cover the Black & Gold wingback that was still high. So, while the wide space was there for one-on-one opportunities, it was disguised well by RBNY. The only space the Crew consistently exploited in the first half was the midfield gap between the New York press and backline. Although there were able to get the ball into this area, RBNY’s setup stumped them yet again when they tried to advance the ball further. Once the initial press was defeated, New York’s attack would sink back into a low block. Columbus struggled to keep going at the defense once they beat the press because they did not have any overloads available, due to the visitor’s five-back defensive setup. This allowed the midfielders to retreat and get in a defensive shape to stop the Black & Gold from going at goal. With New York now posted up in a 5-4-1, the Crew struggled to pull players out of position because the defensive area was so saturated with defenders. This game plan from RBNY did its job, and they got a set piece goal on the other end to complete the masterclass. New York head coach Sandro Schwarz proved his worth in this game, the only question now is whether RBNY can pull it off once more in the next two matches to advance. Columbus’ failures Although New York had a strong, out-of-the-box game plan to get after the Black & Gold, the home side did not live up to the billing in this game. In the first half the Crew looked lethargic, disinterested, and simply unmotivated on both ends of the pitch. On the offensive side, there were miscommunications, poor touches, wayward passes, and a lack of attacking creativity to break down RBNY’s defense. Fans have seen this Columbus team pick apart low blocks, and while New York’s structure was slightly different, the Black & Gold needed to do better than what they ended up with. On the defensive end, the lack of effort was clear on the corner RBNY scored on. The Crew are in a zonal marking scheme that leaves two men open at the back post. Not a big deal, but Yevhen Cheberko is slow getting out on the cross and gets jumped over on the initial header. Zawadzki then fails to clear the second ball and Christian Ramirez is beaten to the clearance for New York to jump ahead. Breakdowns on set pieces happen, but getting beat to the ball three times in your defensive box is inexcusable. Credit to RBNY for jumping on the opportunity, but the defense needs to do better there. In the second half, Columbus seemed to get more life. They finally began creating overloads around the pressing wingbacks for New York and generated some strong attacking chances, but they failed to convert when it mattered most. On bright spot was the way the Black & Gold were able to free up Farsi on the left side with those overloads. They started to unlock that RBNY defense later in the match, but it was too little, too late. The Crew needed a bit of luck late on, but just could not break down the wall around New York’s goal. Jacen Russell-Rowe had a few chances, AZ Jackson had his shot kick saved away by Carlos Coronel and DeJuan Jones was denied on a volley on an absolute world-class save. Sometimes the ball does not bounce your way, but when Columbus left it to the last half-hour of the match to find the tying goal, they can only blame themselves. This will be a game for the Black & Gold to look in the mirror and refocus. They missed Diego Rossi in that attacking half and will be glad to have him back on Sunday. All indications point to Nancy and his staff having a game plan to get back to winning ways. No more mistakes or poor games allowed now, or else the Crew will end their season prematurely. All to play for in New Jersey this weekend.

Butler will take on the court for an exhibition game against Illinois Wesleyan on Oct. 30. Photo by Ben Holmes.  SARAH HOHMAN | MANAGING EDITOR | shohman@butler.edu CALEB DENORME | SPORTS EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu Entering the third year of head coach Thad Matta ’s second stint with Butler, the Bulldogs are looking to take yet another step forward. Even in an offseason that featured a couple of departures from the Dawgs, Matta reloaded while retaining the team’s core from last season. Last season, Butler finished with a record of 18-15, going 9-11 in the Big East before being bounced in the first round of the conference tournament by Xavier . Despite exiting early and falling short of the NCAA tournament, the Bulldogs managed to grab a postseason NIT bid. The postseason did not last long for them though, as they lost against Minnesota at home in the first round. In the end, Butler would finish eighth in the Big East , only one spot above where they ended a year prior. Forward Pierre Brooks returns for his second season with the Dawgs. He looks to take a leadership role and lead this team to a more successful year as a senior. “Having that experience last year in the Big East [puts me in a leadership position],” Brooks said. “As a senior, just knowing that we need to get [the job] done because we could have had a better year last year, and [we are] kind of disappointed that we didn’t have a better year. [We know] that we could have [done better] and are trying to implement those things to be better last year into this year.” Although the season ended in disappointment, there were still areas of improvement for the Bulldogs in Matta’s second year. The Dawgs were able to get wins at Creighton and Marquette , along with beating a strong Texas Tech team in an early-season thriller to build their resume. Heading into the spring, Butler was projected to be in the NCAA tournament field, but a five-game losing streak ended their tournament hopes. While there was a stark improvement from Matta’s first season back in charge, there were also areas where the Bulldogs made head-scratching errors. An early-season loss to Providence hit hard when Butler was up three points with nine seconds left and did not foul. This allowed the Friars to hit a triple to force overtime; instead the Dawgs ended up losing by 10. Another crunch time mistake cost Butler their season after a late turnover gave Minnesota a chance at the line to win in the first round of the NIT. The Golden Gophers converted both shots, sending the Bulldogs home with a stinging loss to end their year.  As a seasoned coach, Matta is familiar with the challenges the Big East brings and knows the level his team needs to be at. “I want us to be a very smart team, [with] very high execution, defensively and even offensively,” Matta said. “We’ve got to be very, very fundamentally sound. In the Big East, you can’t beat yourself. So I think those are the things that we’re trying to get guys to understand.” Butler will have a new starting backcourt with offseason changes shaking up the lineup. Last year’s duo of guards Posh Alexander and DJ Davis transferred to Dayton and Washington , respectively. The Dawgs also lost forward Connor Turnbull and guard Artemios Gavalas to the transfer portal while centers Jalen Thomas and John Michael-Mulloy graduated.  Despite the departures, Butler also strengthened their roster. The Dawgs gained transfers in guard Jamie Kaiser Jr. , forward Patrick McCaffery and guard Kolby King . Matta believes that the additions have brought improvements to the squad. “You always want shooting [and] you always want your defense to get better,” Matta said. “Just going out and adding some size and different positions that have helped our defense. Now, we just have to continue to drill down the position that we want to be in. We’ve got to continue to work [on] our transition defense, not giving easy baskets [and] converting when we have numbers on offense. On the coaching front, the Dawgs’ former director of basketball operations Greg Oden stepped down in September . On Sept. 16, former Indiana Pacers assistant coach Connor McCaffery was hired to Matta’s coaching staff — teaming up with his brother Patrick McCaffery . The first step for the Dawgs this season is to get healthy. On Big East media day, Matta announced that Kaiser is out indefinitely to start the season. Kaiser sat out during the open practice on Sept. 28 along with guard Landon Moore , center Andre Screen and center Boden Kapke . Fans have an exciting schedule to look forward to, with early non-conference games at Houston on Dec. 7 and against Wisconsin at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Dec. 14. Butler will play their first exhibition game against Illinois Wesleyan on Oct. 30. Until then, King has a message for Bulldog fans. “Just get ready to cheer us on,” King said. “[There’s] going to be a lot of fun games to watch.”

