And speaking of tonight's match hosting Nashville - the Crew has another chance to vault over a team ahead of them in the East with a win.  Nashville is currently in 5th-place with 22 points and Columbus is 6th-place with 20 points.

 

The Crew's roster situation is getting slightly better for tonight's match.  Afful will return from his red-card suspension.  BWP is not listed on tonight's injury report and played 30+ minutes in Saturday's game without incident.  Molino and Etienne's teams have been eliminated from the Gold Cup and they might be available off the bench for the tonight's game.

GAME 14:  CREW 0 - 0 NASHVILLE

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvsnsh-07-21-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/7/21/22587709/columbus-crew-held-to-0-0-home-draw-by-nashville-sc-mls-2021

Above is the full starting lineup and bench for last night's game.  Changes from the previous game were Hurtado at striker, Etienne at left wing, Kitchen at defensive midfield and Afful returning at right back.  Plus a full bench available for Porter in this game(!)

 

The Crew have had trouble with slow starts lately and this game wasn't any different.  Nashville created three set pieces in the first four minutes - the most dangerous was this free-kick in the 3rd minute that deflected off a Crew player on its way to the net that forced this difficult full-extension save from Eloy Room to keep the game scoreless:

But the Crew weather that early Nashville storm and the game settled into the way both teams like to play.  Nashville backed into a five-man backline, allowing the Crew to possess and attack, while Nashville looked for counter-attacking chances.  For the first half the Crew couldn't break down the Nashville defense.  At halftime, BWP replaced Hurtado and Hairston replaced Kitchen, both of whom picked up first half yellow cards.

 

The second half saw the Crew begin to dominate the game in possession, shots and shots-on-goal.  Zelarayan had two well placed free-kicks in the second half that were stopped by Nashville's defensive wall.  In the 68th minute, a possible foul in the Nashville box went uncalled.  And in the 71st minute, the Crew's best scoring chance of the night came from a Nagbe shot at the edge of 18-yd box that was barely saved by the Nashville keeper to keep the game scoreless:

Most of the second half was played in the Nashville half of the field.  But despite the Crew trying seemingly every possible way to break down Nashville's defense, they were denied open shots to the net.  So many Crew shots were blocked before even reaching the Nashville keeper.  Molino replaced Etienne at 65' and Matan came on for Francis at 82' in a last push for a game-winning goal.  And it nearly came in stoppage time at the 92nd minute when the Crew finally caught the Nashville defense scrambling.  Molino had an open look 12-yards from Nashville's net, but his shot went just wide to keep the game scoreless.

 

So 0-0 is how it would end - despite the Crew dominating possession 66-34, shots 18-8 and shots-on-goal 7-1.  The game was a tale of two halves.  Columbus had six shots with zero on goal in the first half while Nashville had seven with one on frame.  But in the second half, the Crew had 12 shots with seven on goal and held Nashville to only one shot in the second half.

The draw keeps Nashville ahead of the Crew in the East.  The Crew remain in 6th-place with 21 points, one point up on 7th-place NYCFC, and one point back of 4th-place Orlando and 5th-place Montreal.  Nashville actually vaulted both Orlando and Montreal with the draw into 3rd-place with 23 points(!)

 

Which is probably why Nashville was in good spirits after the game.  Here's the Nashville keeper, Joe Willis, explaining how he kept that Nagbe shot out of the net:

 

And here's Nashville's veteran midfielder Dax McCarty having a stadium employee remind him just how veteran he is:

He's actually not that veteran - his rookie MLS season was in 2006 and original Crew Stadium opened in 1999.

On 7/21/2021 at 12:11 PM, Columbo said:

Tonight's match hosting Nashville will overlap with a Clippers game at Huntington Park just down Nationwide Boulevard:

 

Last night was also the first time the Crew had an overlapping game with one of its neighbors along Nationwide Boulevard.  The Clippers game started at 7:05PM and the Crew game started just after 7:30PM.  So traffic and parking were ... challenging:

• https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/tens-of-thousands-gather-in-arena-district-as-both-the-columbus-crew-and-clippers-play-7-21-2021
• https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/columbus-crew-clippers-fans-flood-the-arena-district-filling-up-parking-spaces/530-f0b5d119-e70a-41cf-8cbe-fafdb351cf05

I don't think there was an official "March to the Match" like the previous two home games on 7/3 and 7/17 - but you wouldn't know it before the game:

Or after the game(!)

 

GAME 15:  CREW 1 - 0 ATLANTA

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/atlvsclb-07-24-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/7/24/22592043/columbus-crew-extends-unbeaten-run-in-1-0-win-against-atlanta-united-jonathan-mensah-eloy-room

 

Above is the starting lineup for yesterday's game at Atlanta.  With their 3rd game in 8 days, Porter rotated the lineup again with five new starters (BWP, Molino, Matan, Hairston and Abdul-Salaam) plus moving Santos from left wing to left back and placing Zelarayan on the bench for the first half.  The only players to start all three games during this stretch were Room, Mensah, Keita and Nagbe.

 

Although the Crew were certainly guarding against another slow start, they almost went down a goal in the 2nd minute on a ATL shot in the box that fortunately went just wide of the net.  Instead it was the Crew who had the next best scoring chance when BWP fed a leading pass to a wide-open Hurtado in the 16th minute.  With Hurtado past the final defender and only the keeper to beat, he somehow sent his shot wide to keep the game scoreless.

 

After that it was up to Room to keep the game scoreless.  First in the 36th minute, when ATL got the ball to an unmarked player in the Crew's 18-yd box - but was stopped by a superb read by Room to come off his line and stop the shot.

