The Columbus Crew opened the floodgates Saturday evening at Lower.com Field, rattling off a 3-0 win over D.C. United.
They had entered with a six-game winless streak across all competitions (league, US Open Cup) and a 360-plus minute scoreless rut. US international forward Gyasi Zardes was also traded to the Colorado Rapids in between, opening a Designated Player spot.
But powered by two potential AT&T 5G Goal of the Week nominees in a Pedro Santos free kick and Darlington Nagbe volley, the Crew came good.
“It's been a rough couple of weeks in many ways and for our group to stick together, keep fighting – we're back in the race, we're back in the thick of things,” head coach Caleb Porter said postgame. “I'm glad they get the reward with the result and some goals for their hard work and for sticking together. We have a good group of guys in that locker room and this was an early kind of season test, challenge. A lot of adversity and I thought the guys pulled out of it really well. I think actually we're stronger because of it.”
The Crew, MLS Cup 2020 champions, entered the season looking to course-correct after last year’s playoff near-miss, when they finished one point outside the Eastern Conference’s seventh and final spot. And the early returns were positive, taking seven of nine points as midfielder Lucas Zelarayan built an early Landon Donovan MLS MVP case.
But form turned south as frustrations, both internal and external, mounted. Then a response came against the Black-and-Red.
“Obviously we needed something to turn around the results that we've been getting lately,” center back Jonathan Mensah said. “I told the boys before the game we need to have an obsession with winning, we need to have that. And when you have that mentality, obviously we're going into the game with the mindset to win. So kudos to the boys.”
Porter also points to a tactical change, opting for a 4-3-3 formation that’s centered around a strong defensive foundation and ruggedness in midfield, as fueling the bounceback. They’ve now posted two straight shutouts and held just 43% possession against D.C., making the most of set pieces and transition moments.
“I try to learn every team I have, and every team I've had is a little bit different – kind of the sweet spot of their best phases of play,” Porter said. “And I think what I'm learning right now is this system is really suiting our team. It's getting players onto the field that need to be in the game, that bring a fight, that bring a mentality that we need. I think it opens up transitions for us, and you see we're a very tough team to break down defensively.”
With three of Columbus’ next four games on the road, this result should go a long way confidence-wise. Also, their only home game in May comes against Supporters’ Shield contender LAFC.
That’s all a tall task, but the Crew’s ship is steadied for the time being.
“I hope we reminded the fans today that we've got a very good team and these guys are fighting for each other and fighting for the supporters,” Porter said. “That's not going to change. Even when we don't get results, we're too experienced. We'll keep a steady hand, we'll keep guys together, we'll keep going, we'll keep fighting.”