The Columbus Crew rounded out their regular season with a road win over New York Red Bulls. This win not only cemented their spot as the second seed in the Eastern Conference, but it also set Columbus up with a best-of-three matchup against this same Red Bulls side. Wilfried Nancy threw out a half-rotated lineup for this game, but there were still major home field advantage implications at stake. AZ Jackson opened the scoring just minutes into the game before Yevhen Cheberko doubled the Black & Gold’s lead midway through the first half. New York fought back though, grabbing two second half goals to tie the game. In typical Crew fashion, they found a way to get the job done late. Malte Amundsen hit a low long-range effort to beat the goalkeeper, securing all three points for Columbus in stoppage time. This game was a glimpse of the depth, adaptability and spirit the Black & Gold have. But it also gave fans a glimpse into what could potentially trip the Crew up in the postseason. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into the final regular season game of the season. Starting strong Straight from the kickoff Columbus imposed their will on New York. Jackson scored the first goal inside two minutes, and the attacking clinic did not stop there. Lots of what the Black & Gold did on offense had to do with the personnel on the field. The attacking front three of Jackson, Alexandru Matan and Cucho Hernandez lined up differently from how Hernandez would play with Diego Rossi and Christian Ramirez. Both Matan and Jackson sat as dueling no. 10s underneath Hernandez. This new role meant that both players were free to drop deep to help build up or play high like they normally did in that fluid front three. New York made it their goal early on to plug up the midfield. They set up in a 4-4-2 with a diamond in the midfield, but they pinched their outside midfielders to clamp down on Derrick Jones and Dylan Chambost. This obviously did not deter the Crew, because they prefer to attack down the flanks anyways. Since the Red Bulls were so compact, Matan, Jackson and the wingbacks were afforded a lot of space out wide to create. New York tried to combat the wide possession by shifting their formation towards the ball-side sideline. They did this hoping to trap Columbus against the sideline and create turnovers, but it did not work out the way they wanted it to. When this overshift happened, the Black & Gold either overloaded that side and combined to break the press or switched it to the other side of the field. The backside centerback for the Crew often moved into the midfield to help these switches go across quicker. After being under duress for the first ten minutes of the match, conceding several goalscoring chances and going down 1-0, the Red Bulls adapted. In the beginning of the match, they played a very resistant press, but still had five to six players high up the pitch. After the ten-minute mark, they began dropping eight to nine players back into a defensive shape. For Columbus this meant they had more time on the ball in their opponent’s half, but they were facing a low block. Like always, Nancy had a plan and pushed one or both of the outside centerbacks forward. Now the Black & Gold were attacking with eight to nine, making it hard on the New York defense to keep track of all the runners. On Cheberko’s goal, it is essentially a perfect storm of the Crew imposing their will and RBNY forgetting how to defend. Andres Reyes does not need to slide over on the right to help his outside back, but he does anyways. This opened up space for Cheberko, and when the midfielder does not track him there is a free path to goal. That is just one example of why Columbus is so lethal in so many different ways. They can pull out defenses and force them to make mistakes, but they also have this ability to counter quickly. The pace of play is not where the offense stops either, because the Black & Gold can combine through the middle or whip crosses into the box to create chances. Teams in the playoffs will need to figure out what parts of the offensive gameplan they want to take away to try and combat the Crew. This team is so versatile though, not just anyone can stop them. How can the Crew be beaten? This is the golden question that many teams in the Eastern Conference playoffs right now are trying to figure out. Of course, there is still Miami to worry about as the number one seed, but Columbus is not far behind, if behind at all, in terms of talent and danger. RBNY had success in the second half halting the Black & Gold offense and finding goals of their own for a few reasons.  The first was the substitution of Jones out for Jacen Russell-Rowe. Jones was the deterrent in the midfield for any New York counterattack coming the other way. A more defensive-minded midfielder, Jones did not often venture up the pitch into the attack. This gave Chambost, Amundsen and Cheberko more freedom to move up the field. So, when Nancy took him out of the game, he essentially lost that defensive safety valve in midfield. The second was RBNY’s ramped up pressure. In the first half there was not much of any press at all from New York, but they decided to go for it in the second 45 to try and make the Crew uncomfortable. The risk teams run when they press Columbus is the simple fact that they are pressuring the best on-the-ball team in MLS. That can be scary to overextend your team when your opponent is not scared of losing the ball. That same point is a double-edged sword for the Black & Gold. Yes, there is a high chance the Crew will be able to put together dangerous counter opportunities where their opponent will have to play recovery defense. On the flip side though, Columbus tends to squander possession and get complacent, forcing passes and giving the ball up in really stupid ways. If a team is able to effectively apply pressure to the Black & Gold and kill the counter, the Crew could be in trouble in an elimination game. Now, that is not to spell doom and gloom for a team that is arguably among the greatest in MLS history. Columbus has championship pedigree, mindset, talent and tactics for days, but they can be their own worst enemy at times. If the Black & Gold can avoid the self-inflicted wounds, play smart soccer and convert their chances, they will be in prime position to repeat this season

The Columbus Crew continued their winning ways, downing the New England Revolution 4-0 at home. DeJuan Jones opened the scoring against his former team in the fifth minute, cutting inside and placing a curler into the side netting. After that, the pitch became the Alexandru Matan show. The Romanian would score nine minutes later to double Columbus’ lead and then twice more in the second half to complete the hat trick. The Revolution seemingly had no answers for the Black & Gold in Caleb Porter’s homecoming, with the Crew coasting to another easy three points. This game was about Columbus’ play, but the bigger factor was how poorly New England was set up tactically to deal with the Black & Gold attack. Let’s dive into all the tactics that secured the win for the Crew. Porter’s poor defensive tactics By now, Columbus fans are well verse with Porter’s tactics from his time with the Black & Gold before Wilfried Nancy was hired. Porter likes to employ a high passive possession system, with targeted pressing in a 4-2-3-1 formation. With the right players, it works. Look at the Crew in 2020 or Portland in 2015. However, it can be calamitous if you do not have the right players for this system. In this game, it was a defensive disaster for the Revolution. In the first five minutes, everyone saw how the game was going to turn out, and how flawed the defensive gameplan for New England was. There are two ways that teams can defend Columbus’ fluid attack. One way is to drop deep and force the attackers to get the ball to their feet and turn at the defense. This approach gives the defensive line a deeper look and more defensive stability, but it allows the Black & Gold to grow comfortable with the ball and pin the defense in. Another way is to manmark and press the attackers to the touch. This would be an attempt to disrupt the attack and ramp up pressure on the attackers to make the right play. Both philosophies have ways around it, but it depends on the manager’s preference on how they want their team to defend. For Porter, he opted to go with pressure, and it cost his team. The Crew attack with five to six players across the frontline, already overwhelming the four-back system that New England plays. Now this wide attacking line forces the Revolution’s defensive midfielders to drop in and help defend, but each play is still one on one against an attacker. This meant that the entire game became a series of little matchups all across the backline. There was no real sense of team defending from New England because they all had to deal with man-marking a player for Columbus. We see evidence of this defensive breakdown in the first five minutes of the game. AZ Jackson gets the ball into his feet and with one quick turn, he beat his defender. Now because the Revolution defensive line is so high up trying to press the Black & Gold, Jackson can run into the box and force New England to play transition defense. This bombarding forward run drew Revolution players out of position, forcing them to become compact and get out of their matchups. This freed up Jones to have enough space on the right side to cut back inside and curl the ball into the back of the net. Another problem with this defensive approach was New England’s tendency to jump the gun and press too early. With a man marking the backline, it’s easy to get dragged out of position with how much the Crew attack moves. This happened on several occasions, where a defender or two would step up, but the other two would stay deep. That action opened up space in behind those vacated areas for attackers to run into and then go one versus one to goal. This happened on Matan’s second goal. Substitute Jacen Russell-Rowe pulled a center back over towards the sideline, which allowed Matan to run into the space behind that vacated defender. With a long ball in from Rudy Camacho, the Romanian simply settled the ball, dummied the defender and placed it into the back of the net. After the first two goals, you would think a coach of Porter’s quality would make changes on the defensive side, but he did not. The Revolution did not change their defensive tactics, in fact, they were the same during the entire drubbing. A few minutes after Matan’s goal, Russell-Rowe got a chance of his own. Diego Rossi dragged the other center back out of position and allowed the Canadian striker to go one-on-one against the center back marking him. Russell-Rowe hit the post, but New England had no answers for the Columbus attack. Defending the Black & Gold’s attack is no piece of cake, but the Revolution made every mistake possible on Saturday night. They got caught overshifting and left their backside defenders outnumbered, got pulled out of position by decoy runners, preemptively pressed attackers leaving space in behind, and did not track secondary runners. Typically, one of these avenues is left open for the Crew to exploit in a given game, but New England gave Columbus the keys to their defense to expose them in every way possible. The brutal fact is the Revolution was not prepared, equipped, or ready to face this Black & Gold attack. This is most evident in Matan’s hat trick goal. The Romanian drops into the midfield followed by a New England defensive midfielder. With Derrick Jones driving forward, Matan makes a run towards goal. Due to a lack of communication and preparation, the Revolution defensive midfielder does not follow Matan, assuming the right-side center back will cover him. The only problem is that center back had been pulled centrally by Russell-Rowe an easy slip pass in behind and the Crew went 4-0 up courtesy of a Matan hat trick. It is easy to retrospectively judge teams based on their performance, but this was truly defensive malpractice by Porter and New England. There was no adjustment or resistance after the first goal went in, essentially making this a game for all of five minutes. Columbus will not mind the defensive breakdowns though, allowing them to net four goals and grab three more points.