With the score 0-0 at halftime, Zelarayan and Etienne came on for Matan and Hurtado to make their push for a win in the second half.  But Room first needed to make one more spectacular save in the 58th minute to keep it level.

Then in the 65th minute, the Crew had their moment of magic on a beautifully executed set play.  Zelarayan's corner kick found Hairston at the near post, who flicked it to the far post, where three Crew players flooded the area and Mensah headed it home to give the Crew a 1-0 lead.

After that the Crew defense put the clamps on ATL.  Mensah was the man-of-the-match not just because of his goal, but because of his defensive play to finish off the game.  Berry, who came on for BWP at 76', nearly poached a second goal for the Crew in the 86th minute on a wide angle shot that beat the ATL keeper but struck the post.  But the Crew didn't need another goal for their second win during their current six-game unbeaten streak.

A funny twist to the Crew's Saturday visit to ATL's Mercedes-Benz Stadium was that they couldn't use the normal visitor's locker room.  Apparently, Kanye West and his crew used it when they held a listening party in the stadium on Thursday ... and they never left(!)  So, the Columbus Crew had to use an auxiliary locker room instead:

And if you doubt the veracity of that story, Kanye & Co. were seen wandering through the Atlanta supporters section during the game:

 

MLS game 16 for the Crew at NYCFC tonight is in the awesome soccer venue of the Yankee Stadium outfield (no I'm not letting that go!).  The Crew are just about through this July of many injuries and call-ups.  Only Zardes is still in the Gold Cup with his USMNT squad advancing to Sunday's Final (and thanks to his game-winning goal).  Fraser played last night in Canada's loss to Mexico and also will not be available for tonight's NYCFC match.  But everyone else has returned and will be available.

 

The injuries are still a roster issue, but less so with the returning call-ups.  Artur's hip injury is looking more season-ending-ish the longer he stays out.  Possibly the same with Valenzeula, even tho its just a hamstring, because of the multiple injuries he's had this season.  Wormgoor is also not looking great to return, again because of multiple injuries and missing most of last season.

 

However, Williams might be getting back to health, as he's returning to practice from an ankle injury - which would be very welcome with the CB depth consisting of Mensah, Keita (who are playing great) and Lillard (a little used backup).  Artur's absence is well covered by Hairston, Kitchen and Fraser (when he returns).  And Valenzeula's absence might be solved by moving Santos into the left back role from left wing.  Santos has looked outstanding at left back and the returning call-ups give Porter plenty of wing depth now.

 

The Crew have survived this July of many injuries and call-ups with defense and draws.  They've gone 2-0-4 in their six July games to date.  The Crew are also 5-1-4 in their past 10 games dating back to 5/22.  During that stretch they haven't scored more than two goals in any game - but they haven't given up more than two goals in any game.  Four of the five wins during this stretch have been by one goal (two of them against NYCFC only because Zelarayan is really good at converting free-kicks into goals(!)

 

So, although the Crew are having good results, it's been on a knife's edge.  The Crew's current 5th-place standing in the East is also on a knife's edge.  An extra 3-pts win would put the Crew in 2nd-place.  But a 3-point reduction would put the Crew in 7th-place on the verge of missing the playoffs.

 

Now, there's still alot of season to go.  This is only game 16 of the 34-game season.  Although this is the third and final meeting between conference rivals NYCFC (because MLS scheduling).  NYCFC should look at tonight's game as a mid-season must-win.  They've been up-and-down so far, but are on an upswing with a 1-0 win over Montreal on 7/21 and a 5-0 win over Orlando on 7/25.  Plus, a win over the Crew (after those twin tough 2-1 losses) would really help them in the standings.

 

For the Crew tonight, another win to season-sweep NYCFC would be great.  But a road-draw would also be acceptable.  Especially when you're facing NYCFC in the vaunted soccer venue of Yankee Stadium's outfield(!)

GAME 16:  CREW 1 - 4 NYCFC

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/nycvsclb-07-30-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/7/30/22602792/columbus-crew-takes-worse-loss-of-2021-4-1-to-new-york-city-fc-mls-2021

 

I listed some trends that were going in the Crew's favor: returning players; Room playing at an all-world level; great defense; timely scoring; positive results.  But in last night's game, the trends turned on the Crew in a brutal 4-1 loss at NYCFC.

 

NYCFC had all the motivation to win this game: home match; needing to move up in the standings; last chance to play the Crew after a pair of tough 2-1 losses - and it showed with an early onslaught that led to a 14th minute NYCFC goal.  Then Room's stretch of all-world play ended in the 35th minute when he unwisely left his line to stop a long-ball counter-attack by NYCFC.  This allowed the attacking player to calmly chip the ball into the vacated net and put NYCFC up 2-0 at halftime.

 

But the Crew have made two recent two-goal comebacks, the game's not over yet it is?  It was when NYCFC scored early in the second half at 51' to make it 3-0.  Then it was just a matter of what the final score would be.  NYCFC got a fourth goal in the 71th minute and it looked like it would end 4-0 when the ref blew the whistle at the end of second half stoppage time.  However, VAR ruled that Santos was fouled in the box just a few seconds before the end of the game and was awarded a penalty kick(!)

 

Santos converted the 97th minute PK (for his first goal of 2021) and the game ended 4-1.  It would be wild if that extra goal ends up being important in a later goal differential tie-break(!!)

