Columbus Crew SC has reached the midpoint of its 2016 regular season. And most fans and observers did not envision where the club stands in the MLS table as of right now.
The Black and Gold sport just three wins from their first 17 games. They sit second from bottom in both the Eastern Conference and broader Supporters’ Shield standings with a paltry 16 points. One year removed from an MLS Cup appearance, Crew SC’s current predicament was far from expected.
Wednesday’s game against Toronto FC marks the beginning of the regular season’s second half. With that in mind, it seems a fitting time to evaluate Crew SC on a position by position basis. Yes, things don’t look so promising in the standings. And the performance of some players may have something to do with it.
But are there some bright spots with which we can harvest some hope about the club’s postseason prospects going forward? Can a few transfer window acquisitions plug some holes in the roster? It will all be explored as grades are assigned to each unit on the team below.
Columbus Crew SC 2016 Midseason Positional Grades
Goalkeeper: B-
If there’s a player on the Crew SC roster that embodies the term “stalwart,” it’s Steve Clark. The 30-year-old has started every regular season and playoff minute for the club since his arrival in 2014. That’s a combined total of 8,310 consecutive minutes in goal. Only the New York Red Bulls Luis Robles and Vancouver‘s David Ousted have more in MLS.
You may look at Columbus’ goals against total and wonder why Clark’s getting the grade he is. The club’s 28 goals conceded is tied for sixth worst in the league. Clark’s 70 percent save percentage and 1.65 goals against average is in the bottom of half of the league among net minders with at least 1,000 minutes played this year.
But the argument could be made that the players in front of him are just as if not more culpable for this situation. The Crew SC back four, particularly in central defense, has had its share of issues. We’ll get to them later.
Despite the goals against total, Clark has shown signs of being one of the best pure shot stopping goalies in MLS. He’s made 63 saves in 2016 which ranks third in the league. Other aspects of his skill set are on display game in and game out as well.
Squawka.com ranks him as the second-best possession keeper in the league. For a team that likes to build from the back like Crew SC, that’s an important quality to possess. And his 111 accurate long balls is in the top half of the league among players at his position.
Central Defense: D
There was a time earlier in the season when the back four, particularly centrally, was a strength. And the narrative surrounding Crew SC’s 2016 struggles was focused further up the pitch. After all, in their first 11 games, Crew SC gave up more than two goals just once yet had two wins in that span.
But then Gaston Sauro suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his knee against Toronto FC on May 21st. The injury likely will sideline him until mid-September at the earliest. And since he went down, Columbus’ depth at center back has, at times, been exposed as lackluster.
The Michael Parkhurst–Tyson Wahl pairing in central defense has had its moments in Sauro’s absence. Who can forget how good Wahl performed in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Finals last year against the Red Bulls? Even when Sauro went down with a hamstring injury against Montreal on April 9th, Wahl filled in admirably until the Argentinian‘s return May 14th.
But lapses in concentration on Wahl’s part have seen him sent off twice this season. The first instance against NYCFC was a questionable call and his suspension was eventually rescinded. But the second one against Sporting KC was not. And you could make the argument it played a part in Crew SC’s 3-2 defeat.
A week later, Chad Barson filled in at center back. And by now, most of us have seen his huge gaffe in the 71st minute that gave Kei Kamara a virtual tap-in for New England’s final goal of the game in a 3-1 win.
You can see the exact moment Barson's heart breaks in half. #NEvCLB pic.twitter.com/vy6zh8L4Zm
— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) July 10, 2016
It underscores that this unit is arguably the weakest link on the team. If there’s a positional need that needs to be addressed via the summer transfer window, it’s center back.
Fullbacks: B
Part of the Crew SC way under head coach Gregg Berhalter is having competent two-way fullback play. This entails being able to push forward and help chance creation in the final third while also remaining sound defensively. In Harrison Afful and Waylon Francis, the club is more than capable in this regard.
Both players have two assists on the season which is tied for second most among MLS defenders. What makes Francis’ effort even more impressive is that each of his came as a sub. His most recent helper helped salvage a point against the Red Bulls on June 25th.
Despite the fact Francis has been in and out of the starting lineup, his defensive work rate while on the pitch has been stellar. The Costa Rican’s 5.96 tackles-interceptions per 90 leads the team among players who’ve appeared in at least 60 percent of the team’s total minutes. Afful is second among Columbus defenders and third overall with a TI/90 of 4.75.
Corey Ashe, the first free agency signing in Crew SC history, has also been a serviceable option at wing back. Though not as much of a final third threat as the above two, he’s been reliable in defense over the course of his seven appearances.