Developments in case law have prompted women’s soccer players’ anonymity to be revisited.  Photo by Jada Gangazha. AIDAN GREGG | MANAGING EDITOR | agregg1@butler.edu   CALEB DENORME | SPORTS EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu    Content warning: explicit references to sexual abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assault and grooming .  In response to the ongoing sex abuse case filed by four former women’s soccer players, Butler University seeks to remove the athletes’ anonymity. Since the initial filing of the suit in July 2023 , the players have proceeded under the pseudonyms Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3. Jane Doe 4 filed suit in August 2023, also using a pseudonym. The athletes allege sexual abuse, stalking and grooming by former assistant athletic trainer Michael Howell. They further allege negligence by Butler University and Ralph Reiff, the senior associate athletic director for student-athlete health, performance and well-being. However, Butler University and Reiff’s counsel argue that the prior ruling should be revisited because of recent developments in case law. New guidance states that parties seeking pseudonyms must prove “exceptional circumstances” specifically that they “[are] a minor, [are] at risk of physical harm or [face] improper retaliation (that is, private responses unjustified by the facts as determined in court).” The university and Reiff allege that the women’s soccer players have failed to prove that they meet these criteria and therefore must attend a public hearing to evaluate the use of pseudonyms.  The plaintiffs have held that revealing their identities to the public would cause further mental harm and would deter others from reporting sexual assault. Furthermore, the plaintiffs argue that public access to information is maintained while protecting players’ identities because court proceedings and case records remain public despite the players’ use of pseudonyms. A previous ruling affirmed the athletes’ use of pseudonyms. Women’s soccer players maintain need for pseudonyms The plaintiffs recently maintained their need to continue proceeding under pseudonyms. All four players have been proceeding under Jane Does 1-4 since the case was filed in July 2023, citing that a judge can “permit pseudonymous litigation when the balance of harm justifies it.” The women’s soccer players and their legal teams assert there is legal precedent to allow them to continue under the pseudonyms. It is up to the court to determine if there is a “substantial risk of harm — either physical harm or retaliation by third parties, beyond the reaction legitimately attached to the truth to events as determined in court.” If the court deems so, the athletes will be allowed anonymity.  The plaintiffs argue Howell’s abuse caused both physical and emotional harm. Should anonymity not be granted, the plaintiffs fear they will go through “embarrassment, public scrutiny, invasion of privacy, and social stigmatization, all of which place them at risk of further emotional and psychological suffering and injury.”  The women assert they would like to keep anonymity so they are known for their professional accomplishments, rather than solely being stigmatized as survivors of Howell’s abuse. If their names were to be released their information would be “easily accessible and identifiable through the Internet and follow them throughout their personal and professional lives.” At the pseudonym hearing on Oct. 28, the women’s soccer players are expected to testify about their fears regarding their career aspirations in medicine should their identities be revealed. Doe 1 is expected to speak about an exchange in which co-head coach Tari St. John told her she “was instructed not to write a letter of recommendation for [Doe 1’s] medical school applications” after Doe 1 filed the lawsuit.  The plaintiffs also argue that using public identifiers during sexual misconduct litigation would be improper. The information shared by the plaintiffs is highly sensitive, where the release of their names could subject these women to “risk of public disapproval, harassment, or bodily harm.” The women’s legal teams also argue that releasing the players’ names would deter other victims of sexual assault from “seeking judicial relief.” The plaintiffs have also been contacted by other survivors of Howell’s abuse, who shared their “reluctance to come forward because of potential exposure of their identities.” Defendants Butler and Reiff do not contest the harm the women underwent at the hands of Howell, citing the Title IX panel which said “[t]he harm to [Ms. Doe] was severe and the effects resulting therefrom are likely to be profound and lasting.” Butler University even commended the women for their courage when they came forward with their allegations. The plaintiffs pointed out that if the defense is admitting to the severity of these abuses by Howell, the women should be allowed to continue under pseudonyms.  Butler University, Reiff argue for removal of pseudonyms The university argues that the athletes have failed to prove that they demonstrate the exceptional circumstances required for pseudonymity. They claim that “plaintiffs’ claims are not special,” because there are “tens of thousands of other plaintiffs who filed personal injury suits under federal diversity jurisdiction in the past year” without pseudonyms. Federal diversity jurisdiction allows for plaintiffs to sue defendants who do not live in the same state if the amount of money at stake exceeds $75,000. Personal injury encompasses any injury to a person’s body, emotions or reputation. Sexual assault claims fall under personal injury.    The plaintiffs are not minors, nor were they at the time of the alleged abuse. Additionally, the pseudonym guidelines only allow exceptions for “risk of physical harm” and not mental harm. The defense argues that the plaintiffs’ fears of “embarrassment, public scrutiny, invasion of privacy and social stigmatization” which place them at risk for mental harm are irrelevant because the plaintiffs have not proven that they may face further physical harm.  Regarding the retaliation criterion, the university claims that Michael Howell knows the identities of the women’s soccer players, so the use of pseudonyms would not prevent possible retaliation from him. Furthermore, they claim that legal standards do not encompass reputational harm or public scrutiny and these would not be considered a form of retaliation.  The defense further alleges that the athletes have used their pseudonyms to defend themselves and make defamatory statements about Reiff. These alleged defamatory statements were made by the plaintiffs regarding the revelation that Reiff worked with serial rapist and former USA gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. The plaintiffs claim that Reiff had “direct knowledge of and role in the most notorious sex abuse scandal of female athletes in history,” concerning Nassar’s sexual abuse of hundreds of female athletes. For a statement to be considered defamation it must be proven false, be communicated to a third party, result from fault — including negligence — and cause reputational harm to the statement’s target.  Butler University and Reiff allege that the women’s soccer players have sought to “dramatize their narrative for media attention,” citing coverage of the lawsuit from WTHR , the IndyStar and The Butler Collegian . They state that “Plaintiffs have earnestly displayed their narratives, replete with anatomical detail, in an obvious quest for media attention. Plaintiffs have made it abundantly clear that they want all the attention that they can possibly garner.” The Butler Collegian could not reach former women’s soccer players for comment. The plaintiffs’ legal counsel declined to comment on behalf of the plaintiffs. Current players have declined to comment on the ongoing litigation. A hearing regarding the players’ ability to proceed with pseudonyms will be held on Oct. 28, 2024, at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Indianapolis. The Collegian will continue to investigate and report on this story.

