Things appear to be trending upward for the Black and Gold in recent weeks.
Despite well-documented Columbus Crew SC road woes, and having recently been eliminated from the 2015 US Open Cup, the club’s regular season form has shown vast improvement in recent games. Unbeaten in four straight, Columbus is now tied with Orlando City and New England for the second best record in the Eastern Conference.
The next step towards joining teams like DC United, Seattle, Vancouver, Los Angeles and others as legitimate contenders when the 2015 postseason gets underway is to exorcise those demons when playing away from MAPFRE Stadium. Heading into the 19th week of MLS action, Crew SC is one of only three teams in the entire league (Chicago and LA being the others) that have yet to register a road victory.
Not since 2005 have the Black and Gold gone this long into a season without getting the full three points on the road. That year, they beat the then Kansas City Wizards 1-0 at Arrowhead Stadium on August 26th. It’s also a stark contrast to the past two years when they notched season-opening 3-0 victories in both 2014 and 2013 against DC United and Chivas USA respectively.
That’s not to say Columbus hasn’t had its chances. On two occasions, against Vancouver on April 8th and Orlando City May 30th, have they let 2-1 leads in the second half slip away.
However, as the old cliché goes: that was then and this is now. Momentum seems to be in Crew SC’s favor as they head to Quebec for a weekend clash with the Montreal Impact. What factors might be in play that could tip the scales in the visitors favor when the two teams meet on the field Saturday?
5 Reasons Columbus Crew SC Road Woes Could End Against Montreal
5. Revenge, Baby…Revenge!
A little more than a month ago, Montreal countered their way to what had to have been looked at as a shock 2-1 road win over Crew SC. In doing so, they snapped a road winless streak that stretched back to September 8th, 2013. Afterwards, it had to have felt that the club were on their way to a summer swoon similar to last season.
That’s not the case now. After two hard-fought, come from behind wins at home, there has to be an added level of motivation to return the favor and beat the Impact at Stade Saputo.
4. Wil Trapp’s Triumphant Return
Trapp came on as a late-game sub in Crew SC’s 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls on Fourth of July weekend. It was his first action in nearly three months as he made his way back from recurrent concussion symptoms. The rousing ovation fans gave him as he came onto the pitch after such a long absence reveals how important his presence is to the psyche of the club as well as to the Columbus soccer community in general.
After the game, head coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter spoke about the importance of getting Trapp back.
“It’s special. He means a lot to this area and rightfully so. He’s a guy that, you know, most if not all of Columbus is proud of,” Berhalter mentioned in discussing the Gahanna, OH native.
Look for him to be an option off the bench once more against Montreal. His ability as a ball-winning defensive midfielder as well as a capable ball distributor could prove quite useful if Crew SC need to protect a late-game lead.
3. All Aboard the Cedrick Mabwati Hype Train
Before Saturday’s game against the Red Bulls, the Black and Gold presented their newest signing in attacking midfielder Cedrick Mabwati. Originally signed in January, he officially became eligible on Wednesday when the secondary transfer window opened.
Mabwati is a diminutive, speedy attacking midfielder with great change of pace, exceptional lateral movement with the ball at his feet, and an above average ability to take on opposing defenders one-on-one. He’s a number 11 in both a literal (that’s his jersey number for Crew SC) and tactical (he’s a pure left winger) sense.
While talking with the media after training this week, Berhalter emphasized the importance of playing with quickness at key points during the game.
“When we’re ready for the action, it has to be at high speed. Otherwise, you have no chance. So when that moment comes it’s done at absolute maximum speed,” he noted.
Though it’s still unclear how much we’ll see of him in Montreal, Mabwati should certainly exhibit this key quality going forward once he gets regular minutes with the club.
2. Finlay to Kamara…or Maybe the Other Way Around
There is no better attacking combination in MLS right now than Kei Kamara and Ethan Finlay. The Finlay to Kamara assist to goal combo is currently best in the league, while if you switch up the roles it’s fourth-best. Both are part of the reason Crew SC is second league-wide in chances created (201).
Kamara’s ability as a multi-faceted target forward that can not only score but facilitate his teammates ability to find the net was on full display against the Red Bulls. While he has scored a handful of braces himself this season, his assists on both goals Saturday enabled Finlay to get one of his own.
It’s likely that one or the other will have to find the back of the net in order for Crew SC to wrest the entirety of the three points from this match.
1. That 5 Inch Soccer Field in Your Head
A famous golfer, I believe Ben Hogan, once said, “Golf is a game played on a five inch course between your ears.” The same can be said of virtually any sport at its highest level. For Columbus Crew SC, the past two results at home have really demonstrated a significant semblance of mental toughness.
Both times, against New England and New York, they gave up an early goal only to equalize then take the lead themselves, all the while holding fast defensively down the stretch in order to preserve the result. Being able to put it all together that way requires a certain calmness and composure spread out over the whole 90 minutes of a game.
Crew SC has elicited that quality during this current run of form and it will need to be on display on Saturday if the club wants to put this frustrating road winless spell behind them.
Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images