Defensive Midfield: C
In a 4-2-3-1 formation, you want two withdrawn midfielders capable of being engines in distribution, holding possession and winning it from the opposition. In terms of that first quality, both Wil Trapp and Tony Tchani have excelled if anything in terms of sheer volume on a per match basis. Behold the following chart which shows the top ten among MLS players in passes per 90 and pass usage rate (percentage of team passes per 90 accounted for).
Trapp has always been one of the better players cycling the ball to his teammates. Less than stellar performance against New England aside, his 87.2 percent pass accuracy is tenth best in MLS. He’s not the only one on the roster in the top ten either. His teammate Mohammed Saeid, who himself has appeared in a withdrawn midfield role from time to time, leads the league with a 91.2 percent mark.
So why just the average grade? It comes down to the dirty work associated with winning the ball. The numbers indicate a bit of a shortcoming in this department. It’s particularly true with Tchani and Saeid, whose TI/90 between the two of them is a measly 5.38. Trapp is averaging 5.35 per 90 by himself.
But even his number in this statistic is bottom half of the league among players who occupy that deep-lying number six role for their teams. The graphic below provides some indication.
Part of winning the battle in central midfield is having your holding mids be that bulwark in front of the back four. And in terms of pure ball-winning efficiency, there appears to be room for improvement.
Attacking Wingers: C-
In assessing this unit, the previous two seasons are an important reference point. The reason for this is because both Justin Meram and Ethan Finlay began to emerge as elite level MLS wingers during this time period. Are they on pace to maintain or even exceed that level of play in 2016 or are things trending downward?
The inclination is to lean towards the latter sentiment, especially in Finlay’s case. After a dynamic 2015 season that earned him three caps for the USMNT, things have come a bit down to earth a year later. This is especially true with regard to finishing. Finlay converted 46 percent of his shots on target into goals the last two years. In 2016, that number is down to 11.1 percent.
But the projections for this season don’t paint a completely negative picture in comparison to the previous two. When you look at their ability to provide service, it becomes even more evident. The following visual should confirm that notion.
Finlay is pretty much at 2015 levels with regard to assist total. Meram, on the other hand, is set to have more helpers this year than he did in 2014 and 2015 combined. And the latter’s take-on ability is as good as anyone in MLS. Meram’s 32 successful dribbles is currently fourth in the league.
Crew SC also boasts a talented youngster in Panamanian international Cristian Martinez. Though he hasn’t seen much action thus far, he did have a goal against Philadelphia on June 1st. And Cedrick Mabwati is another player to watch for in the second half of the season, particularly off the bench.
Number Ten Role: B-
In Federico Higuaín, Crew SC has one of the more dynamic playmakers in MLS. His three chances created per game is fourth in the league behind Mauro Diaz, Sacha Kljestan and Diego Valeri. Ask MLS Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle what he thinks of those three players and the sentiment will be overwhelmingly positive.
But the Argentinian maestro Higuaín is out for an extended period of time. The 31-year-old underwent sports hernia surgery on June 16th, with the recovery time being five to seven weeks. Both Saeid and Hector Jimenez have filled in at the ten in his absence. Neither have been particularly effective at providing scoring opportunities for their teammates.
In the four games Higuaín has missed, the two have created a combined two chances from open play. That lack of creativity in the center of the park is certainly a contributing factor for why Columbus has just two points from those games. And it’s why the grade for this position isn’t higher.
If Dilly Duka is finally match fit after recently signing with the club, I wouldn’t be surprised if Berhalter slots him into this role. If so, it will be his responsibility to hold the fort down from a playmaking standpoint until Higuaín returns.
Center Forward: A-
We started at the back of the formation with goalkeeper. Now it’s time to finish up top by evaluating the play Crew SC’s been getting at center forward. We will include Kei Kamara in the discussion since he has played in a majority of the club’s games before his now infamous departure.
Both him and Ola Kamara have played a part in the Black and Gold’s high grade here. The two have combined for 13 goals for the club and have been fairly efficient in converting their shots into scores. This is evident in their nearly 41 percent shots on goal conversion rate.
But since Ola assumed the point striker role in Columbus, he’s been about as good as it gets. No other player in MLS has as many tallies since the month of May began as his eight. In a short period of time, the Norwegian international has established himself as an elite MLS number nine with a nose for net.
What really sets Ola apart is his off-the-ball movement. His ability to run the channels and find the half-spaces in and around the box is a sight to behold. And he possesses great vision in being able to time his runs and anticipate where the service from his teammates is going to be.
Conclusion
There still remain a lot of question marks in Columbus as to how this team will be able to re-emerge into playoff contention. The club is still immensely short-handed due to injuries to key players. Will summer transfer window reinforcements help get the team back to winning ways?
Either way, Crew SC emerges out of its proverbial locker room and into the second half of the season on Wednesday. With four of their next five at home, it will become apparent rather quickly whether or not a reversal of fortune is in the works.
Photo courtesy of Columbus Crew SC Communications.
