17 down, 17 to go.
Columbus Crew SC currently find themselves in the proverbial locker room at halftime of the 2015 MLS regular season. When the referee blows the whistle at the start of Saturday’s Fourth of July showdown with the New York Red Bulls, it will mark a fulcrum of sorts in terms of where the club currently stands from the standpoint of past and future results.
Having said that, what units within the team have stood out and which ones need work as we head into the second half of the season? What needs to happen if this team wants to reach its goal of not only clinching a spot in the playoffs, but making a deep run?
Before those questions get answered, let’s take a look the Black and Gold’s overall positioning in the standings as well as their spot in some important statistical and analytical categories.
Where They Stand
Record: 5-6-6, 21 points, sixth in Eastern Conference
Tied for second in goals scored (25), 18th in goals conceded (25)
Second in passing accuracy per game (80.82 percent)
Third in chances created per game (10.82)
Fifth in possession per game (52.35 percent)
Sixth in shots on goal percentage (36.62 percent)
Eighth in shooting efficiency (9.16 shots per goal)
15th in recoveries and interceptions per 90 minutes (73.24)
20th in opponent’s shots on goal percentage (42.12 percent)
Now that certain key team stats have been laid out, it’s time to delve even further and evaluate the performance of each unit within the Black and Gold’s lineup through the first half of the season.
Columbus Crew SC Midseason Grades
Goalkeeping: B-
Steve Clark has played every regular season minute for the club thus far, joining seven other goalkeepers in the league who’ve done the same. He’s very sound possession wise and loves to distribute short as opposed to constantly bashing it downfield. In fact, Squawka.com gives him the highest possession score of any keeper in MLS. He’s also tied for second league-wide in total saves (59) with DC United’s Bill Hamid.
Nevertheless, there have been times when he’s struggled. A series of communication errors between him and his two center backs has led to goals. There’s the early second half goal last Saturday where confusion between him and Emanuel Pogatetz enabled Real Salt Lake to take the lead. And then you had the infamous gaffe in Philadelphia that pretty much ended Crew SC’s chances of getting a result out of that game.
There’s room for improvement with his play and if he can do so, the Black and Gold will be in the mix come playoff time.
Defense: D+
As the season progressed, right back Hernan Grana established himself as an immensely capable multi-faceted defender so essential to Gregg Berhalter’s system where the wing backs push forward during attacking opportunities. His sudden departure in early May has left a certain void of sorts on the back line. Since then, Crew SC is 2-3-4 and have conceded 17 goals (68 percent of their season total) in that span.
Two stats mentioned above are particularly concerning: goals and shots on goal percentage conceded. Despite being one of the top scoring teams in the league the club has given up just as many goals as they’ve put in themselves. They’re also the only team in the league giving up over 40 percent shooting accuracy per game to opponents.
Since he filled in for Grana at right back, Hector Jimenez has done well when making those overlapping runs. There’s still a bit missing though in terms of defensive chops which isn’t surprising considering this is the first time he’s had extensive playing time in defense.
Despite the disappointing form, Emanuel Pogatetz has emerged as the real rock of the back line. He’s fourth in the league in both clearances per game (7.3) and blocked shots per game (1.1).
Defensive Midfield: C+
Crew SC’s compartmentalized 4-5-1 formation stresses having a competent duo of ball-winning defensive midfielders that can also protect the back line when the ball comes into their defending third. Tony Tchani has done well with regard to the former. His 13.94 percent usage rate when combining total recoveries and interceptions is eighth-best among players who’ve played at least 70 percent of their team’s minutes.
Wil Trapp’s absence has been a big issue, though. Hopefully his brief appearance in their midweek US Open Cup match, a 2-0 loss to Orlando, is the beginning of his comeback from what appeared to be a significant concussion sustained during practice in March. While Mohammed Saeid has filled in admirably, he seems to be more comfortable in a more box-to-box role as opposed to a straight number six role that Trapp is used to. The defense has appeared exposed at times, especially on opposing counterattacks.
You can’t discount Saeid’s technical ability though. His 89.1 percent passing accuracy is tied with Vancouver’s Russell Tiebert for second best in the league.
Attacking Midfield: B+
Of the three regular starters here, it’s safe to say Ethan Finlay has stood out the most in 2015. Not only are his ten assists on the year leading the league, him and forward Kei Kamara have formed quite the prolific assist to goal-scorer partnership. They’ve connected four times so far this season which is also tops in MLS.
All in all, the tried and tested trio of Finlay, Justin Meram and Federico Higuain have combined for ten goals and 16 assists. These three were an essential part of Crew SC’s blistering conclusion to last year’s regular season. If Kamara’s production tapers off or he misses time due to injury, they’ll have to replicate what they did in the second half of 2014 one year later.
Forwards: A
Kamara has clearly had a career revival in Columbus after being acquired via the club’s top spot in the allocation ranking last year. His 12 goals in 2015 currently lead the league and has established a fairly comfortable cushion ahead of the rest of the pack for the scoring title. If he can continue on torrid pace, he may well set a new franchise record for tallies in a season, set by Stern John who found the net 26 times for Crew SC in 1998.
Despite his success, it’s a scary proposition to think about what happens if he sustains an injury. The two other forwards on the roster, Adam Bedell or Aaron Schoenfeld, have yet to score in the regular season though the 6’7″ Bedell netted a brace in U.S. Open Cup play.
Going forward, this club is going to need Kamara to remain healthy and work through their defensive kinks if they want to mount an effective campaign towards postseason contention and beyond.