The Columbus Crew bounced back from their loss against Inter Miami to face the Philadelphia Union at home on Saturday. It did not take long for the scoring to start, with Cucho Hernandez heading in a Dylan Chambost-delivered corner to put Columbus up 1-0. The Union would find the equalizer off a rebound, but Mo Farsi put the Black & Gold back ahead just before halftime. Hernandez seemingly iced the game in the 76th minute with another header off a corner, but Philadelphia pulled one back to make the ending interesting. When the final whistle blew, the Crew secured all three points. With this win, Columbus set a single-season points record with 60, passing the previous record total of 57. This game was yet another chess match between these two squads. The Black & Gold figured out how to attack Philadelphia’s weaknesses and that gave them a foothold in this match. On the other hand, sloppy mistakes gifted the Union two goals and made the Crew work all the way to the finish. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into Columbus’ record-setting victory. Attacking Philadelphia’s narrow midfield Much like the game against Miami, the way Philadelphia set up their midfield gave the Black & Gold an avenue to attack. The Union would adapt throughout the game, but no matter what they did the Crew had a plan. The Philadelphia defense set up in a 4-3-3, a very balanced formation that allowed adequate pressure along with defensive stability. The visitors chose not to press Columbus high up the field, but rather went with a more resisted press. This meant that they were triggered by certain passes the Black & Gold would make. For example, if the Crew were being forced to play back to Patrick Schulte or a centerback, the Philadelphia defense saw that as an opportunity to press high. If Columbus had the ball with Yevhen Cheberko in the middle of the defense, there was little to no pressure at all. The Union would also press at times when a pass was played to an outside centerback, but those pressures did not usually cause any turnovers. This meant the Black & Gold had more time on the ball than they did for a large portion of the Miami match. This time allowed them to methodically break down the Philadelphia defense and find space to exploit. That space to exploit was in the outside channels where the Union midfielders could not get out to. Because Philadelphia defended in a 4-3-3, they had to choose whether to make their midfield compact or spaced. If they spaced their midfield out, there would be pockets inside that central players like Diego Rossi and Chambost could exploit. If they defended compact, the same space would be out wide in front of the outside backs. For a large portion of the match, Philadelphia opted to defend compact. With the Crew’s width in the attacking third, this posed problems for the defense. The Union slid their whole midfield to one side, to defend the ball on that same side. A simple switch from Columbus made Philadelphia’s mids cross the entire field to defend the other side. This action of switching the ball was where the Black & Gold could get creative. When that switch came, they had a few options. The first was to simply get the ball on the switch and attack down the line. Often times it would be the outside centerback or dropping attacker receiving the ball. Then they had the option to combine with the high wingback or nearside attacker and go from there. The second was to play quickly into the center of the pitch. Because the midfielders were still shifting, there were tiny pockets where a threaded pass could unlock the defense. The Union defenders were all over the dropping attackers by man marking them for the entire match, so this action did not happen much. The final option was to do another long switch to catch the defense in an overshifts. If the three looks were covered, Columbus simply could recycle the ball through their defense and start over from the back. These movements gave Philadelphia fits all night, causing the Union to adjust. At one point, the visitors widened their midfield to try and close down those channels. When this happened, Rossi, Hernandez and other attackers were able to receive the ball centrally and combine, pulling out the man marking defenders. If the Philadelphia midfield spread out, Farsi would often cut inside as well, because that is where the space was now. These adjustments by the Black & Gold generated the attacking chances they needed to net three goals. The tactical genius of the players on the pitch and Wilfried Nancy to adapt to Philadelphia’s defense was what won this game for the Crew. Columbus’ sloppy defensive mistakes As I’ve said before, the Black & Gold’s worst enemy is themselves. It has become a trend for the Crew team to give up goals that were self-inflicted. Whether it is off a bad turnover or just a poor decision, Columbus needs to learn how to recognize the situation. The first goal was not as bad of an egregious mistake as others we have seen in the past. Cheberko makes a poor challenge on the edge of the box, just days after Schulte struggled to set up his wall on a Lionel Messi freekick goal from a similar area. Schulte makes the save, but the rebound is put away to tie the game. Giving away fouls is not a problem when you are playing transition defense, but Cheberko needed to do better there. He had support from another defender around the attacker, so all he had to do was make the attacker uncomfortable. Instead, he dives in and gives away a dangerous freekick that earned the Union a goal. Let’s go further back though. This whole action starts in the midfield off a rare Darlington Nagbe turnover. The way that the Black & Gold like to play does not permit them to turn the ball over in the middle of the pitch. With how many players the Crew commit forward, it was easy to be caught out if you give the ball away. The pervasive issue in this case is when Columbus players get too comfortable on the ball. Against Miami, the visitors were able to get back into the game when they changed the tempo of their press. The Black & Gold did not adapt, and it allowed Miami to build a two-goal lead. The biggest thing for the Crew right now is to keep their foot on the gas when they are dominating teams. The moment they get comfortable, it just takes one turnover to spark an attack and even the game. On the Union’s second goal, the sloppiness was even worse. Malte Amundsen did a great job to win the ball and play it out of pressure. A pass from Derrick Jones to AZ Jackson seemingly got Columbus out of pressure, until Jackson tried to cheekily flick it around the Philadelphia defender and lost the ball. At this point the Black & Gold defense was out of position trying to move up and support Jackson, which allowed the Union to strike back quickly. The big talking point this week was how Nancy decided to pull Jackson from the game after only a few minutes on the pitch, but that choice from Nancy was correct. The French manager wants his players to play with freedom, which allows the team to play a brand of free-flowing, beautiful soccer. That does not permit players to pull off stupid flicks and tricks that land their team in a tough situation. Jackson should have played it back to a defender that was moving up or taken a simple touch around the defender and draw the foul. There was no need for a flick there, especially in the middle of the pitch with your defense in a precarious position. Going into the playoffs, this will be the talking point: Will the Crew clean up their mistakes? This is one of the best teams MLS has seen, looking to repeat as champions. They have the firepower, the defensive stability and the coaching, but they need to play disciplined when the pressure is on. If Columbus can play disciplined, beautiful soccer, they will be a force to be reckoned with. If they cannot get out of their own way, they may pay for it down the line.