 

So this ended up being a classic "burn the tapes" game for the Crew.  NYCFC is on a hot streak and the Crew played a clunker game.  It happens.  The big thing is if the clunker game is a one-off for the Crew, or a new trend.  We'll find out because the Crew have a quick turnaround with two home games next week:  Wednesday 8/4 vs DC;  Saturday 8/7 vs ATL

I hate being right about the Artur injury:

 

https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/2021/08/02/columbus-crew-artur-miss-10-12-weeks-after-surgery/5461388001/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/8/2/22606452/columbus-crews-artur-out-10-12-weeks-after-sports-hernia-surgery-mls-2021

 

This means Artur will be out until the final week or so of the regular season - so basically out for the rest of the regular season and maybe available in the playoffs.

 

Porter also announced that backup defensive midfielder Perry Kitchen will be out "a couple weeks" with a minor MCL injury.  So the d-midfield depth is getting shallow again.

GAME 17:  CREW 2 - 4 DC UNITED

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvsdc-08-04-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/8/4/22610297/columbus-crew-backline-struggles-again-fall-4-2-to-d-c-united-mls-2021

 

The Crew needed to erase that 4-1 loss at NYCFC with a home win against DC last night.  And they got a great chance to take an early lead in the 12th minute when starting striker Hurtado was on a breakaway with only D.C. goalkeeper Bill Hamid off his line to beat for a goal.  However, Hurtado is showing himself to be the 2021 version of David Guzman and kicked the ball directly into Hamid.  Hamid's leg was injured during this save and he was replaced in the DC goal by former Crew keeper Jon Kempin.

 

DC's high press and a bad touch by Keita led to former Crew striker Ola Kamara poaching the ball unmarked into the Crew box to put DC up 1-0 in the 19th minute.  DC added a second goal in the 40th minute on a well-struck header by midfielder Yordy Reyna off a corner kick.  Then, in first half stoppage time, it was Mensah's turn to commit a turnover off DC's high press, which led to a foul in the box by him, which led to Kamara converting the PK to give DC a 3-0 halftime lead(!)

 

I wouldn't have blamed the Crew if they packed it in for the second half (I kinda did).  But with Zardes coming in for Hurtado in the 56th minute, the Crew offense made a comeback.  In the 65th minute, Zelarayan played lofted pass into Zardes, who got it back in front of goal to Molino, who struck it in for the Crew's first goal of the night.  Then in the 71st minute, Molino blasted a 23-yard shot that rang off the upper-right corner of the goal frame and deflected to a wide-open Zelarayan, who deftly finished it for the Crew's second goal of the night.

 

But the comeback was short-lived when Reyna scored again in the 74th minute while the Crew was pressing forward for an equalizer.  Instead, DC went up 4-2 and that was pretty much that.

 

Back-to-back losses for the Crew where they gave up 4 goals.  Just what the team didn't need at the MLS midway point.  Columbus is 6-5-6 with 24 points, only one slim point above the Eastern Conference playoff line.  Really need a home win on Saturday against Atlanta now.

GAME 18:  CREW 2 - 3 ATLANTA

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvsatl-08-07-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/8/7/22614734/columbus-crew-drop-third-straight-to-lagging-atlanta-united-3-2-mls-2021

 

A third straight loss wraps up the Crew's 3-games-in-9-days stretch.  In this 3-2 loss, the Crew didn't play that badly - but some game ref decisions really did them in this time.

 

After some slow starts in previous games, the Crew came out with energy and put the ATL defense under pressure.  However, in the 5th minute and against the run of play, ATL's Barco made a quick give-and-go run that got him free at the edge of the 6-yard box with a nifty back heel assist pass to put ATL up 1-0 early.

 

The Crew continued to put pressure on the ATL defense but couldn't generate prime scoring chances.  ATL's Barco again made the most of his possession just inside the 18-yd box in the 35th minute when he went to ground after contact with Hairston.  Barco converted the PK to put ATL up 2-0.  However, the Crew quickly responded in the 37th minute when Mensah headed in a Zelarayan corner kick to halve ATL lead to 2-1.

 

Early in the second half, it looked like the Crew got a equalizing goal in the 49th minute when Diaz scored.  However, VAR review ruled that Diaz was barely offside and the goal came off the scoreboard.  Instead it would be ATL to score next, when in the 65th minute Moreno went to ground after contact with Afful barely inside the 18-yd box, and then converted the PK to put ATL up 3-1.

 

The Crew did mount a comeback.  In the 73rd minute it looked like Etienne scored on a great turnaround blast - but again VAR ruled he was offside and the goal came off the scoreboard.  The Crew finally did get a ref'ing break in the 90th minute when Mensah drew a foul in the box and Santos converted the PK to make it 3-2.  But ATL was able to kill off the final seven minutes of stoppage time for the win.

 

In Saturday's game, the Crew had two goals disallowed on close offside calls and ATL got two PK's on soft contact calls.  By the letter of the rules, all four of those calls looked correct.  But if only half those close calls go the other way, the Crew would be looking at a win.  So it was understandable that Nordecke was feeling pretty salty:

 

A 4-1 blowout loss at NYCFC, a tough 4-2 midweek loss vs DC and Saturday's 3-2 loss vs ATL.  Despite getting zero points in these past three games, Columbus is still hanging on to the final Eastern playoff spot by a mere point.  Although this last loss did push the Crew into a demonic looking 6-6-6 record to begin the second half of the MLS season.

On 8/9/2021 at 11:01 AM, Columbo said:

In Saturday's game, the Crew had two goals disallowed on close offside calls and ATL got two PK's on soft contact calls.  By the letter of the rules, all four of those calls looked correct.  But if only half those close calls go the other way, the Crew would be looking at a win.

Yeah, about that.  In the MLS analysis video embedded below - that first ATL PK call in the 34' looks more like a flop and that first Crew offside call that disallowed Diaz's goal in the 48' looks more onside(!)

