The Columbus Crew are still good. That was the conclusion most observers drew from Saturday’s 1-0 win over Atlanta United in the Crew’s first league match since winning MLS Cup in December. Wilfried Nancy has fundamentally changed the ideology and culture at the club with Columbus expected to be among Major League Soccer’s strongest teams in 2024.
By Graham Ruthven
All the hallmarks of Nancy-ball were evident on opening weekend. Columbus circulated the ball quickly, they counter-pressed with intensity and they were co-ordinated in attack. Some precision was lacking in their play, but that will surely come with repetition. The rest of MLS has good reason to fear the Crew again this season.
While much of Nancy’s game plan was recycled from 2023, Columbus’ second half performance hinted at a different side to his team. Indeed, Atlanta United controlled possession after half time as they searched for an equaliser, but the Crew allowed them to do this, choosing when to sit in and when to jump forward.
“We didn’t keep the ball too often so that’s why they had the momentum, but I like also the fact that they had the ball a little bit more but we were calm and composed and aggressive defensively,” said Nancy when asked about the second half performance. “I like it like this sometimes, not all the time but sometimes.”
Inter Miami are hogging the spotlight in MLS right now. Many expect Lionel Messi and co. to sweep aside every Eastern Conference rival on their way to glory in the play-offs this season. This is an understandable belief on the basis of the individual talent at Chase Stadium. Nobody can compete with Inter Miami in this regard.
Under Nancy, though, the Columbus Crew are much more than the sum of their parts. They have a core identity and that made them one of the most entertaining teams to watch in MLS last season. Nancy has the buy-in of every player at Lower.com Field and that is clear in the performances they have produced over the last year.
Columbus might not have a difference-maker like Messi – because who does? – but Cucho Hernández is the perfect frontman for the team Nancy has forged. The Colombian scored 16 goals last season and is a good bet to surpass that tally in 2024 having already notched the winner against Atlanta. He would have doubled his tally had he not had a penalty saved by Brad Guzan.
Cucho is a dynamic, modern forward who gives Columbus mobility – in and out of possession – in the final third who reflects much of what makes the Crew so special. Add in Diego Rossi alongside Cucho and Columbus possess two of the most technically impressive attackers in the whole league. Individual talent isn’t an issue for them.
In midfield, Aidan Morris has proven himself as someone who can pull the strings from deeper while Darlington Nagbe remains one of the best box-to-box operators in MLS. When Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino was recently asked to name the best player in the league not in his squad, he highlighted Nagbe before anyone else. That says something about his standing in MLS circles.
Defensively, the Crew’s back three gives them protection and a platform to play out from the back at the same time while goalkeeper Patrick Schulte looks to have picked up where he left off at the end of last season by keeping a clean sheet against Atlanta. From front to back, there is strength in the Columbus roster.
Nancy’s decision to start Jacen Russell-Rowe over Alex Matan and Christian Ramirez highlighted the depth the Columbus Crew manager now has available to him. The 21-year-old has caught the eye of the French manager and registered three shots against Atlanta United and generally contributed to the Crew attack.
For clubs who can’t match the spending of Inter Miami or MLS’s other marquee franchises, the Columbus Crew’s model provides encouragement. The holistic approach adopted at Lower.com Field has lifted Nancy’s team to a level that they are now setting the standard as the reigning MLS Cup champions. It will take a lot to topple them.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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