The Columbus Crew returned home after grabbing a draw in D.C. to face Inter Miami with the Supporters Shield on the line. Columbus had to avoid a loss to keep their Shield hopes alive, while Miami only needed a victory to capture the regular season title. The visitors would strike first with two goals in the last five minutes of the first half. After being taken out of the game for much of the first half, Lionel Messi sprang to life and scored a brace to give Miami the 2-0 lead heading into halftime. The Black & Gold would answer back immediately after halftime, with Diego Rossi netting a curler. The celebrations did not last long, because miscommunication between Patrick Schulte and Rudy Camacho gifted Luis Suarez a tap-in header to extend Miami’s lead back to two goals. Shortly after, Camacho would be sent off for receiving a second yellow card on a “dangerous” challenge. Cucho Hernandez would cut the lead to one from the spot but could not convert a second spot kick to tie the game later in the match. The game would end 3-2 in favor of the visitors, who clinched the Shield for the first time in their short history. Putting a couple questionable refereeing decisions aside, this game was electric from start to finish. The Crew had chances to get the job done but fell short in the biggest moments. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into this highly anticipated Eastern Conference matchup. Controlling the game For the majority of the first half, Columbus had complete control of the game and looked like the better team. This is partly the way the Black & Gold changed formation based on the area of the pitch they were in, and Miami’s defensive structure. The Crew lined up as usual, with a full-strength lineup in their 5-2-3/3-2-5 formation. The biggest difference on offense was the positioning of Alexandru Matan. Since the Romanian has more of an attacking midfield background, he was staggered with Darlington Nagbe to be higher up the pitch. Columbus utilized three formations in different areas of the pitch. On defense, the Black & Gold went with their classic 5-2-3. In possession/buildup, they switched to a 3-2-5, with Matan as an attacking midfielder. The final formation change happened in Miami’s defensive half. When the Crew got up in that area, they moved into a 1-3-6. The defending and buildup formations are pretty cut-and-dry. Columbus has used those formations all season, with slight variations. The attacking formations for the Black & Gold tend to change based on who they are playing and the personnel available. Camacho stayed deep as the lone center back, while Malte Amundsen and Steven Moreira pushed up alongside Nagbe. Matan moved into an attacking midfield role, flanked by the wingbacks and behind the front three. The Crew knew Miami had some holes on defense. Messi and Suarez were going to essentially be non-factors on the defensive side. Because of this, Miami had to defend in a 5-3-2. At this point, the visitors had to make a defensive decision. Do they play their three midfielders wide and attempt to cut off passes to the outside, or stay compact and limit passes into the front three? Miami went with the second option, playing their three midfielders very narrow. This of course gave Columbus space to exploit in the wide channels. Christian Ramirez would often drop into the channel on one side, with Max Arfsten or another attacking coming back on the opposite side. If the Black & Gold got the midfielders to over shift and they were able to switch the ball to the opposite channel, the space would open up to generate really strong attacking chances. This is exactly what happened on Hernandez’s disallowed goal in the eighth minute. The ball was switched to Arfsten wide by Ramirez. Arfsten drove at the defender and allowed Ramirez to catch up with an overlapping run, freezing both of the near-side defenders. Hernandez snuck his run right behind them, but the ball from Arfsten came too late. Those are the looks the Crew wanted to get. They wanted to shift Miami to one side and then attack down the opposite channel. With the resisted press that the visitors were going with, Columbus had time on the ball to pass around and find those opportunities. The combination of the different formation phases and the way the Black & Gold attacked Miami’s defense gave them a chokehold on the game early. Unfortunately for the Crew, they did not take those chances and allowed Miami to fight back, ultimately causing them to lose the game. Miami’s resurgence About 35 minutes into the first half, Miami changed up their tactics, especially on the defensive side. The visitors had not shown much of their offensive hand, but that would soon change when their defense was able to get the ball back. In the opening moments of the game, Miami put forth a highly resisted press, meaning that they would press on certain cues. When the ball was central with Camacho, the defense was keen just to sit, cover their areas, and keep Columbus in front of them. When the ball was played out wide, then Miami would slowly close down that player and attempt to make him play passes backward. This led to the Black & Gold finding their rhythm, controlling the ball, and getting good looks at goal because of it. Something had to change for Miami, and it did. Later in the half when the Crew got a throw-in deep in their half, Miami suddenly stepped up and began closing the ball down quickly. This took Columbus by surprise and led to a period of Miami dominance that yielded the visitors two goals. This change of press tempo and adding more players into the press surprised the Black & Gold, which was exactly what Tata Martino and Miami wanted to do. It is not often that teams change their pressing tactics in the first half without a break in between to discuss it, but this seemed planned. Miami’s newfound defensive structure and press led to a lot of sloppy mistakes by the Crew. Poor passes, touches, and decisions were made due to the amped up nature of the press, and it gave Miami a foothold in the game. The defensive side of the game was only one half of the puzzle for the visitors though. Miami still had to figure out how to break down the best defense in MLS to find a goal. What they did was simple really, they went directly and attacked Camacho. Messi and Suarez are not players anymore that can beat centerbacks with pace, especially Columbus’ defenders. So instead, they had to come up with another way to get around them, which ultimately led Miami to go with a direct approach. While Suarez may be aging, he is still somewhat physical. And even if he does not win the battle, he is a master at drawing fouls. That led to Miami’s second goal of the night off a Messi freekick. However, their first goal was more indicative of how they tried to attack the Black & Gold. The Crew did not apply pressure on Miami, so it gave them time to look up and play an aerial pass in behind. Nobody’s first aerial option is Messi, but his ability to bring the ball down while still going forward with momentum made him dangerous. A lack of communication between Camacho and Amundsen kept the Argentine onside, and then a lucky bounce put Messi in on goal with Schulte. Part Miami brilliance, part luck, but they will all count the same. From there, that was Miami’s offensive game plan. Even in the second half after the Crew got a goal, the visitors played a long ball into the box. Another miscommunication between Camacho and this time Schulte saw the goalkeeper spill the ball to the head of Suarez. 3-1 Miami. This game was the perfect storm of tactical adjustments by both sides, controversial decisions, and Columbus effectively shooting themselves in the foot. Sure, the refereeing could have been better and there were a few decisions that changed the game, but the Black & Gold could have ended this game on their own terms. If Arfsten plays the pass to Hernandez quicker, it ends up being a goal. If Schulte and Camacho communicate, it stays a one score game. If Hernandez had buried that second penalty, the game would have become a race to the finish. There were so many opportunities for the Crew to take this game, and they did not do it. Refereeing and outside factors aside, the Black & Gold lost this game.

Senior Henri Kumwenda has scored two goals in nine games this season. Photo by Jada Gangazha. CALEB DENORME | SPORTS EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu Change is inevitable. Sports do not escape the constant of change, no matter how much the athletes, teams and leagues try. Players are forced to change positions, locations and leagues to keep their athletic dreams going. Teams are required to rotate rosters, coaches and stadiums. Throughout history, the spirit of change and reform is undefeated. Senior men’s soccer player Henri Kumwenda is no stranger to change. After being born in Malawi, he moved to England at a young age, picking up the beautiful game and never looking back. “I started playing when I was around six or seven, but it was never anything serious,” Kumwenda said. “It was kind of just playing with friends.” Kumwenda’s kickabouts with his friends not only developed his skill but also attracted the eyes of nearby scouts looking for talent. They did not have to look far before they found Kumwenda and signed him to play for a local team. He spent one year playing for their “C-team,” but he did not stay at that level long. “The following year I played for the ‘A-team’,” Kumwenda said. “And then everything can happen so quickly because after that, shortly, I got started [playing] for Leeds.” At this point Kumwenda made another change, signing to play for the Leeds United Academy . After spending eight years with the Whites, Kumwenda moved to Hull City for a season before eventually making his way across the pond to Butler. It is evident to Butler men’s soccer head coach Paul Snape that Kumwenda’s time in England has prepared him for his time in the States. “You can see he’s been educated in certain ways,” Snape said. “The way [he moves], [his] timing, [he’s] always scanning the field. You can tell he’s been trained.” The finesse and tactical nature of the English game rubbed off on Kumwenda, bringing a different aspect and skillset to the American pitch. Outside of the physical skills he picked up, Kumwenda also acquired a different mentality. “My last two years at Leeds, I was there full time,” Kumwenda said. “You learn a lot from the guys around you, and because you’re on the first team quite a lot, you kind of see the way they live, the way they eat, and how they see football as a full-time job.” When his time was up in England, Kumwenda decided to pack his bags and make the journey across the ocean to play collegiate soccer. Soccer was a priority on his mind, but other factors were involved in bringing him to Indianapolis to represent the Bulldogs. “NCAA Division I is what most guys dream of over here in the States,” Kumwenda said. “Not only that [competitive] aspect but getting a degree at the end of that, it’s something that you just can’t get anywhere else.” Kumwenda’s decision to pursue his athletic and educational dreams landed him at Butler, but the move across the world was not the only change that would happen. Primarily used as an attacking player his whole career, Snape began to rotate Kumwenda into a different position during his junior season. “I personally think he’s a person who should be on the outside,” Snape said. “Whether it’s attacking fullback [or] wingback, I think that’s his best place going forward.” Despite being slated as a forward for his first two seasons, Kumwenda began to move on the more defensive side to fullback. Though the switch to that position was new, moving to another spot on the pitch was nothing new for him. Kumwenda has played 792 minutes this season, which is third highest on the team. Collegian file photo. Kumwenda began playing his youth career as a central midfielder and then was moved to winger when he joined Leeds. After a year, he changed position yet again to striker before coming to Butler. Kumwenda credits his versatility to his physical and mental strengths. “I think my speed has a lot to do with it,” Kumwenda said. “But at the same time, I think my biggest attribute is my mentality. No matter what position you are, as long as you apply yourself well, I think you can do a good job in any position.” Senior goalkeeper Caleb Norris has seen Kumwenda apply himself at his new position. From his spot between the posts, Norris feels safer knowing the former attacker has a new job protecting him. “Henri’s a great player … to have on our backline,” Norris said. “He’s got the speed but also the technical ability on the ball defensively. Definitely as a goalkeeper, I’m very comfortable having him in the backline and honored to have him as a teammate as well.” Kumwenda’s growing defensive capability puts Norris at ease, but that is only half his game. The other half has him flying up the field to get in on the attack and score goals. He already has two goals this season, scoring against Oakland and Akron . His dual ability to be a lockdown defender and a dangerous attacker has Snape wanting to utilize him as much as possible. “He’s got so much to offer,” Snape said. “He’s got athleticism, he’s fast, he’s quick, he’s strong. Plus, he’s a very good one [versus] one defender. He’s a very important threat for us when he gets into it. Kumwenda’s dual-threat ability in both attack and defense even impressed scouts from the Malawian national team. In March of 2024, Kumwenda traveled back to his birth country to participate in the Four Nations Tournament against Kenya , Zimbabwe and Zambia . Kumwenda got some valuable playing time on the international stage against Kenya but was unavailable to play against Zambia due to injury. “Hearing I was going to get called up was a really proud moment for me,” Kumwenda said. “I think every guy dreams of representing their national team on such a high level. I called my mum straight away and she was over the moon.” Although his accolades on the field are substantial, Snape sees that outside of soccer Kumwenda is one of a kind. Off the field, the Malawian international is as mature as they come. “He’s an amazing young man,” Snape said. “Extremely smart in the classroom [with] emotional intelligence. He’s just a wonderful human being.” Inside that wonderful human is the embodiment of the joy soccer can bring. For Kumwenda, the sport has been a part of him and his life for as long as he can remember. “My family was kind of in love with the sport before I was even there,” Kumwenda said. “So I kind of took it from them. Seeing the emotion that soccer brings for me personally and for other people is something you don’t really see anywhere else. It can take stress away from all other areas of your life.” Kumwenda’s ever-changing soccer journey has come full circle. From his time in Malawi, the youth clubs in England, to Indy and back again, he shows no signs of stopping. “His character is absolutely incredible,” Snape said. “He’s going to do amazing things in life, no matter what he does.”