 

No Crew game tonight - its tomorrow night at Chicago - so an injury update instead:

 

-- During last Saturday's game, Mensah took a hard shot to his face in the first half.  He was down for a while being examined before getting up and then continuing in the game.  Later in the first half, he headed in a goal(!)  Plus Mensah is not listed on the latest injury report:  https://twitter.com/_jcmyers/status/1426341212718608385

 

-- Unfortunately, Luis Diaz was not so lucky.  Diaz went down hard on his right shoulder in the 67th minute of Saturday's game and immediately had to be replaced.  He's listed as out on the injury report with what seems to be a separated shoulder.

 

-- Hairston (a Saturday starter at midfield) has also been added as out with a thigh (hamstring) injury.

 

-- Williams has been downgraded from questionable to out with his rehabbing ankle injury.

 

-- The Dispatch reporter thinks that Wormgoor (who is still listed as questionable) is pretty close to returning.  Although he thinks Wormgoor is more likely to play in next Wednesday's match at NYRB than tomorrow's match at Chicago.

And speaking of tomorrow's game against the Chicago Fire.  That got bumped to Sunday because the Bears are playing a preseason game in Solider Field today.  Which, as the Dispatch reporter tweeted below, is probably not great for the field conditions.  However, I'm curious if the Bears/Fire will paint out the NFL field markings for tomorrow's soccer match - or if they'll just leave them on, like the New England Patriots did during a Revs game a few seasons ago(!)

 

GAME 19:  CREW 0 - 1 CHICAGO

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/chivsclb-08-15-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/8/15/22626337/columbus-crew-drop-fourth-straight-game-1-0-at-chicago-fire-mls-2021

 

After giving up 11 goals in their last three games, the Crew desperately needed to turn in a solid defensive effort against the Fire last night.  Which they did, giving up only one goal in the 77th minute off a scramble inside the 18-yd box that produced a quick shot from the scrum that Room couldn't save.

 

However this time, it was the offense that failed the Crew.  The team's sole shot-on-goal came in 92nd minute (the second-to-last minute of second half stoppage time).  Second-half sub Matan had a shot that forced a difficult save - then the rebound got to second-half sub Molino, whose shot was blocked and deflected to second-half sub BWP, whose shot dribbled off the post.  And that was the Crew's best scoring chance for the entire game(!)

 

Fourth straight loss for the Crew - and now in 8th-place - two points below the Eastern Conference playoff line.  The Crew will take their 6-7-6 record to Harrison, NJ on Wednesday to face 11th-place NYRB.

On 8/14/2021 at 1:29 PM, Columbo said:

And speaking of tomorrow's game against the Chicago Fire.  That got bumped to Sunday because the Bears are playing a preseason game in Solider Field today.  Which, as the Dispatch reporter tweeted below, is probably not great for the field conditions.  However, I'm curious if the Bears/Fire will paint out the NFL field markings for tomorrow's soccer match - or if they'll just leave them on, like the New England Patriots did during a Revs game a few seasons ago(!)

In the MLS thread, I commented about the Chicago Fire's new ownership (who bought the team in 2019) and their return to Soldier Field in Downtown Chicago after being in a soccer-specific stadium in Bridgeview since 2006.  I think most fans are hopeful that these moves might restore the Chicago franchise to its former prominence in MLS.  But after yesterday's game, I'm beginning to wonder.

 

Although the return to Soldier Field is thought to be temporary, it really is a downgrade from the Bridgeview Stadium.  Even getting beyond the 13,000 attendance producing acres of empty seats in 61,500-seat Soldier Field that would not have been at 20,000-seat Bridgeview Stadium - there was the embarrassment of the field itself at Soldier Field.

 

First, this game was originally scheduled for Saturday.  But then the Bears had a preseason game to play - and it just had to be on Saturday instead of Sunday after the Fire game.  So you get the NFL tearing up the field before the rescheduled Fire game.  And you also get all the NFL markings on the field for Sunday's Fire game(!)

This is the kind of high school level second-class stuff that MLS has worked hard to put in the rear-view mirror.  And now the Chicago Fire is bringing it back(!)  Hopefully, the new Fire ownership won't repeat this fiasco.  They had a disastrous rebrand that they corrected this year - so they seem capable of learning.  But if these embarrassing field conditions happen again, maybe they should just move back to Bridgeview(!!)

GAME 20:  CREW 0 - 1 NYRB

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/rbnyvsclb-08-18-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/8/18/22631638/columbus-crew-drops-fifth-straight-falls-1-0-at-new-york-red-bulls-mls-2021

 

Make it five straight losses(!)  More of the same for the struggling Crew in Metro NYC last night.  The Crew defense wasn't bad, but it did get broken down in the 33rd minute off two quick passes with a good run and a finer finish from NYRB's 19-year-old winger.

 

The Crew offense was anemic again.  Returning NYRB legend BWP had the best scoring chance for the Crew in the second half when he redirected a crossing pass to force a difficult diving save.  That was the best of the three shots-on-goal in the match - which has been part of the story during the Crew's mid-season slide.

 

Another story for the Crew is injuries.  Zardes appeared to suffer a hamstring injury during a breakaway attempt in the 42nd minute.  Zardes was subbed out at halftime.  So, another loss and another injury for Crew fans to endure:

 

2021 is the new 2019:

and

 

GAME 21:  CREW 1 - 2 SEATTLE

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvssea-08-21-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/8/21/22635810/columbus-crew-collapses-late-falls-to-seattle-sounders-2-1-mls-2021

 

SIX. STRAIGHT. LOSSES.

 

A franchise record losing streak.  Yes, even during that 1-13-1 slide in 2019, the team managed only five losses in a row.  The only asterisk to this franchise record losing streak is during the first few MLS seasons, the league didn't have draws and decided tie finishes with PK's(!)

 

It looked like the Crew might get the win in this nationally televised 2020 MLS Cup rematch when BWP came through with a goal in the 77th minute.  But then Seattle answered with a tying goal in the 88th minute and then a game-winning goal in the 89th(!!)

^ At least the new stadium's TIFO rigging was finally functional for yesterday's FOX broadcast.  Seven banners for past Crew accomplishments - starting with the 2002 U.S. Open Cup, 2008 MLS Cup, three Supporters Shield winning seasons, a hashtag banner for SaveTheCrew, and finishing with the 2020 MLS Cup(!)

 

GM Bez keeps signing new players.  This one is a 27-year-old French defender who might be a long-term replacement for 35-year-old Harrison Afful at right back:

 

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/8/23/22638403/columbus-crew-officially-announces-signing-of-defender-steven-moreira-mls-2021

And because this season is turning into a nightmare - another major season-ending injury(!)

 

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/8/26/22642735/columbus-crew-kevin-molino-tears-acl-will-miss-remainder-of-2021-season-mls

Here are ESPN's MLS Power Rankings going into tonight's "Hell is Real" derby:

 

 

Given the current state of play from both of Ohio's MLS teams, it's been suggested that this new name would be in order for tonight's game:

GAME 22:  CREW 3 - 2 FC CINCINNATI

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvscin-08-27-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/8/27/22645327/columbus-crew-defeat-f-c-cincinnati-3-2-to-break-losing-streak

 

Fans of roller coasters would have loved last night's version of Hell is Real.  Riding a six-game losing streak, the Crew were in desperate need of a win.  They nearly got a early lead in the 9th minute when Diaz's shot beat the Cincy keeper but hit the right post - then on the recycle a few seconds later - Zelarayan's long-range chip beat the keeper but hit the crossbar.  The Crew defense gifted a quality scoring chance to Brenner that he hit into the side netting and the Crew had multiple long-range shots-on-goals that Cincy's keeper saved to keep the game scoreless throughout most of the hot first half.

 

But then Zelaryan got a free-kick opportunity just outside the box in the 45th minute - and the MLS All-Star did not miss this chance to hit a beautiful set piece goal and give the Crew a 1-0 lead:

 

But then - true to 2021 - the Crew couldn't hold that lead into halftime.  At the very dying moment of first half stoppage time, Cincy got an equalizer off a corner kick to make it 1-1 at halftime.  Cincy nearly took a lead early in the second half in the 50th minute off another really bad defensive miscue from the Crew.  This time it was Acosta with a 1-v-1 chance against Room in the box - but instead of shooting, Acosta decided to dribble around Room and let the rest of the defense recover and dispossess him(!)

 

After that the Crew offense put pressure and shots on the Cincy keeper.  But it would be Cincinnati who got the next goal off a counter-attack after a Crew scoring attempt.  That 74th minute goal gave FCC a 2-1 lead and silenced the once raucous crowd.  It was looking like the losing streak would be extended to seven games, because that's just the way its been going lately.  But then the player that fans were clamoring for saved the day - 23-year-old striker Miguel Berry(!)

 

Within 73 seconds in the 81st and 83rd minute, Berry cleaned up two rebounds from saves to give the Crew their tying goal and then game-winning goal.  Here's the tying goal, Santos' hard shot is saved but deflected toward Berry, who hits it home(!)

 

Here is the game-winner only 73 seconds later.  This one is off a Matan shot that deflects in front of Berry and a Cincy defender.  Berry got in front of the defender's clearance attempt and it hits off Berry and goes into Cincy's goal(!!)

 

That final Berry goal wasn't the prettiest - but it stopped the longest losing streak in team history.  The Crew desperately needed this home win to have a reasonable chance the stay in the playoff hunt.  The win moves Columbus to 7-9-6 with 27 points.  They are level for the last playoff spot with D.C. United, but DC holds one game-in-hand.  The Crew now have eight days until they head to Orlando next Saturday.

This is what the team and the Nordecke does after every home win - but this win (given the context) must have felt extra special:

 

And speaking of special - MLS All-Star Zelarayan wants you to know who last night's MVP was:

 

The Crew needed that home win for the MLS Playoff race.  But because it was also an in-state rivalry game, there was some extra fun:

 

Poor Gary(!)

That was a great game to watch. Berry’s goals were scruffy, but there’s no shame in being lucky and in the right place at the right time six yards out. Plenty of great strikers, such as Gary Lineker and Gert Muller, made a career out of it. 

Has this been a season roster-wise or has this been a season?  Now for tonight's game at Orlando, Mensah will be out because he's playing for Ghana in their WC Qualifiers and Fraser will be out because he's playing for Canada in their WC Qualifiers.

 

So tonight's starting lineup will be a CD pairing of Wormgoor and Keita plus "who knows" at CDM(!)  Get prepared for a game of defensive miscues against Orlando.

GAME 23:  CREW 2 - 3 ORLANDO

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/orlvsclb-09-04-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/9/4/22657699/columbus-crews-comeback-falls-short-orlando-city-wins-3-2-mls-2021

 

Add Diaz as the 10th Crew player out/unavailable for this game - he picked up a pulled hamstring during a Thursday training session.  So this was the unusual 4-1-4-1 roster Porter used to start the game:

It actually worked more like their 4-2-3-1 formation, but with Santos dropping into a central midfield role with Nagbe.  I warned to expect defensive miscues with Wormgoor and Keita on the backline.  And we got them in the first half.  First Keita got outmuscled by Dike at midfield for a 26th minute Orlando goal.  Then Wormgoor badly misjudges the concept of offsides and allows two Orlando players past him in the 6-yd box for a 29th minute Orlando goal.