The Columbus Crew showed no signs of slowing down despite a congested schedule, besting Orlando City SC 4-3 on Saturday evening. Columbus struck first, with Diego Rossi finding the back of the net with a little help from a deflection. From there, the Black & Gold slammed home two goals in the second half to extend their lead. Both Christian Ramirez and super-sub Cucho Hernandez got on the scoresheet to no one’s surprise. Orlando would get two goals back, but AZ Jackson would secure his first goal for the Crew to stretch their lead back to two with only five minutes remaining. Orlando would find a third goal deep into stoppage time, but the final whistle blew soon after that. This is Columbus’ second straight win heading into a Campeones Cup showdown with Club America on Wednesday. It was a back-and-forth game for the Black & Gold, featuring unique tactics on both sides. Let’s dive into all the tactical decisions that went into this roller coaster of a game. The positioning of AZ Jackson After the Crew’s midweek matchup with Toronto that featured a slightly rotated lineup, Wilfried Nancy threw out another lineup that consisted of rotation players and starters. One of those depth pieces who got a chance to start was AZ Jackson. Patrick Schutle remained in goal with Yevhen Cheberko, Malte Amundsen, and Steven Moreira in front of him. Max Arfsten and Mo Farsi played on the wings with Darlington Nagbe and Alexandru Matan inside. The front three was rounded out by Jackson, Rossi and Ramirez. Out of all the players on the pitch Saturday, no one had more responsibility put on them than Jackson. Slated to start in that daunting front three, it was up to the young American midfielder to link up with Ramirez and Rossi. Despite being inserted into the attack, Jackson floated across the pitch all night. He occupied several different positions and was vital in helping the team perform. Of course, the position that he was in most of the time was in that fluid front three. When Columbus moved the ball into the final third, he was up like an extra striker to poach in the box. Occasionally he would switch and drop a bit deeper to help build around the box, and then make late-arriving runs inside. When the Black & Gold were building out of the back, Jackson had the freedom to go where he was needed depending on their formation. For much of the contest, the Crew’s building formation was a 2-4-4. Amundsen stayed back with Cheberko while Moreira moved into a wide midfield spot. Matan and Nagbe stayed central, with Jackson to their left. The wingbacks were up high with Rossi and Ramirez as dueling strikers. In these moments of playing out of the back, Jackson would drop into the wide channel to be the half-pivot between Amundsen and Arfsten. Orlando was playing very narrow during their press, which opened the space for Jackson to get the ball. If the ball went to the other side of the field, the formation would shift. Arfsten had to make the decision to stay high for a ball over the top or drop back closer to Amundsen. His decision affected Jackson’s positioning as well. If Arfsten decided to stay in his winger position, Jackson would pinch a little bit but remain on the left side to be the bridge to the wingback. If Arfsten dropped, Jackson would go inside to a more central position and combine with whoever was in possession. These decisions and moments dictated how Columbus built their attack and went at Orlando’s backline. It shows a lot about Nancy’s trust when he is willing to throw in a backup to make these huge in-game calls. It worked for the Black & Gold and showed the class player that Jackson is becoming. An open game and attacking Orlando with width This matchup was entirely different to what we saw a week ago down in Cincinnati. When the Crew traveled to TQL Stadium, it was a tense affair. Both teams kept feeling each other out, generating a few chances but mostly relying on the midfield battle. This game was the complete opposite. Both teams combined to hit the post three times in the first 15 minutes, and the counter chances were prevalent. Running and countering was the name of this game, which led to the seven-goal thriller. There are reasons on both sides for this being an extremely open game. On Columbus’ defensive side, the Black & Gold were at risk of being countered when they turned the ball over or committed too many men forward. Everyone knows Nancy prefers to attack with eight or nine players, so those transition moments are going to happen. Orlando bet on it, and it netted them three goals. On Orlando’s defensive side, once the Crew broke their press the floodgates sprang open. The Lions tried to press with five narrow attackers and pushed their two defensive midfielders up to clean up any loose balls. Unlucky for Orlando, Columbus did not give them many loose balls to collect. This led to time after time when the Black & Gold broke the press and suddenly had a numbers mismatch staring down Orlando’s backline. Add in that the visitors’ backline was in retreat, and it became a recipe for disaster for them. Beating the press was just the first of the Crew’s objectives, but they also had to take their chances once they did so. This is where Orlando’s width comes into play. The visitors came into this game and seemingly thought that they were going to plug up the middle of the pitch and force Columbus to win the game from out wide. Typically, teams may struggle when they are reduced to one kind of offensive avenue. The Black & Gold are not your typical team, and they can score in every way possible. Orlando pulled in their outside backs and let the Crew have all the width they wanted. This led to overloads out wide, and a plethora of times where streaking wingbacks got good crosses in. These balls from out wide would find the feet, or head, of a Columbus attacker and the goals kept coming. The sentiment from Orlando is commendable. They wanted to try to shut off one of the avenues the Black & Gold could exploit and force the Crew’s wingbacks to beat them. When you have pinpoint crossing wide players like Arfsten though, you may want to rethink your defensive strategy. If Columbus had an off night, we may be talking about Orlando’s tactical masterclass and how they forced the Black & Gold’s “other guys” to beat them. Unfortunately for them, they found out this team is not accustomed to having off days, and the “other guys” are pretty darn good too.