 

On twitter, the Massive Report writer covering the game said this was the sixth time the Crew has gone down 2-0 before halftime in 2021(!)  OY!

 

To the Crew's credit, like many of those other times, they did mount a comeback to equalize.  Both goals featured Berry.  The first came in the 52nd minute, when Matan lofted a high ball to the edge of the Orlando 6-yd box.  As Berry and two Orlando players jumped for the ball, an Orlando player headed it into his own net.  Only two minutes later at 54', Berry finished one of the prettier goals of this season off a Zelarayan pass to Etienne at the edge of the 18, who one-timed it to an open Berry, who deftly finished it past the Orlando keeper to tie it 2-2.

 

However, digging out of a two-goal deficit can sap energy and leave no margin for error.  And the final major defensive miscue for the Crew came in the 69th minute.  This one came surprisingly from Zelarayan, who had dropped back to intercept an Orlando pass at the edge of the Crew's 18-yd box.  But then Zelarayan tried to dribble the ball out of trouble and instead turned it over, which led to Orlando's game-winning goal.

 

So Crew fans were basically like this during Saturday's roller-coaster loss at Orlando:

In the pre-game, the Crew sported some new #KickChildhoodCancer warm-up jerseys that will later be autographed and auctioned off.  I wish they would swap these "warm-up" jerseys for those bland white/gray "warm-up" jersey they've been using during the games:

 

As badly as 2021 has turned for the Crew, they are still only three points behind DC who holds the last playoff spot in the East:  https://www.mlssoccer.com/standings/2021/conference

 

However, DC also holds one game-in-hand over the Crew.  And two teams behind the Crew have now caught up with them in the standings:  Atlanta is tied at 27 points, but behind via tiebreak, with one game-in-hand; next Saturday's opponent Miami is one point behind but holds two games-in-hand.

 

So next Saturday's game at Miami is a virtual must-win for the Crew.  This would be a good game for Mensah to return to solidify the backline that hurt the team in Orlando.  But of course, with this being 2021, that won't be happening:

 

GAME 24:  CREW 0 - 1 MIAMI

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/miavsclb-09-11-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/9/11/22669022/crew-fall-to-inter-miami-1-0-further-denting-playoff-chances

 

My two favorite tweets from last night's debacle.  The one just after it started:

 

And the one just after the 16th minute when Josh Williams muffed a back pass that aging international superstar Gonzalo Higuain poached and scored to put Miami up 1-0:

 

That's the scoring summary folks.  The Crew loses this virtual must-win/must-point game in the most uninspiring way.  And for some reason only known to the MLS schedule makers, the Crew host NYRB on Tuesday.  Go 2021(!)

GAME 25:  CREW 2 - 1 NYRB

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvsrbny-09-14-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/9/14/22674814/miguel-berry-lifts-the-columbus-crew-to-a-comeback-home-victory-vs-new-york-red-bulls

 

 

With only 10 games remaining in the MLS season, the Crew couldn't afford to leave any points on the table in this unusual Tuesday match against NYRB.  But it didn't start well when Santos got the worst of a head-to-head collision in the first minute and had to be subbed out.  Then NYRB scored in the 25th minute to go up 1-0.

 

That allowed them to bunker and counter.  Which they did for the rest of the first half and much of the second half.  Desperate measures caused Porter to sub in Berry as a second striker with Zardes in the 70th minute.  Then the scoring floodgates opened.  In the 74th minute, Nagbe headed in a rebound from the keeper to tie the game:

Then in the 88th minute, Miguel Berry scored the game-winning goal after a Zelarayan shot rebounded off the keeper and deflected to him.  Berry maneuvered around a defender to slip the ball past the keeper(!)

 

After that terrible first half, I thought it was going to be another Crew loss and switched off the sound while I paid attention to my laptop.  But after the Nagbe goal, I focused on the Crew game again.  And after the Berry goal, I was back believing in a playoff push again and felt like Michael Corleone(!)

 

GAME 26:  CREW 1 - 1 NEW ENGLAND

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/nevsclb-09-18-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/9/18/22681492/columbus-crew-earn-improbable-road-tie-in-new-england

 

Last night's game at New England shows how exasperating it is being of Crew fan.  The Crew came out in a 4-4-2 and played defensively compact for the game.  Without Zelarayan and Santos, Columbus was missing two key playmakers and the plan was to try and steal a result.  That meant the Crew spent most of the game under pressure as the hosts pushed forward for much of the game.

 

And the strategy was working.  It was 0-0 at halftime. Then, in the 58th minute, on a quick counterattack, Nagbe found Afful on the right side - who placed an inch perfect cross on the head of Zardes in traffic - who headed past the keeper to give the Crew a 1-0 lead.

 

This was exactly what the Crew needed.  Now they had a chance to steal three points on the road against the best team in MLS(!)  But now the exasperation.  Only 4 minutes later Mensah makes a terrible backpass that gifts a goal to the Revs(!!)  Game is tied 1-1.

 

Even with that horrible giveaway, the Crew were looking like they might still earn a road point.  But then goalkeeper Eloy Room went down in the 85th minute with a groin injury.  Room was clearly hampered by the injury, but with the Crew out of subs, he had to play on basically one leg for the remaining 10 minutes.

 

With your GK injured, you would think the Crew defense would do a mega park-the-bus strategy to prevent any shots-on-goal.  But with this being 2021, that didn't happen.  In one of the gutsiest performances you'll ever see, Room made two difficult saves in the 90th minute and then ended the game with a save in the 97th minute((!))