The Columbus Crew returned to winning ways in a midweek matchup with rival Toronto FC. Columbus made the trek up to Canada after a scoreless draw with FC Cincinnati on Saturday. Because of this, the Black & Gold featured a slightly rotated lineup, with another matchup with Orlando City SC coming on the weekend. The Crew struggled a bit in the first half, failing to generate any good scoring chances, but that changed in the second half. Substitute Cucho Hernandez got Columbus on the board in the second half with a curler from outside the box, and Andrés Herrera doubled the Black & Gold’s lead 19 minutes later. From there, the Crew saw out the victory to claim all three points on the road. It was another game that featured two halves of different qualities. Let’s dive into all the tactical decisions for Columbus that turned the game around. First half struggles This lineup from Wilfried Nancy featured a different crop of players than fans are used to seeing. It was not a completely rotated lineup, but it was far from the Black & Gold’s full strength. Many of the struggles in the first half came up top in the attack. The Crew looked disjointed at times and failed to put pressure on the Toronto goal. Diego Rossi was seemingly non-existent as the spearhead of the attack, failing to get in behind or affecting the game with the ball at his feet. A lot of the first half mistakes were due to the rotated attack and Toronto’s tactics. Believe it or not, the home side did well in the first 45 to limit Columbus’ chances while getting a few attacking looks of their own. The Black & Gold went with a 1-4-5 in the buildup, which could turn into a 1-4-2-3. Rudy Camacho sat as the lone centerback, with Malte Amundsen and Yevhen Cheberko moving up alongside Derrick Jones and Sean Zawadzki in midfield. The front five consisted of the wingbacks and the front three. This buildup formation would turn into a 1-4-2-3 when Dylan Chambost and Rossi would drift into the midfield as dueling no. 10s. This helped the Crew immensely when they did it, because it helped Columbus break Toronto’s press. In this game, Toronto’s defensive goal was to close the middle of the field in the buildup. They pressured the Black & Gold with five narrow players, forcing the Crew to either play outside or turn the ball over on the inside. This meant that Toronto put the emphasis on Columbus’ outside centerbacks to be the playmakers and bridge to the attack. Forcing Cheberko and Amundsen to play accurate balls into the attackers was exactly what Toronto wanted, because the passes would often be wayward. The Black & Gold recognized this, switching later in the first half to a 2-3-5. This simple switch dropped Cheberko alongside Camacho and put Zawadzki in a playmaking position out right. Not only did this put Zawadzki and a more attack minded Amundsen in those wide areas, but it also took a player out of the midfield to make space for the dropping wingbacks. Now Herrera and Dejuan Jones had more room to come back and assist in the buildup. Despite the offensive changes and progress, the Crew still could not get any good looks on goal. On the defensive side, Toronto had some chances due to their own planning. The hosts’ entire offensive philosophy was to switch the point of attack quickly and get Columbus to over-shift. Playing a quick diagonal ball out to one of the wings would draw the defense out and open the backside for a cross. On the other hand, if the Black & Gold dropped off and covered the backside, it gave Toronto room to cut inside and take on shots. The Crew had to pay attention when the home side did this, because if they did not cover the channels and the backside correctly, they could be down a goal quick. Luckily the best defense in MLS shut out the opposition and got Columbus into the second half, where their ace-in-the-hole was ready to come on. Second half changes This one is easy. The Crew subbing in their superstar Colombian striker changed the game. It sounds too good to be true, but Hernandez changed the game for Columbus. In the first half, Columbus had trouble linking their buildup play and turning it into a potent attack. The attackers were not finding the space underneath the defense and getting the ball to their feet. This changed when Hernandez came into the game. The lack of holdup play that they had before disappeared, and now the Colombian and his Canadian counterpart began getting on the ball. Look at the first goal for example. Russell-Rowe receives the ball into feet one-on-one against his defender. He holds up the play, waits for the reinforcements and dumps the ball to Hernandez. From there, the MLS MVP candidate did his thing, dispatching a curler past Sean Johnson and into the net. It seems easy, but it was that combination of play that was missed in the first half. Rossi and Russell-Rowe often were unable to get on the ball, which was a severe disconnect between the attack and defense. Once the Black & Gold figured out how to get the ball into the feet of the attackers, the game became much easier. From there, the Crew set up their offense in the attacking third, putting Toronto under serious pressure with their possession. Another huge change from the first half was how Columbus looked to combine in the final third, rather than going direct. In the first 45, the Black & Gold were turning the ball over by hitting aimless long balls up field that was just collected by the defense. Once they figured out how to facilitate an actual buildup, the Crew were more open to holding possession and pinging the ball around Toronto’s box. The formations remained the same as they were in the first half. Columbus still was in a 2-3-5 or sometimes a 2-3-1-4 if Hernandez or Chambost dropped into the midfield. On defense, the Black & Gold stayed in their normal 5-2-3. The Crew’s defense is not broken, so no reason to mess with it. This game is just another example of Nancy’s ability to coach in-game. It is one thing to install a system and do the work in practice to create a championship culture, but adjusting on the fly is world-class. Nancy and his staff did it again, and it resulted in another three points on the road.

The Columbus Crew traveled down Interstate 71 on Saturday, looking to rebound against bitter rivals FC Cincinnati. It was a tightly contested matchup, with both teams generating some looks on goal and controlling portions of the match. Despite the combination of these two highly talented teams, the game ended in a 0-0 draw. Despite the shared points, the Black & Gold clinched a playoff spot with seven games left in the season. Back to full strength, the Crew did not have to resort to any drastic tactical measures like putting Sean Zawadzki in goal. Wilfried Nancy and his staff did have a few tricks up their sleeve though. Let’s dive into all the tactics and decisions that went into this Hell Is Real scoreless draw. Columbus’ offensive tactics From the first kick, fans could tell that Columbus slightly tweaked its offensive philosophy for this game. The Black & Gold were less reliant on building out of the back and instead wanted to try and counter quickly at Cincinnati’s defense. This did not mean that the Crew abandoned their high-volume possession setup though. When Columbus wanted to slow it down to try and put progressive pressure on Cincinnati’s defense, they could. There were a few reasons for the Black & Gold going faster and playing on the counter rather than trying to build out of the back. The first reason was due to their opponent’s rotated defense. Cincinnati was without Matt Miazga and Ian Murphy on the backline, so they were forced to start Deandre Yedlin, Chidozie Awaziem, and Alvas Powell. There were a few weak points with this starting back three. First, Yedlin is not a natural center back. Much like Steven Moreira, he is an outside back that was now converted into a center back. This means if Yedlin wanted to venture higher up the pitch into the attack, there would be space that he vacated in behind. Second, Powell is not a natural left center back. He is very right foot dominant, which makes it hard to switch the field and play balls out to the left wing. He also is more of a pure centerback, with fewer ball skills than his counterpart Yedlin. This meant that if the Crew was going to press anyone on the backline, it was likely going to be Powell. Another reason Columbus decided to play more direct was to bypass the Cincinnati press as soon as possible. A lot of the goals the Black & Gold have conceded this season have been due to poor defensive giveaways, so they avoided that by limiting how much they built out from their own territory. The direct approach did not always work for the Crew though. The final pass in the attacking third or even the final shot was not executed to their normal standard. In this rapid countering pace, they were turning the ball over too often which led them to pull play back a bit more to try and keep possession at times. In these moments, Columbus opted to play in two different formations. The first was a 3-1-3-3. The backline three centerbacks remained with Darlington Nagbe sitting deeper as the lone no. 6. In front of him, Alex Matan, Diego Rossi and Christian Ramirez dropped in from the frontline to play as three attacking midfielders. Up top, Cucho Hernandez led the line with the two wingbacks outside of him. This formation gave the Black & Gold options at every depth of the pitch. They had players deep for defensive stability, Nagbe as the split in the middle, three attacking midfielders to find the midfield gap and a front three that could push the line. Again, this formation was fluid, so they did not always stay in the same spots. Soon enough they morphed into their second formation of the match, a 3-4-3 diamond. The backline stayed the same, and Nagbe continued his work as the lone defensive midfielder. The big change came in the midfield, with Ramirez and Matan dropping into the wide midfield channels as passing options. Rossi or Hernandez stayed up as a lone no. 10, with the front three still intact. Ramirez and Matan dropping in was important in the moments when the Crew decided to build out of the back. Cincinnati was pressing with five towards the sideline, plugging up the nearside outside and middle passing lanes. Because of this, Matan and Ramirez dropped into the half-space and gave options to break the lines or switch the play. This offensive philosophy did not yield a goal for Columbus, but it generated some chances that should have been goals. It was a “nearly” game for the Black & Gold, but they will take a point on the road against tough competition. Columbus’ defensive tactics Not much change here from the Crew, but they had a few tweaks that was special for Cincinnati. Columbus defended in their typical 5-2-3 and pressed with the front three and wingbacks. Matan pushed up to mark the cutoff, but Nagbe did something different. Throughout the game, he sat deeper than Matan, sticking by Lucho Acosta’s side to prevent him from getting the ball. This worked for a large portion of the first half. Cincinnati was having issues building out and found it hard to get Acosta the ball. In the second half, the reigning MLS MVP began dropping deeper to get the ball to his feet. The Black & Gold were fine with Acosta doing this because he was being forced back towards his own goal. If they could limit where Acosta could get touches and have possession, they would be doing their job defensively. Occasionally in the second half, Nagbe began to push up and press alongside Matan. Cincinnati set up with two defensive midfielders, so the Crew tried marking both with Matan and Nagbe to turn their opponents over high up the pitch. When Nagbe did step up, Rudy Camacho pushed higher out of his usual spot on the backline to be closer to Acosta. This was if the ball was played into Acosta’s feet, Camacho could get there to try and disrupt him. Cincinnati had a few tweaks for Columbus as well though. On offense, the hosts set up in a 3-2-5, matching the Black & Gold’s 5-2-3 defensive formation. This gave the game a feeling of multiple one-on-one matchups happening all over the pitch. In the final third, Cincinnati tried to overload the backside of the Crew’s defense. They would attempt to draw out one of the wingbacks, get Columbus’ defense to shift, and then attack the backside with two runners. This is how Kevin Kelsy got a goal in the Hell Is Real matchup in Columbus earlier this summer. Despite the tweaks from both teams, neither were able to find the net in the end. Both squads clinched a playoff spot, so there is no doubt there will likely be another Hell Is Real clash in the playoffs.