And this is what's so exasperating about the Crew in 2021.  They play hard.  They play with passion.  And then they shoot themselves in the foot.  That Mensah backpass against NE was every bit as bad as Williams' backpass against Miami.  If they don't gift NE and Miami those goals, the Crew would have four additional points in the standings - and be above the playoff line instead of below it.

GAME 27:  CREW 2 - 1 MONTREAL

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvsmtl-09-25-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/9/25/22693787/columbus-crew-defeat-montreal-2-1-gyasi-zardes-goals

 

With only 8 games left in the MLS season and five points below the Eastern playoff line, Saturday's home match was a must-win.  The Crew rolled out their 4-2-3-1 lineup, but the Nagbe in Zelarayan's CAM spot due to a lingering hip injury.  The Crew didn't look great offensively in the first half, until a quick midfield dispossession and counter in the 44th minute got the ball to Etienne on the left side.  Etienne drove to the Montreal box, drew multiple defenders, and uncorked one of the nicest passes you'll see, that Zardes smartly right-footed past the Montreal keeper:

 

Zelarayan came on in the second half and kept the offense moving.  In the 62nd minute, another quick midfield dispossession and counter saw Zardes take the ball into open space 25 yards from the Montreal net and shoot one of the best shots of his career.  It was an inch perfect unsavable blast to the upper left corner that put the Crew up 2-0:

 

And the Crew needed that insurance goal because Montreal was able to get a goal on a deflection melee in the 6-yd box in the 92nd minute.  But that was all that the Crew and backup goalie Evan Bush would allow last night in a victory that kept their playoff hopes alive.

Lower.com Field will host its first international match tonight when the Crew face Mexico's Cruz Azul in the 2021 Campeones Cup.  The Campeones Cup was started in 2018 by MLS and LigaMX to have the champions of each league face each other for the Campeones Cup trophy:

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/what-to-expect-from-cruz-azul-in-the-2021-campeones-cup

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/columbus-crew-balance-campeones-cup-glory-with-playoff-push

 

The Campeones Cup match comes in the middle of the Crew's last-gasp push for the playoffs.  Fortunately, it's not as much of a distraction as it could have been.  The rest of the league will be playing regular-season matches on Wednesday while the Crew faces Cruz Azul.

11 minutes ago, Columbo said:

The rest of the league will be playing regular-season matches on Wednesday while the Crew faces Cruz Azul.

 

Absolutely horrible scheduling by MLS/Campeones Cup. The TV ratings are going to be horrible. Most of the non-Crew fans who would have otherwise watched this game will be watching/attending their own team's games instead. 

CAMPEONES CUP:  DOS A CERO(!)

 

CREW 2 - 0 CRUZ AZUL

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/campeones-cup/2021/matches/clbvscrz-09-29-2021/

 

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/9/29/22701588/columbus-crew-wins-first-campeones-cup-in-history-2-0-vs-cruz-azul

 

For tonight's first international match in the new downtown stadium and the first Campeones Cup match in Crew history, Porter rolled out a first-string starting lineup (minus Zardes, who was held out with a hamstring injury).  In a twist, he used a 3-4-3 formation that had Keita-Williams-Mensah as a three-man back line.  Nagbe and Fraser paired at midfield.  Santos and Moreira (making his Crew debut) were the defensive backs.  While Zelarayan-Berry-Etienne formed the offensive front.

 

This was a defense-first formation to try and blunt the Cruz Azul attack.  That strategy was helped greatly when the Crew got the first goal of the match in the 4th minute.  It was an own-goal headed in off a well-placed Zelarayan free-kick.  Hey, we'll take it.

 

After that the Crew ceded much of the possession to Cruz Azul but thwarted their attack with defensive numbers.  At times the Crew would break open a counter with Berry or Etienne, but the finishing touch wasn't there.

 

In the 74th minute, the Crew got another Zelarayan free-kick into the Cruz Azul box.  This one got cleared by the defense and went to an open Valenzuela at the left side of the box.  Valenzuela lobbed a beautiful pass to a lightly marked Mensah at the right side of the six-yd box and the captain headed in the insurance goal(!)  It's been an injury-hobbled season for Valenzuela, but this pass showed how valuable he is to the Crew when healthy:

After that it was a matter of parking the bus and seeing out the win.  Plus, enjoying winning another trophy.  For the Crew, the trophy case contains the following:

- 2x MLS Cup

- 3x Supporters' Shield

- 1x U.S. Open Cup

- 1x Campeones Cup

Although, as good as winning another trophy, was the chance to boo Don Garber off the stage again as he presented it(!)

After the Campeones Cup win, Crew fans got another chance to rightfully razz Garber when he sent out an obligatory congratulatory tweet, and Crew fans bombarded the replies with the R U OK shark meme(!)

 

IT'S THAT SCORE LINE AGAIN!   Dos a Cero lives on in Columbus!  What a great way to tie the old stadium to the new. 

Watching Jimmy Haslam furiously celebrate a goal scored by a Ghanaian to win a continental trophy against a soccer team from Mexico in a $300 million stadium he paid for in Columbus for the MLS team he owns which he bought from the previous owner to keep it from being moved to a different city is something I certainly did not see on the horizon a few years ago.

 

 

The Buckeyes sure could use Harrison Afful's tackling ability this year. 

 

 

13 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

The Buckeyes sure could use Harrison Afful's tackling ability this year. 

 

WOW!  The smallest player on the team taking down the biggest player on the team.  But no one ever accused Afful of a lack of enthusiasm(!)

26 minutes ago, cbussoccer said:

Watching Jimmy Haslam furiously celebrate a goal scored by a Ghanaian to win a continental trophy against a soccer team from Mexico in a $300 million stadium he paid for in Columbus for the MLS team he owns which he bought from the previous owner to keep it from being moved to a different city is something I certainly did not see on the horizon a few years ago.

 

 

 

The enthusiasm that Dee and Jimmy Haslem have shown for the Columbus Crew has been somewhat surprising but very gratifying.  Someone tweeted during the game that Dee and Jimmy have attended about 100X more games then Precourt ever did(!)

GAME 28:  CREW 0 - 3 PHILADELPHIA

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/recap-philadelphia-union-3-columbus-crew-0

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/10/3/22707701/columbus-crew-fall-to-philadelphia-union-3-0

 

After the Campeones Cup victory, the Crew were hoping to ride that momentum into Philadelphia/Chester for a strong performance.  Porter even went with the same 3-4-3 lineup, except with Zardes starting.  Unfortunately, the Crew didn't get the advantage of the first goal like in the Campeones Cup.  Philly got the first goal in the 25th minute on a low bouncing 30-yd free-kick that found its way through a clot of players and probably deflected at least once before slipping past Evan Bush.

 

With Philly up 1-0 coming out of halftime, the Crew could still hope to mount a stronger second half.  But instead Philly scores their second goal of the night in the first minute of the second half(!)  After that Porter brought in Etienne and Diaz to return to a more aggressive 4-2-3-1 formation.

 

In the 64th minute, the Crew got a lifeline when a Philly defender picked up his second yellow-card of the game and was sent off.  Against the 10-men Union team, Zardes was fouled in the box and awarded a PK in the 75th minute.  However, Santos' PK attempt was blocked by Philly GK Blake.  In the 80th minute, Blake came up big again with an outstanding save on a Nagbe shot.  Then Philly scored on a counter in the 89th minute to seal their win.

 

The loss leaves Columbus in 10th-place and six points below the playoff line with six games remaining.  Before yesterday's game, the Crew's playoff chance was estimated at 14%.  After the loss, the chances went down to 9%.

The Crew will be off next week while most of MLS is off on an international break for World Cup qualifying matches.

 

Five Crew players have been called up to their national teams:  Gyasi Zardes (U.S.), Jonathan Mensah (Ghana), Liam Fraser (Canada) and Luis Diaz (Costa Rica) were all expected.  But the surprise call-up was Lucas Zelarayan, who received his first international call-up for the Armenian national team.

 

Armenia?  Yes, the Argentinian-born Zelarayan has Armenian heritage in his family and recently reclassified to be eligible for a call-up with the Armenian national team.  Zelarayan will join an Armenian team in second place in Group J of UEFA qualifying through six games, with games at Iceland on Oct. 8 and at Romania on Oct. 11.  If Armenia finishes second in the group after 10 games, it will advance to a playoff for a spot in the 2022 World Cup. 

GAME 29:  CREW 4 - 0 MIAMI

 

https://www.mlssoccer.com/competitions/mls-regular-season/2021/matches/clbvsmia-10-16-2021/

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/10/16/22730193/columbus-crew-beats-inter-miami-with-a-convincing-4-0-win-mls-2021

 

The Crew had a dominant 4-0 victory against Inter Miami at Lower.com Field to keep its playoff hopes afloat.  The Crew scored their most goals this season thanks to a Gyasi Zardes brace (two goals) and three-point game from Pedro Santos (one goal, two assists).

 

Actually, before the first goal in the 39th minute (which was the Crew's first SOG in the game) it was pretty even.  But once the scoring started, the Crew piled it on.  The 39th minute goal was a perfect pass from Santos to Zardes' head that he flicked-on to put the Crew up 1-0.  Then in the 44th minute, a Nagbe run into the box and pass to Santos put the Crew up 2-0.

 

The game was put out of reach in the 64th minute when Santos hustled down the far right side to keep the ball from going over the back line and fed a beautiful crossing pass that Zardes headed in to put the Crew up 3-0.  The fourth goal came in the 83th minute off a Matan pass toward Berry in the 6-yd box that a Miami defender deflected into the net.

 

The Crew are now four points below the playoff line.  With only five remaining regular-season games, the three home games are must-wins and the two road games minimum must-point.  Here's the remaining schedule:

• Wed, October 20 at Nashville
• Sat, October 23 vs NYRB
• Wed, October 27 vs Orlando
• Sat, October 30 at DC
• Sun, November 7 vs Chicago

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/10/20/22732790/columbus-crew-head-coach-caleb-porter-unavailable-for-nashville-sc-match-mls-2021-covid-19

 

Head coach Caleb Porter will be unavailable for tonight's match at Nashville.  Porter is in health and safety protocols and did not travel with the team to Tennessee.

16 minutes ago, Columbo said:

https://www.massivereport.com/2021/10/20/22732790/columbus-crew-head-coach-caleb-porter-unavailable-for-nashville-sc-match-mls-2021-covid-19

 

Head coach Caleb Porter will be unavailable for tonight's match at Nashville.  Porter is in health and safety protocols and did not travel with the team to Tennessee.

 

WTF? We've had a decent number of players and coaches miss time due to positive tests, and all have been vaccinated. The crappy luck of this season continues...

21 hours ago, cbussoccer said:

The crappy luck of this season continues...

 

More crappy luck popped up last night. It looks like Zardes might have an MCL injury. While definitely not as bad as an ACL injury, an MCL injury could keep him out for the entirety of this late season playoff push. The injury comes at horrible time for the team and Zardes. Zardes has been playing great over the past month, scoring five goals in the previous four games, and was positioning himself way to earn another callup to the national team for the next WCQ window. Hopefully the injury isn't as bad as feared and he can return to the field soon.