The Columbus Crew returned to MLS action after a week of rest to take on the Seattle Sounders at home on Saturday. Columbus featured a highly rotated lineup due to a significant number of players being called up to international duty. One surprising aspect of the team sheet was the inclusion of only one goalkeeper after MLS denied the Black & Gold’s exemption request to bring up an emergency goalkeeper to backup Abraham Romero. That denial would come back to hurt the Crew, after Romero’s challenge on striker Jordan Morris left the goalkeeper seeing red and forced Sean Zawadzki to go in goal. From there, the game was a formality. Seattle scored with the next kick of the ball, and then continued to bag three more on the way to a rare victory in Columbus. The league has finally found the Black & Gold’s limit; the Crew cannot win without a goalkeeper. The rotated squad and unusual in-game circumstances forced Wilfried Nancy to do tactical gymnastics. Let’s dive into all the tactics that went into this wild game. Pre-red card tactics Columbus came out of the locker room and it was business as usual, despite a few new or unfamiliar faces in the lineup. The Black & Gold still opted for their typical formation and setup, with three centerbacks and wingbacks that would climb high up the pitch. Two central midfielders sat behind a fluid front three. Very familiar territory for the Crew. Despite the usual setup, there were a few positional caveats. Positionally, Rudy Camacho lined up as the right centerback for a large part of the first half. Yevhen Cheberko was the central centerback, while Zawadzki played to the left of the Ukrainian. Due to Columbus’ rotated personnel, the Black & Gold took different shapes throughout the first half. Initially, the Crew lined up in a 3-1-5-1 on offense. Cheberko stayed deep with Zawadzki and Camacho, while Darlington Nagbe sat as a lone defensive midfielder in the center of the pitch. Alexandru Matan moved up as a central no. 10, with Dylan Chambost and AZ Jackson next to him so they had three attacking midfielders. Outside of the attacking mids, both wingbacks gave Columbus width higher up the pitch and Diego Rossi led the line as the lone striker. Rossi’s positioning in the first half looked like shades of Cucho Hernandez. The Uruguayan often drifted along the backline, trying to get in the defenders’ blind spots and run in behind. When that was not available, he was content to drop into midfield and receive the ball to feet much like his Columbian counterpart typically does. This formation could easily become a 3-1-6 when either Rossi decided to drop into the midfield, or the midfielders moved up higher on the defense. Typically, the fluid attack did not stay in one line, but there were times in the attacking third where they all were pushing up on the defense. Finally, a third formation switch came as the Black & Gold really began pushing for a goal. The Crew moved into a 1-3-6 in the final third, moving both outside centerbacks alongside Nagbe to pin Seattle in. The centerbacks joining the attack gave Columbus width behind the attack to swing the ball and try to shift Seattle’s defense. This is a tactic the Black & Gold have taken advantage of all year, trying to get opponents to overshift and then find the backside runner. Unfortunately for the Crew, they were not sharp at combining on passes in the final third. That usual chemistry and quick passing was not there, which made it hard to generate any strong attacking chances. Then the red card came, when Romero came errantly and erratically off his line to clear a ball that he did not need to. This led to a red card, and a laughable decision by MLS meant that Columbus would have to finish the game with Zawadzki in goal. Post-red card tactics Now the Black & Gold were really in a bind. The Crew have expressed this “never say die” mentality throughout the season. Coming back against Inter Miami from 2-0 down in Leagues Cup, scoring two goals in the Leagues Cup final in stoppage time, even winning with a heavily rotated lineup against Philadelphia. Despite this confidence, overcoming not having a goalkeeper on the field was too much for Columbus. No tactical adjustment or personnel switch was going to bail the Black & Gold out this time, but Nancy still put in the work and tried to give his team every little advantage he could find. The first and most obvious switch was to move Zawadzki into goal and bring off Jackson for DeJuan Jones. Now the Crew had a fully manned backline and set up in a 5-3-1 on defense. Jones moved to the right wingback spot while Marcelo Herrera came inside as the right centerback. Columbus typically runs a 5-2-3 on defense with a full lineup, but they dropped Chambost back with Matan and Nagbe to shore up the midfield. The thinking behind this was to try and get the Black & Gold on the ball and still have enough numbers deep to keep possession. If the Crew could still grow into this game and keep the ball, they may have a shot at evening the contest and maintain a sense of control in the game. The problems arose for Columbus when they became unable to retain the ball, which meant Seattle could counter on an undermanned backline. The absence of a player on the field for the Black & Gold loomed large, especially when trying to create overloads. The Crew tried a bunch of different formations in the second half to try and remedy Seattle’s man advantage. They started in a 3-3-3 on offense with a cupped midfield. Rossi, Jones and Max Arfsten led the attack, with Matan and Chambost underneath them as attacking midfielders. Nagbe sat as a lone no. 6 in front of the three centerbacks. This gave Columbus a balanced look but failed to produce anything on the offensive end. The Black & Gold were not able to commit enough numbers forward and combine enough to unlock Seattle’s defense. So, they went to a 1-5-3 and moved the outside centerbacks into the outside midfield. This gave the Crew a more attacking approach but opened the floodgates for Seattle on the counter attack. After the influx of goals conceded, Columbus switched to a 2-4-3, but the results were more of the same. Even with two centerbacks staying deeper, overcoming the loss of a player and a goalkeeper was just too much for the Black & Gold. MLS has safeguards in place to prevent these situations from happening. Despite the Crew following the protocol to get an emergency goalkeeper, the league opted to deny them for what can be understood as no reason at all. Nancy has been a miracle worker since he arrived in Columbus, but no amount pixie dust from the Black & Gold’s French manager could have saved the Crew from the result against Seattle. Columbus will move their focus ahead to a date with FC Cincinnati with a pissed off mentality and revenge on their mind.